Disney is primarily known for its animated films starring protagonists that are often kind and selfless. A very popular trope in their films involves a protagonist who spends their life making the people around them happy.
They then have this urge to do something for themselves, as few people want to spend their lives ignoring their own happiness. When these characters finally do something selfish, it feels completely justified, even though the other characters are opposed to it. Characters who finally have a chance to act in their own self-interests teach a valuable lesson that, while it is important to be considerate of others, self-love is just as important.
10 Toy Story: Buzz Attacked Woody, Despite Not Being An Advocate Of Violence
From the moment Buzz arrived in Andy's room, he presented himself as a friendly and peaceful individual, albeit misinformed. He became the new favorite among the other toys because he was sociable and eager to help anyone who needed it. Woody then took advantage of Buzz's selfless urge to help others, claiming that a toy was stuck behind Andy's desk and needed to be saved. After Woody accidentally knocked Buzz out of the window, Buzz was understandably furious. He started off by telling Woody that his planet doesn't promote the concept of revenge. Buzz then noted that they weren't on his planet, and started to attack the cowboy.
9 Cinderella: She Went To The Ball And Nearly Forgot Her Fairy Godmother's Warning
Cinderella spent her entire life catering to her stepmother and stepsisters. She acted as a maid in her own house, and owned very little. Despite all that she went through, she remained kind. This was exactly why the audience rooted for her.
Going to the ball was her one act of doing something for herself. It only made sense that someone with her background would lose track of time while she had fun for the first time in years. This one act of defying her stepfamily's wishes was what helped her finally break free from their control.
8 Tangled: Rapunzel Only Had One Wish And Made It Come True
During her time with Mother Gothel, Rapunzel was the picture-perfect daughter. She genuinely cared about her mother and believed everything that she was told while she was stuck in the tower. All she wanted was to see the floating lanterns that appeared on her birthday. Since Mother Gothel refused to let Rapunzel leave the tower, Rapunzel decided to trick her mother into leaving so that she could finally experience the world. For the first time, Rapunzel chose to do what she wanted. Because of that, she was eventually able to permanently free herself from that tower.
7 A Bug's Life: Flik Lied About The Circus Bugs To Save Face
Flik recruited a group of circus bugs, under the impression that they were warriors who would help his colony fight off the grasshoppers. He was desperate to prove that he could be an asset to his colony, and was overjoyed by their praise. The circus bugs told him the truth, but Flik refused to tell his colony. Instead, he was eager to keep up the lie. He never wanted to tell the colony of his own volition, and his actions actually put his colony in even more peril, as they had spent a great amount of time trying to make Flik's plan a reality instead of meeting Hopper's demands.
6 Frozen: Anna Got Engaged To Hans Right After Meeting Him
After Elsa accidentally struck Anna with her ice powers, Elsa began to isolate herself from everyone else. Anna was both confused and lonely, but she stayed inside the castle in order to remain with her sister.
What she wanted more than anything else was to reconnect with Elsa, and when she couldn't do that, she latched onto the first person who showed her any affection. Without caring about any of the possible consequences, she decided to get engaged to Prince Hans. She was so desperate for love that she refused to listen to reason when Elsa told her that marrying Hans was a bad idea.
5 Finding Nemo: Marlin Ignored Dory's Advice And Went Through The Jellyfish
After Dory received directions from a school of fish, they advised her that she should swim through the trench. Intimidated by the trench's creepy look, Marlin's first instinct was to swim over it. Although Dory told him that they should swim through it instead, he completely ignored her. He wanted to go through what he presumed was a more comfortable route. As a result, Dory was seriously injured by the jellyfish that they encountered. This selfish refusal to listen to Dory taught him to believe in others, including his son.
4 Hercules: Hercules Lashed Out When Phil Didn't Tell Him What He Wanted To Hear
When Phil overheard Meg's conversation with Hades, he rushed to let Hercules know. Hercules was too lovesick to listen to his mentor at first. When Phil continued to press the issue, Hercules ended up knocking him into a rack of weights. Hercules carelessly lashed out in his anger, but losing sight of his own strength was something he didn't normally do. Growing up, he was always a good kid. He wanted to help others and tried to keep his strength in check. In the heat of the moment, all he cared about was getting Phil to stop talking, as Phil's words were too much for him to handle.
3 A Goofy Movie: Goofy Forced His Son To Go On A Road Trip
After Max broke a few rules by putting on a show for the school, the principal called Goofy. He told Goofy a dramatized story about how his son would end up in the electric chair if he continued down this path. Goofy naturally didn't want his son to meet a grisly end. As a single father, he always showed love and caring when it came to his son. It was then that Goofy came up with a plan to bond with his son in order to set him straight again: He would take his son on a road trip. Although Goofy had good intentions, his actions came off as misguided and selfish. Not only did he fail to ask his son for his side of the story, but Max had no say for a portion of the trip. He had to endure possums and other mortifying things before Goofy noticed his son was miserable.
2 The Little Mermaid: Sebastian Spilled Ariel's Secret When Intimidated By King Triton
Sebastian is a character who acts as a second father figure to Ariel. He does not always like having to watch over her, mainly because she always manages to get herself into trouble. He commits a major act of selfishness by telling King Triton about her secret hideaway, easily caving in when the king intimidates him. From this point on, he feels immense guilt about this decision and chooses to support Ariel in her quest for love. He realized that she would be miserable if she went back home, and decided that he would rather face Triton's fury.
1 Mulan 2: Mulan Celebrated The Princesses' Love Despite It Spelling Doom For China
Mulan, Shang, and their trio of friends were tasked with escorting three princesses to Qui Gong. There, the princesses would get married and forge an alliance that would be crucial in protecting China from outside threats. The princesses end up falling for Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po. When Mulan finds out, she immediately celebrates and encourages them to pursue that love, even at the risk of ruining the alliance and making China more susceptible to Mongol attacks. While everything ended up alright, it is difficult to believe that the hero of China, who risked her life to save her father, would prioritize relationships that were days old over the safety of her country.