Over the past century, Disney has given us over and over again timeless stories and fairy tale classics ranging from all varieties of genres. Whether it is the story of a benevolent princess having fallen to a disastrous curse or the underdog transforming from the weak nobody to a world renowned hero, Disney movies have sparked the imagination in kids and adults alike not only entertaining us over the years but also teaching us about life lessons along the way. These films have made us laugh, cry, and realize what it means to be human, and it all started with a mouse.
Even though Disney films are usually targeted toward kids and typically require a suspension of disbelief, over the years and after leaving our childhood behind, we often look back at our favorite childhood movies with a different perception. While nostalgia can still deliver that swift release of serotonin and childhood memories, we tend to look back at these films from a more critical point of view.
But what would happen if these Disney classics were renamed? What if we were told the truth about these films from the beginning and told to look through a more critical lens right from the get go? Sure, the title wouldn’t change the movie overall, but perhaps we’d go in expecting to see a bit more of those factors that we’d later criticize in adulthood. It’s a good thing Disney didn’t hire these people for their marketing team because these brutally honest Disney posters will make you see these films in entirely different ways.
25 Hardly A Change For The Better
We are taught from a young age that people will love us for who we are and that we shouldn’t change ourselves for others. The Little Mermaid kind of goes against that message, however, as Ariel literally needs to transform herself into something she’s not to get the guy. In all fairness, Ariel had a fascination with humans despite Eric’s existence, but she still went along with Ursula’s spell in order to gain her trophy husband. Go figure, Ariel wishes to become human while little girls everywhere were wishing to be a mermaid.
24 A Spectacular Flop
Tron: Legacy may have been a success at the box office, but in the grand scheme of things, it still feels like a vapid film void of much personality or soul. While the story wasn’t exactly on par with other Disney films, Tron has always been a series that was more about the pizazz rather than the plot. With the group Daft Punk at the helm of the movie’s soundtrack, it almost feels like the ticket price was for a two hour Daft Punk music video and light show. Not that we mind. The movie still looks stellar!
23 The Right Hairstyle Can Make Dreams Come True
You ever feel completely invisible to the person you have a crush on and then your best friend says “Girl, you just need a makeover!” and you enter a complete 80s montage and end up looking totally fierce? No? Okay, maybe that is just a thing in the movies, but if Cinderella has taught us anything, it’s that makeovers can fix almost any problem. Not just landing the guy, but also escaping your evil stepmother as well. Is there anything a new pair of heels can’t do?
22 It Never Stood A Chance
While “The Perfect Movie” might be somewhat of a stretch, there is no denying that Toy Story 3 was a fantastic finale to the original trilogy and it certainly tugged at our heart’s pull strings more than most films in recent years.
Despite being critically acclaimed, it never stood a chance at winning “best picture.”
Unfortunately, animated films just don’t have a lot of luck when it comes to winning big awards, but if there is one animated movie that is certainly deserving of winning “best picture,” this is the one.
21 You’ve Just Been Put In The Friendzone
It seems like every Disney movie made has the hero landing the girl at the end. It just makes for a happier ending. It’s a staple that applies to most Disney films.
Unless you’re ugly. Then you are out of luck.
Quasimodo is the prime example of the nice guy that finishes last and while he overcomes plenty of obstacles throughout the movie, he pretty much has to hand his crush Esmeralda off at the end. Typical. The guy that was sweet and charming from the beginning gets the shaft while she goes for the guy that hunted gypsies.
20 Not To Give Away The Ending, But…
Spoiler alert! Bambi, like most early Disney animated films, is a bit of a slog to get through. It’s slow, not heavy on plot, and it feels like it depends on cutesy animated critters to get by.
That doesn’t stop us from getting emotional during the final act.
But rather than just calling the movie by its titular character, why not give a little insight as to what happens in the plot? Besides, we all know that the passing of Bambi’s mother is the focal point of the entire film.
19 I Knew He Sounded Off
Well that certainly doesn’t seem like that alluring of a title, but then again, the name High School Musical left a lot to be desired as well. The Disney Channel Original Movie’s first romp into the world of musicals was definitely a successful one spawning two sequels and a whole genre of DCOMs thereafter. That’s why it is so surprising to know that Zac Efron didn’t sing for Troy Bolton’s character in the first film. I can certainly see why Disney opted to go with a different name.
18 The Truth Is Painful
Disney has never been a stranger to darker themes such as life and the afterlife, but none really conveyed it in the sense that Pixar’s Up! did. Yes, we’ve dealt with the passing of Mufasa or Bambi’s mother over the years, but that was all a stark contrast to this particular film.
Up! is a reminder that no matter how long and good our lives have been, the length of our mortality is always measured.
In an opening that will make you cry within the first five minutes, Up! is ironically not always uplifting, but it is still filled with heart.
