While Walt Disney Animation Studios has made a point of trying to teach lessons to children in as palatable a format as possible, there are still a few harsh realities to life. Even Disney animated movies know they have to address some of the darker aspects of living.

There have been several dark movies in the Disney animated canon over the years. While countless movies have had grim moments, these movies have incredibly dark themes. They are real and teach lessons in their own way, even if it feels a bit grim in the making.

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Updated on September 23rd, 2022 by Scoot Allan: Disney movies usually bring fans a certain level of comfort on trying days, which is now even easier thanks to Disney+. Childhood favorites can be accessed on-demand for longtime fans or for those looking into dark Disney conspiracy theories. Of course, fans might be surprised by some of the darkest Disney movies that are available, which still manage to terrify and unsettle fans years after they were created.

20 The Dancing Skeletons Still Creep Fans Out Today

The Skeleton Dance

A skeleton scaring cats in Disney's The Skeleton Dance

Disney first released "The Skeleton Dance" in 1929 as one in a series of 75 animated shorts called Silly Symphony that was released over the span of a decade. Walt Disney directed the short which was animated by Ub Iwerks, who was also the designer behind Mickey Mouse.

"The Skeleton Dance" featured four living skeletons as they danced around a graveyard and made music, which doesn't sound too dark. However, at the time it was an incredibly spooky tale that frequently pops up again around Halloween due to its macabre imagery.

19 Belle Is Forced Into A Toxic Relationship With The Beast

Beauty And The Beast

Tale As Old As Time dance scene Beauty And The Beast

An animated Disney film that received a live-action adaptation, Beauty and the Beast is a beloved classic which features a dark premise. Like most Disney movies, there's a love story present in the film. However, it's problematic as Belle has been taken prisoner by the titular Beast and basically forced into a toxic relationship with the monstrous character.

Beauty and the Beast also features some seriously dark curses that affect more than just the Beast. His entire mansion of servants were also trapped as household items in what almost became an eternal fate worse than death.

18 A Dying Kingdom Of Animals Is Reigned Over By A Greedy King

Robin Hood

Prince John being greedy in Robin Hood

Disney's take on Robin Hood from 1973 is usually fondly remembered by fans both for its music and the charming lead fox who robs the rich to give to the poor. However, the animated movie also didn't shy away from the harsh realities of Prince John's brutal taxation of Nottingham.

When the town's taxes are tripled in Prince John's retaliation against the rising legend of Robin Hood, the animal townsfolk are shown in their suffering. They are even arrested and held for execution along with Friar Tuck, which further highlights some of the dark themes and imagery that really made Robin Hood's heroism shine brighter.

17 The Aftermath Of A Shocking Massacre Is Shown On Screen

Mulan

The Hun massacre from Mulan

The original animated Mulan from 1998 was a celebrated hit for Disney that received a live-action remake in 2020. The movie followed the titular Mulan who was forced to disguise herself as a man in order to take her father's demanded place in the Chinese army.

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Mulan has been hailed as Disney's first feminist film by some fans, however, it still features a couple of shocking scenes that highlighted the senseless massacres of the invading Hun army. A musical number is abruptly cut short as the Chinese army marches into a devastated town, stopping the movie in its tracks with the dark realization of war.

16 A Sweet Friendship Quickly Turns Dark & Deadly

The Fox And The Hound

The Fox and the Hound playing in The Fox and the Hound

Disney introduced a sweet new friendship between the titular characters of Disney's 1981 animated movie The Fox and the Hound. An orphaned fox named Tod is taken in by a kind widowed farmer while her hunter neighbor brings home a new puppy named Copper.

The two quickly become fast friends although as they get older the dynamic between the two friends is influenced by their roles as hunter and prey. A final showdown between the two old friends culminates with a violent and frightening attack by a bear that definitely caused more than a few young viewers to cry out in fear.

15 Dark Demons & Mischievous Magical Brooms Are Set To Classical Music

Fantasia

Mickey Mouse and Chernobog from Fantasia

When Fantasia was first released in 1940 it was toured across the country, and fans got to see a number of animated shorts set to classical music that took the premise of Silly Symphony and turned it into a feature-length movie. The most memorable shorts from Fantasia were two of the darkest — the first being "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" featuring a newly redesigned Mickey Mouse.

Mickey attempted to speed up his cleaning duties using magic, however, things quickly got out of control. However, it was the debut of Disney's darkest demon Chernabog in the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment that really stood out. It made an impression both for its beautiful animation and the terrifying introduction of Disney's devil as he called for the sacrifice of the undead souls under his command.

