Disney movies have been staple viewing for generations. Since the first Walt Disney Animation Studios feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released in 1937, Disney films have been entertaining audiences for over eight decades. However, Disney movies, especially older ones, are not without their issues.

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Whether it be poor portrayals of certain groups, inappropriate storylines, or problematic elements that are now unacceptable, many older Disney movies have aged pretty poorly. Viewers should prepare themselves for some harsh realities when they turn on an older Disney movie.

10 The Women Have Little Agency

sleeping beauty- the prince kisses her while she sleeps

Despite the princesses being the protagonists in many Disney movies, they often have little agency or control in their lives. The female characters are often under the rule of their fathers, escaping men, or being saved by men. While it is problematic to portray women as needing to be saved by men, it is even worse to show a lack of consentat the same time.

Many of the female characters are saved by being kissed by a prince, which is something that neither Snow White nor Sleeping Beauty consent to. More recent movies have improved on this trend, having women save themselves or succeeding through strong bonds with other women, like in Moana or Frozen.

9 The Films Contain Many Racist Stereotypes

The crows in the middle of a discussion in Dumbo

Usually seen in the form of animals, many early Disney movies contain extremely obvious and offensive stereotypes. Audiences have pointed out the anti-Black stereotypes in Dumbo, racist Asian stereotypes in The Aristocats, and racism and cultural appropriation in Peter Pan.

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Thankfully, this is not acceptable in the 21st century and is less present in modern Disney cartoons. It does make viewers wonder whether the creators of older Disney movies did not see the issues underlying their portrayals of people of color and the harmful stereotypes they pushed forward.

8 Anyone Evil Or Inferior Is Often Queer Coded

Ursula in The Little Mermaid.

A common trope within media is to portray the villain as inferior to the protagonist, usually in extremely problematic ways. Some movies focus on external facets of the villain to reductively conflate physical traits with internal ones.

Villains such as Jafar, Scar, and Ursula are shown as caricatures, and often flamboyant and effeminate. Additionally, Ursula was based on an American actor and drag queen named Divine. Portraying people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and plus-size people as evil only serves to emphasize the terrible idea that groups of outsiders are abnormal and less worthy of existing and succeeding.

7 Many Voice Actors Did Not Provide Their Character's Singing Voice

Li Shang in Mulan

Almost every modern Disney movie is a musical. If it isn't a musical, Disney films tend to feature many musical moments and elements. The voice actors behind famous Disney characters have become iconic for their roles, but many of them never actually sang their character's songs.

Characters from The Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan, and many others had separate voice actors for the singing. While this is not so noticeable for some characters, the contrast can be heard for others, taking viewers out of the movie completely.

6 The Movie That Gave The World 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da' Is Incredibly Racist And Problematic

Uncle Remus leads his friends in Song of the South

"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da" may seem like a joyful and innocent song, but it comes from one of Disney's most controversial movies: Song of the South. Song of the South is set in the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War and has faced criticism for its glorification of slavery and racist portrayal of its Black characters.

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Disney has removed Song of the South from all home video formats and it is unavailable for streaming on Disney+. It seems that Disney is trying to wipe this movie out of existence. The impulse is understandable, though when the studio ignores its past mistakes, it's also leaving the door open to repeating them in the future.

5 A Lot Of The Source Material Is Incredibly Dark

Anastasia - Cinderella's evil stepsister

Disney is known for its harrowing storylines, usually involving outcast characters and dead parents, but their movies always manage to finish with a happy ending or the characters living 'happily ever after'. However, the source material that many Disney movies are based is usually a lot darker.

The likes of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid are based on fairytales that end with heartbreak, pain, death, and lost eyeballs and toes. This would be a shock for any child who wants to read the original text that their favorite movies are based on.

4 The Animation Style Doesn't Match More Recent Disney Films

Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, Sven in Disney's Frozen

There's a lot to be said for the work that went into the hand-drawn animation of Disney films in earlier decades. Indeed, the underwater scenes in Pinocchio are still regarded as a masterpiece that combines realism with cartooning in a way that wouldn't be matched until The Incredibles. That said, the stylistic differences between the old and the new films can be jarring.

Younger children in particular are used to seeing incredibly polished computer animation in films like Moana and Frozen II. Switching back to earlier animation styles can confuse younger viewers and sometimes bore them. This doesn't mean that the older films are worse than their contemporary equivalents but they might not draw in their intended audience the way they used to.

3 They Don't Represent Historical Reality

John Smith and Pocahontas lock eyes in the forest

Many Disney animated features sometimes draw from historical events and real people. One of the most noticeable examples is the 1995 movie, Pocahontas. Pocahontas follows the titular "princess" of the Powhatan nation during the arrival of English settlers. Not only does the film romanticize the relationship between Pocahontas and John Smith, but it cleans it up in some disturbing ways.

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When John Smith met Pocahontas, he was 28 and she was just 11. In this film, the titular character is aged up into young adulthood. Pocahontas also omitted other terrible details about the real Pocahontas, acts like indigenous Americans are magical entities instead of real people, and adapts the "white savior" trope in a semi-historical setting.

2 Live-Action Remakes Divide Audiences

Aladdin's live-action remake with Will Smith as the Genie

Disney's animated features are so beloved that the company decided to capitalize on their popularity by adapting the stories into live-action movies. Many of these films feature lavish musical numbers, great performances and costuming, and impressive CGI. As a result, some viewers felt that the live-action remakes were improvements of the originals.

However, others were disappointed, feeling that bringing these movies into the 21st century took away some of the magic that the originals possess. Some viewers feel like the remakes detract from the earlier animated features by trying to update them unnecessarily.

1 There Is A Surprising Amount Of Underage Drinking

drunk dumbo

Movies such as Dumbo and Pinocchio feature some pretty prominent and memorable scenes of the young characters engaging in excessive underage drinking and smoking. It is now rare in modern TV shows and movies to see adults smoking and drinking to excess. Additionally, contemporary filmmakers are far less likely to show a child or young person consuming alcohol and then aim that film at children.

While the scenes often highlight the characters' innocence and naivety, portraying underage drinking as a comedic learning experience definitely feels like an artifact from another time. Disney's creative teams almost certainly didn't want to promote underage drinking but placing scenes where children abuse alcohol in children's movies was never a good idea.