Disney movies have some of the most lovable and endearing protagonists in film, such as strong and inspirational princesses, caring and funny princes, and animals so adorable they capture all fans' hearts. However, Disney makes some protagonists out to be the good guys when they're actually pretty terrible.
Some are good characters who make a few wrong choices, while others consistently make morally questionable decisions. No matter how loved these protagonists are, they certainly aren't perfect.
10 Snow White Takes Over The Dwarfs' Home (Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs)
The Evil Queen longs to kill Snow White out of jealousy. The young girl flees the village, and woodland animals lead her to a furnished but uninhabited cottage. She believes that orphaned children live in the home but still takes it upon herself to clean the house and move in.
The seven dwarfs find her in the house and allow her to stay after she offers to cook and clean while they're away. Unfortunately, not only does she take over someone else's home, but she's also a relatively unremarkable and dull protagonist. She makes history by being the first princess in the first full-length animated movie but lacks a stand-out personality.
9 Prince Charming Is So In Love, Yet Can't Remember What She Looks Like (Cinderella)
Cinderella meets Prince Charming at the ball, and they spend the entire night together, dancing and gazing into each other's eyes. Yet the next day, he has no idea what she looks like and can only recognize her by her shoe size.
It's fair to assume he's not the best guy if he can't remember the love of his life's appearance. He apparently doesn't even remember her hair color, seeing as he tests the glass slipper on every woman in the village instead of anyone who resembles Cinderella. Finding his princess would be much quicker if he'd paid attention to her.
8 Ariel Silences Herself For Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid)
Ariel is a mermaid who falls in love with a human prince in The Little Mermaid. Ariel is only 16 years old but thinks she's much older and more mature, leading to fights with her father. Ariel then seeks out Ursula, the sea witch, and trades her voice for human legs.
Ariel silencing herself to get a man's love sends problematic messages to young girls, potentially encouraging them not to speak their minds to gain others' approval. Unfortunately, despite how fun and widely-loved the film is, it doesn't hold up well in today's society, and Ariel isn't as great of a protagonist as Disney has led fans to believe.
7 Woody Is Obsessively Jealous Of A New Toy (Toy Story)
Overall, Woody is a good protagonist and, thankfully, goes through a lot of character development throughout the franchise. However, in the original Toy Story, he lets his jealousy take over, making him almost unbearable. Andy's new Buzz Lightyear toy quickly becomes a favorite, threatening Woody's standing as the leader.
Woody is always in Andy's spotlight and can't take having to share the attention. To prevent Andy from playing with Buzz, Woody attempts to knock him behind a dresser but accidentally throws him out the window. The two have to team up and eventually become friends, but Woody's unreasonable jealousy initially makes it difficult to like him.
6 Aladdin Lies About His Identity (Aladdin)
Aladdin is one of the most likable Disney princes; he's sweet, caring, and wants to give Jasmine the world. However, although he's a good person, he does spend the beginning of their relationship lying to the princess about his identity. Aladdin has Genie turn him into a prince to impress Jasmine and qualify as her suitor.
However, he doesn't realize Jasmine prefers an authentic pauper to an artificial royal. When Jasmine finds out, she's understandably upset and questions whether she can trust the man she loves. Although he proves to be a good person worthy of her attention, his initial deception is concerning.
5 Marlin Is Mean And Condescending Toward Dory (Finding Nemo)
A human captures Nemo and brings him to a dentist office in Australia, leading the boy's father, Marlin, on a journey through the ocean to find him. Along the way, Marlin meets Dory, a friendly and funny fish with short-term memory loss. Consequently, she often repeats phrases and questions, much to Marlin's annoyance.
Dory obviously can't help her condition, making it even worse that Marlin can be so mean to her. His frustrations boil over repeatedly, and he lashes out at his friend, hurting her feelings and embarrassing her. While it's understandable that he's under a lot of stress and pressure to find his son, it's not acceptable for him to be so mean to someone just trying to help him.
4 Merida Blindly Poisons Her Mother (Brave)
Brave's protagonist Merida, is a strong and ambitious young girl who stands up for herself, competing for her own hand in marriage rather than marrying a stranger. Overall, she's inspirational and a great protagonist. However, she blindly trusts a witch and gives Queen Elinor a poisoned cake without knowing what the spell will do.
The witch only tells Merida that the spell will change her fate but fails to mention that it turns the consumer into a bear. For all Merida knows, the cake could be very dangerous or even deadly. The princess has good intentions and only wants Elinor to see her perspective, but her actions are reckless and could’ve permanently damaged the queen.
3 Lightning McQueen Mocks Radiator Springs (Cars)
Cars stars Lightning McQueen, an up-and-coming racecar who gets lost on the way to a competition. Lightning ends up in run-down Radiator Springs, a town on Route 66 that used to be lively and jam-packed. Lightning is arrogant, selfish, and lacks decent manners, which he proves time and again through the majority of the film.
The racecar spends most of the movie judging and mocking the town's residents, including Mater, who desperately longs to be his friend. In addition, his selfish behavior gets him into trouble with the sheriff. Although he's kinder and more compassionate by the end, he spends most of the movie being rude and conceited, believing he's better than everyone else.
2 Mr. Incredible Puts His Family In Danger Over A Midlife Crisis (The Incredibles)
Bob Parr and his wife Helen used to be crime-fighting superheroes in The Incredibles. Now an ordinary father, Bob's everyday life bores him, and he longs for the excitement he felt as a hero. Therefore, when a mysterious woman calls upon him to destroy a giant robot on a remote island, he can't resist.
Helen leaves to find her missing husband, and when the kids inevitably follow, Syndrome captures and almost kills all of them. Bob's midlife crisis, selfishness, and need to relive his glory days endanger his wife and kids multiple times. His actions and motivations are questionable at best.
1 Peter Pan's Antics Border On Kidnapping (Peter Pan)
Peter Pan meets Wendy Darling and her brothers and persuades them to return to Neverland with him. There, they will remain young, and Wendy will act as the Lost Boys' mother. Mermaids, fairies, and pirates are just a few things that make the mystical land so appealing to children, encouraging them to be Peter's friends forever.
Wendy sings about her mother, and all the children cry as they long for a mom and family. Peter eventually brings the Darling kids back to their home with fond memories of their time on the magical island. Disney presents Peter Pan as a magical, fun-loving friend, but some interpret him as darker and more deceptive – kidnapping children to fill his loneliness.