14 A Terrified Ichabod Crane Battles The Horrific Headless Horseman

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

The Headless Horseman on his horse in The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

One of the earlier films in the Disney animated canon, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was released in 1949. This film is unlike others in the canon in that it technically is two smaller films paired together as segments of the longer title The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

While the first segment deals with Mr. Toad and The Wind in the Willows, the second segment adapts the short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The segment has the same title as its famous source material, as well as nearly the same ending. Ichabod believes he is a victim of the Headless Horseman and is never seen again.

13 The Majority Of Andy's Toys Are Almost Unceremoniously Incinerated

Toy Story 3

Andy's toys hold hands in the incinerator

While Disney and Pixar's Toy Story franchise excelled at using mature themes to appeal to young fans and adults alike, there were still quite a few dark moments across the series. 2010's Toy Story 3 was especially fraught with dark Disney scenes.

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The toys were forced to deal with their possible next step in their lives as their owner Andy headed off to college — which dealt with the darker side of growing up. The toys also faced an almost certain grisly end in a garbage incinerator. With no hope in sight, the beloved characters embraced each other and awaited their demise in one of the Disney film's tensest moments.

12 The Monsterous Horned King Wants To Raise An Army Of The Undead

The Black Cauldron

John Hurt as The Horned King in The Black Cauldron

1985's The Black Cauldron may have been considered a flop when it was released, but there's a new generation of fans who've revisited the animated movie and appreciate its darker themes and sword-and-sorcery storytelling. The movie's young heroes embark on a quest to stop one of the Disney universe's most terrifying villains, Horned King.

His goals to raise an army of the undead using the mystical Black Cauldron are just one of the reasons the movie was hit and earned Disney's first-ever PG-rating. This occurred even after a few scenes were removed or recut to further tone down its violence and darkness.

11 Children Are Kidnapped, Transformed Into Donkeys, & Enslaved

Pinocchio

Pinocchio growing donkey ears in the original Pinocchio

Less than a decade before The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad became the second movie in the Disney animated canon, Pinocchio, released in 1940. This movie seems light-hearted on the surface, but viewers who watched it as children — and even those who have seen it as adults — recognize there is a much darker side to Pinocchio.

Pinocchio gets kidnapped and sold, he gets locked in a cage and threatened that he’ll be hacked into pieces, and commits a fair number of sins. The worst part, however, is probably the children who get turned into donkeys and sold, apparently never to be turned back.

10 A Dark Tale Of Colonialism Is Romanticized & Doesn't Tell The True Story

Pocahontas

Pocahontas and John Smith lock eyes in the forest.

While Pocahontas is a beloved animated movie, it also holds a bit of a dark place in Disney's history. 1995's Pocahontas was the first animated film based on an actual historical event. However, it failed to represent the story properly. The animated film explored Britain's colonial history and the dark relationship between American settlers and the Indigenous population.

However, it does so in a way that glorified the tale as a love story when it was anything but. The real Pocahontas was far younger and likely forced into her marriage and journey to Europe. Pocahontas touches on this dark chapter of history even if it fails to present the reality of the colonial era.

9 Snow White Is Nearly Killed For Her Beauty

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs

the evil queen gives snow white a poisoned apple

The very first movie in Disney's animated canon was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Released in 1937, it's arguably one of the darkest movies in the canon. The film manages this despite the fact that the story was made significantly less dark from its original fairy tale source material.

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However, Snow White and the White Dwarfs still features the titular Snow White on the wrong end of an assassination attempt. The Evil Queen sends the Huntsman to kill Snow White and return with her heart in a box. When he can’t do it, the Evil Queen takes it upon herself to deceive Snow White and convince her to eat poison and die.

8 Two Orphans Struggle With Painful Real-Life Problems & An Alien

Lilo & Stitch

nani and lilo from lilo & stitch

While the underrated Lilo & Stitch is a newer entry to the Disney canon, it’s one of the best films in the entire franchise, as well as one of the darkest. Lilo and her older sister Nani have been orphaned, and Nani (only nineteen years old) has become the sole guardian of seven-year-old Lilo.

While Nani is trying her best to raise Lilo, both of them are struggling, and this movie depicts real life in almost painful detail. This is part of what makes this movie so good. Nani does anything and everything she can to help Lilo, and people still don’t think it’s enough. However, in the end, they’re able to overcome all of this with some extra help.

