10 Most Disturbing Backstories In Disney Movies

Although Disney movies have a reputation for being uplifting family classics, many of the most famous characters have surprisingly tragic backstories. Disney’s best animated movies can often get away with some disturbing tales thanks to their colorful, expressive styles and their catchy songs. Stripping away these elements reveals that many beloved characters have to endure incredible hardships before their stories truly begin.

Many Disney characters are orphans from a young age, so many in fact that it has become a trope. But while being orphaned isn’t necessarily a tragedy in and of itself, the terrible home lives that these characters then have to put up with or the traumatic nature of the death of their parents makes some Disney movies especially disturbing. Disney’s most popular characters have to survive murder attempts, social isolation, bullying and much more before they even have a chance of a fairy tale ending.

10

The Beast

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

The Beast is a handsome prince who luxuriates in the finer things in life, until a curse transforms him into an intimidating monster. This makes him a societal outcast, and he is forced to live alone in a castle with his former servants transformed into household objects. Their stories are possibly even more tragic, since they are simply collateral damage to the enchantress’ decision to punish the prince for his vanity and selfishness.

The Beast has a long journey of self-improvement to undertake, but it would be harsh to say that his punishment is just. He has to face the consequences of his past every day in the mirror, and his entire staff are trapped in the castle with him to compound his guilt. Ultimately, his only chance at salvation falls into his lap by pure coincidence, as Belle’s father seeks refuge in the castle when he gets lost in the forest.

9

Shere Khan

The Jungle Book (1967)

Many of Disney’s most compelling villains have backstories which are just as layered and interesting as the heroes. Shere Khan appears at first to be a ruthless predator who simply wants to kill or banish Mowgli, but deep down he is much more sympathetic. He has a distrust of all humans because he has seen the destruction that they are capable of, and he sees himself as a protector of the jungle.

The live-action remake of The Jungle Book spells things out a little more clearly, revealing that Shere Khan was left scarred by an altercation with some humans. His hatred isn’t just close-minded ignorance. It’s rooted in fear, and he fears for the other creatures of the jungle if they let humans get too close. Shere Khan knows that he has to appear tough, but this forces him to mask his true vulnerability.

8

Nick Wilde

Zootopia (2016)

Nick Wilde is a smooth-talking con artist, but his sleek exterior hides a painful backstory. As a child, Nick dreamed of joining the Junior Ranger Scouts so that he could finally make friends and be accepted by others, but his initiation was a trap, and the other scouts made fun of him and put a muzzle on his face. Zootopia has elements of racial allegory, and Nick’s treatment shows that people assume he is dangerous and sneaky just because he is a fox.

Nick’s traumatic childhood experience convinces him that he will never find acceptance, no matter how hard he tries, so he may as well play into the stereotypes and become a con artist. He has a change of heart and enters the police academy at the end of Zootopia, so Disney’s Zootopia sequel could show Nick with a much more positive outlook, especially as predators and herbivores continue learning to live in harmony.

7

Lilo

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Lilo and Nani have to rely on each other after the death of their parents. Lilo and Stitch doesn’t focus on the exact circumstances of their death, since the events of the movie take place some time later, but it’s revealed that they both died in a car accident. Such an unpredictable tragedy would have been devastating to both Lilo and Nani, and it clearly puts a strain on their relationship, with Lilo in particular struggling to deal with her emotions.

Lilo struggles to make friends with the other girls in her neighborhood. To cope with her social isolation and the death of her parents, she constructs a vivid inner world, even if this sometimes makes things awkward for Nani, who tries her best to provide for her but can’t always relate to her. Although Nani is a great older sister, Lilo doesn’t have anyone she can spend time with on her own level, which is why she becomes so fiercely protective of Stitch.

6

Cinderella

Cinderella (1950)

Cinderella’s story has become a shorthand for any rags-to-riches tale, and the original animated Disney movie places a lot of emphasis on her sad upbringing. After her father’s death, Cinderella is burdened with a cruel stepmother and two equally cruel stepsisters. These characters have become archetypes in plenty of other fairy tales, but they are at their most potent in Cinderella, as they all conspire to load her up with tedious labor.

