Since most animated movies are marketed toward children, it comes as little surprise that their plot twists are predictable. Typically, fans are given transparent clues and foreshadowing before a significant event that astute observers can tell well in advance.
There may also be other signs of a glaring twist, such as facts not adding up or the plot being resolved too soon. It makes the eventual reveal feel insulting to the audience's intelligence rather than a cathartic mystery that alleviates suspense. Some twists are so predictable that they don't even fool younger viewers.
10 El Macho Needed To Be Evil
Despicable Me 2
El Macho was a former super villain and a restaurant owner in Despicable Me 2. The fledgling relationship between Gru's daughter and his son made him a somewhat present character in the film.
Despite having "retired" from villainy, there were several indications of El Macho's treachery in advance. For example, his backstory was far too developed for a throwaway character, and the plot did not have a red herring antagonist that could have reasonably taken his place. Ultimately, El Macho's villainy was necessary to tie Despicable Me 2's plot together.
9 Hernan Cortes' Arrival Was Based In History
The Road To El Dorado
Unlike other Road To El Dorado characters, Hernan Cortes was based on a real person who came to South America. This meant that he needed to catch up with Tulio and Miguel eventually given that he first encountered them in Spain.
Additionally, since most kids' villains are not killed by the heroes themselves, Tzekal-Kan still needed to face justice. Since Hernan only found him when arriving in South America, Kan met justice without endangering the people of El Dorado themselves. It was the most favorable outcome possible.
8 Elsa's Powers Would Inevitably Resurface
Frozen
In the beginning of Frozen, Elsa deliberately did everything she could to conceal her power. At first, it seemed as though it would not emerge and that her arranged ceremony would go according to plan.
However, Elsa's powers and the theme of the movie would not be coherent if she didn't lose control eventually. Although the nobles were shocked when Elsa's ice finally resurfaced amidst great stress, it was par for the course since the plot had already began to lag behind. In the end, Elsa's problems were mostly of her own making.
7 Evelyn Was Clearly Screenslaver
The Incredibles 2
Winston Deavor was set up as the red herring for Screenslaver's identity in The Incredibles 2. However, he was much too present and obvious to serve as a proper villain, especially given how transparent Syndrome was in the previous film.
His sister, Evelyn, was a much clearer choice given her reserved personality and experience with technology. Moreover, her full name, "Evelyn Deavor," is a pun based on "evil endeavor." Anyone paying attention would immediately view this as a smoking gun regarding the true villain's identity.
6 Fiona & Shrek Fell In Love
Shrek
Shrek's plot revolved around the titular ogre's quest to deliver Fiona to Farquaad. At first, all he wanted was to be left alone and proved more than willing to save a damsel in distress for his peace and quiet.
In a predictable twist, what was supposed to be a simple rescue mission resulted in the two falling in love. The only person actually surprised by this development was Farquaad himself, who viewed Shrek's attempt for romance as absurd and unreasonable. This was likely on account of Farquaad's open disdain for fairy tale creatures.
5 Tighten Didn't Wield Great Power Responsibly
Megamind
Megamind hoped to develop Tighten as a worthy replacement for Metro Man. However, not only was Hal selfish and immature even as an ordinary person, becoming a "hero" only exacerbated his already dark tendencies.
Even in his training montage, Tighten illustrated his willingness to take things too far, such as when he obliterated test dummies in Megamind's likeness. Therefore, it was less than shocking when Tighten abandoned the notion of being a hero altogether, which forced Megamind to assume the role himself.
4 The Iron Giant Was A Weapon
The Iron Giant
Over time, it became increasingly clear that the Iron Giant was designed to be a weapon. Whenever challenged, his eyes became focused, dark red, and intent on obliterating whatever threat he perceived.
Therefore, when he assumed that Hogarth was dead, he became exactly the type of threat that the authorities feared. It may have surprised characters within the film itself, but the Iron Giant didn't show any other practical purpose for his design. All the same, the giant proved to be greater than his origins when saving the entire city from a nuclear disaster.
3 Aladdin Was Outed As A Fraud
Aladdin
Aladdin initially seduced Princess Jasmine under the pretense that he himself was royalty. However, this was a lie carefully curated by the Genie's wish so that he would be in her good graces. Given Aladdin's audience, it was essential from a narrative standpoint that his lies were eventually exposed.
Therefore, it came as little surprise that after Jafar acquired the lamp, he used it in order to expose, humiliate, and nearly even kill Aladdin. Revealing the faux prince's lie caused more damage to his relationship with Jasmine than anything else in the film.
2 Rourke Tried To Plunder Atlantis
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
There are several cues to indicate Rourke as Atlantis' "twist" villain. For example, he described the journey as an "enriching" experience and was the first of the main crew to retreat from the Leviathan. Historically, captains were only supposed to withdraw after everyone had been accounted for.
Additionally, the Atlantean King told Rourke that he couldn't stay, and the film had no other main antagonist at the time. Therefore, if Rourke hadn't intended to attack Atlantis, the only other possibility would be leave the forgotten city virtually empty-handed. It would have been wildly out of character and made for a shallow film.
1 Yokai's Reveal Was Highly Telegraphed
Big Hero 6
Robert Callaghan allegedly died at the beginning of Big Hero 6 in the same fire that killed Tadashi. Given that he clearly knew the heroes and competently wielded the power of nanobots, the man behind Yokai's mask clearly wasn't Alistair Krei in spite of his interest in technology.
This became even clearer when he prepared to kill Krei in a final act of revenge for his daughter. Although Yokai attempts to make for a compelling twist villain, his lack of alternatives was condemning.