7 Animals Are Killed On Screen & The Villain, Clayton, Is Hanged

Tarzan

tarzan in the movie tarzan

Like Pinocchio, the 1999 film Tarzan has a few stand-out dark moments that kids still remember years after they watched the movie for the first time. When Sabor, the leopard who killed Tarzan’s parents, returns to attack Tarzan’s family after he’s grown, he fights and kills her.

This intense fight sequence ends with Tarzan lifting Sabor’s body and throwing her corpse at Kerchak’s feet. Clayton even gets his neck caught in a vine and his shadow is seen hanged on screen. This movie has a lot of darkness underneath all its color.

6 Alice Is Threatened With Violent Decapitation Numerous Times

Alice In Wonderland

Alice with the Queen of Hearts and other characters in Alice in Wonderland Cropped

Disney adapted Lewis Carroll's popular surrealist 1865 novel in 1951 with Alice in Wonderland. The animated adaptation tells a fan-favorite story about a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a dream world filled with talking animals and magical characters. Alice in Wonderland explores an absurdist world that created a feeling of unease in viewers.

It also featured a few dark and murderous moments. After Alice meets the dreaded Queen of Hearts, she's threatened numerous times with violent decapitation and forced to run for her life from the Queen's army of equally murderous playing cards. It's a fever dream of a children's story that seems to get darker with each new retelling.

5 Frightening Imagery Is Used To Depict The Harsh Reality Of The Circus World

Dumbo

dumbo's mother holding him while she is imprisoned

While, in the end, everything works out for the eponymous Dumbo and his pals, it is a dark, hard road to get there. This 1941 movie sees Dumbo’s mother, Mrs. Jumbo, doing anything she can to help her son — including scolding and spanking those who ridicule him.

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This action results in the circus troupe imprisoning Mrs. Jumbo, isolating Dumbo, and forcing him to try and navigate life on his own. Even when he visits his mother, they can’t see each other, and can only tangle their trunks together.

4 Bambi's Mother's Death Has Been Devastating Children For Decades

Bambi

Bambi In The Snow After His Mom Died

The 1942 Disney animated film Bambi is among the most notably dark films in the Walt Disney canon. The movie is well done and has some truly shocking, devastating moments. When Bambi was younger, he nearly was shot and killed by Man.

However, the Great Prince of the Forest (and Bambi’s father, unbeknownst to Bambi at the time) saved him and brought him back to his mother. However, that winter, Man comes back. He shoots and kills Bambi’s mother. This moment is devastating in a million ways and has stuck with people for nearly a century. Bambi and other similar tear-jerkers have gone in history.

3 Cruella De Vil Tries To Steal Cute Puppies To Turn Them Into Fur Coats

101 Dalmatians

Cruella de Vil with her arms crossed as she grins maliciously

Many viewers have been revisiting 101 Dalmatians following the release of the live-action prequel spin-off Cruella. Released in 1961, 101 Dalmatians has a couple of moments that sting; for example, the moment when it seems that one of the puppies is stillborn —a scene burned into countless children’s minds.

The worst of it all, although, is how terrible Cruella is throughout the film. No less could be expected from somebody named Cruella de Vil, but she is truly vile. She spends the entire film doing anything and everything she can to steal puppies, kill them, skin them, and wear them. It’s definitely one of Disney’s darkest plots.

2 Scar Kills His Own Brother & Devastates The Pride Lands

The Lion King

Scar from The Lion King

There are many, many reasons The Lion King is one of the darkest movies in the entire Disney animated canon. The Lion King is one of the best Disney movies and depicts Scar (the brother of Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands), plotting to kill his royal brother. Worse than this, he forces Mufasa’s son Simba to be his bait.

This makes Simba think he’s responsible for his father’s death and forces himself into self-exile — although Scar does try to kill him first. Scar and his hyenas have overt Third Reich overtones. When Simba returns to the Pride Lands and finds everyone dying, kids were horrified, and still are to this day.

1 The Villainous Frollo Is Disney's Darkest Villain Of All Time

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame

frollo from the hunchback of notre dame

Arguably the darkest film in the entire Disney animated canon is the 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The movie opens with Frollo killing Quasimodo’s mother and attempting to kill an infant Quasimodo before he's forced to stop. He attempts to atone for the sin of murdering Quasimodo’s mother by taking the boy in.

Instead, however, he spends his whole life keeping Quasimodo locked up and abusing him. In addition, Frollo attacks Esmeralda and begs the Virgin Mary to kill Esmeralda if he can’t have her. He even brutally attempts to burn her at the stake, proving The Hunchback of Notre Dame is Disney's darkest animated movie.

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