Cinderella needs this darkness at the beginning to make the cathartic payoff work. By enduring her awful treatment with good grace and humility, Cinderella shows that she is worthy of her sudden rise in wealth in status. Cinderella is a moralistic fable, in which a dash of magic helps a kind woman get her just rewards, while her selfish and apathetic family also get just what they deserve.

5

Snow White

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Just like Cinderella, Snow White is also orphaned from a young age, and she is also raised by a cold-hearted stepmother who doesn’t care for her. Her troubles don’t end when she reaches adulthood. Her jealous stepmother sends a huntsman into the woods to kill her, and although she survives, she is left without a home and struggling to survive in the wilderness.

Before she stumbles across a cottage, Snow White faces a very grim outlook in the forest. She is left for dead, abandoned by the only person in the world who is supposed to care for her, and without any survival skills. The seven dwarfs rescue her from certain death, and she finally finds some people who genuinely care for her. Nothing in her life comes easily however, so she also has to survive a poisoning before finally getting her happily-ever-after.

4

Bambi

Bambi (1942)

The death of Bambi’s mother is one of the saddest moments in any Disney movie. Even 80 years later, it takes a hard heart not to empathize with Bambi’s loss. The tragedy cuts even deeper because of the amount of time Bambi spends with his mother before her death. She teaches him the ways of the forest while his father is largely absent, tending to his duties as the Great Prince of the Forest.

Bambi’s backstory has a big impact on his emotional development. Not only does it force him to grow up more independently, but it also adds extra jeopardy to the time much later when Bambi’s love interest, Faline, is cornered by hunting dogs. It seems unthinkable that the live-action Bambi remake will be able to deliver a similar emotional impact with lifelike CGI characters, and the project has been met with several setbacks in development.

3

Simba

The Lion King (1994)

The plot of The Lion King takes inspiration from Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, so it makes sense Simba’s backstory has a huge emotional impact. Simba watches on as his father is murdered by his uncle, but Scar quickly convinces him that it was his own fault. He tries briefly to wake his father up, showing just how immature he is, and how he refuses to accept the reality of his situation.

Simba is just a cub when Mufasa dies, but since he’s the prince, he has no time to mourn his father’s death. Scar immediately sends the hyenas to kill Simba, so he has to deal with an attempted murder on top of the trauma of witnessing his father’s death. An upcoming live-action Lion King prequel will focus on Mufasa’s story before Simba’s birth, potentially lending a new dimension to the tragedy of his death.

2

Quasimodo

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is undoubtedly one of Disney’s darkest movies. It starts by showing Quasimodo’s devastating backstory, as Frollo kills his mother on the steps of Notre Dame cathedral. Believing that the baby Quasimodo is a demon, Frollo then attempts to drown him. Quasimodo is saved just in time by the archdeacon, but he endures a tough childhood, hidden away in the cathedral’s bell tower by Frollo.

The name Frollo gives to the baby, “Quasimodo,” means “half-formed”. This detail perfectly captures how Frollo feels about him. He finds his appearance disturbing and he sees him as subhuman. This is the only parental figure Quasimodo knows, so it’s remarkable that he grows up into a kind man with a positive outlook. Despite being persecuted for his race and his appearance, Quasimodo eventually becomes a hero in Paris.

1

Rapunzel

Tangled (2010)

Most Disney princesses are inspired by folk tales or myths, and Rapunzel’s story is one of the most famous. There are different versions of the European folk story of Rapunzel, but the key detail is that she is trapped in a tall tower because of her long, flowing hair. This makes her a tragic figure already, and Tangled adds a few details which only accentuate this heartbreaking story.

In Tangled, Rapunzel is kidnapped shortly after she is born so that Gothel can benefit from the magical healing properties of her hair. Gothel then imprisons her and gaslights her for years, and Rapunzel grows up not knowing that she is a victim. Her entire worldview is warped, and there’s a sad dramatic irony to the fact that she doesn’t know what Gothel has done to her. She sees the lanterns every year on her birthday, but she doesn’t know that her parents are out there hoping for her to come home.