17 What Movie Was That Again?
If you’re looking at this movie poster and wondering what in the world it is, you probably aren’t alone, but true Disney aficionados will obviously know it as the long forgotten movie The Black Cauldron. Based off a collection of books called The Chronicles of Prydain, this film is one of the darker entries out of all the Disney animated films, but compared to films in the upcoming Disney Renaissance, the story lacked the soul and memorable characters that were in most Disney films. Even if you’ve seen it, it’s still pretty forgettable.
16 It’s Pretty Much The Same Thing
Ever since High School Musical hit it big in 2005, it seems like there have been countless DCOMs that tried to replicate the feel of the tween musical film. From Camp Rock to Descendants, Disney Channel is still churning out these musical films. Teen Beach Movie is one of the most recent in their catalogue and even received a sequel a couple years back. While the title is pretty accurate, we could easily just call it what it is. It’s another High School Musical, but with a shiny new beach setting.
15 He Would Have Been A Better Star
The poster for one of Disney’s most recent blockbuster successes leads itself to plenty of speculation, especially considering it was one of the most misleading movie posters of all time. While the title doesn’t lend much to helping us understand the synopsis, based off this poster (and even early trailers), fans might have been led to believe the film was about an adorable snowman which of course happened to not be the case. It’s about those two sisters that our buried underneath the snow somewhere. Don’t be fooled, this film is all about sisterly love above comic relief snowmen.
14 Finally Hitting New Demographics
We’ve already discussed how racial stereotypes often tend to make their way in certain films, especially when these films focus on a particular demographic. Even though Disney has dabbled with various ethnicities, it took them years before they finally made a black princess in The Princess and the Frog. For many, the story was overshadowed by the fact that Disney was finally making a black princess which was a selling point to many. Sadly, that didn’t stop them from including plenty of stereotypes in some of Tiana’s nonhuman friends.
13 College Without All Of The Debauchery
It is already impressive that Disney can conjure up films within a high school setting and still scrape by with a “G” rating… from what I remember, high school was pretty rough.
Yet a college setting without at least a PG-13 rating is like a frat party without debauchery.
Monsters University was a pretty decent prequel to the original Monsters Inc. but its depiction of college life left a lot to be curious about. But hey, it is Disney. You’ve got to make it as kid friendly as possible.
12 What Were These People Doing?
Even though I doubt that the Disney animators were under the influence of anything while making this film (animation is tricky work!), I still can’t help but wonder what was going through these peoples’ imaginations before coming up with this fantastical film. While there is no mention of substances anywhere in Alice in Wonderland, it has always been a film that has been associated with substances that you wouldn’t normally find at the candy store. Or maybe Alice was further in the rabbit hole than we initially thought.
11 A Surprisingly Accurate Take On The Future
FaceTime on iPads? Check. References to the stock market crash in the early 2000s? Check. The only thing it feels like Zenon got wrong was actually colonizing a space station. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century was a pretty big change compared to most futuristic movies as it never felt like it overestimated how far technological advancements would go.
Zenon is very much a girl of modern times.
Sure, the 21st century wasn’t far off from when the film originally premiered, but it certainly doesn’t seem like it takes place in that far away of the future.
10 And You Thought Your Birthday Was Bad
There’s something so petty about calling the collapse of entire kingdom the “weirdest birthday ever,” but you really can’t argue with Princess Aurora that her birthday takes the cake for strange birthdays… even if it is a towering mess. I’ve had my fair share of strange birthday celebrations, but never have I been cursed by an evil sorceress until true loves kiss came along to not only free me, but my entire kingdom. It’s too bad that Aurora won’t even remember it as she pretty much slept through the whole party.
9 Because It’s Already Been Done Before
Avatar may have been a mind-blowing box office success, but nobody is going to claim that the film’s storyline was an original premise. We’ve seen it done hundreds of times before, most notably in films like FernGully or Pocahontas, which were arguably better because they didn’t rely on crazy special effects to give us all the feels. They might as well rename Pocahontas to “The Original Avatar” in upcoming releases so the youngins these days know where the Avatar films got their roots from.
8 At Least It Has An Important Message
I’m not going to go against WALL-E’s message and deny that we need to take better care of the planet that we inhabit, but there is no denying that the entire film was pretty much a 90 minute PSA about the dangers of pollution and the abuse of technology.
At least Pixar made it kind of fun while hammering into our heads that we will pretty much be the sole cause of the Earth’s destruction.
I love the subliminal messaging in the back of the poster, however. Subliminal recycling never harmed anyone!
7 Because She Don’t Need No Man!
It’s all too common to see Disney films follow familiar tropes where the female lead ends up with a handsome prince in the end (or with a handsome guy in general) and while Disney has been somewhat distancing themselves from that trope in recent years, the movie Brave was one of the first films that took a female lead in that direction. Merida was strong and independent without the help of a man and is the type of heroine we need to see more of. Like the title says, no prince required.
6 A Few Strays Too Many
Taking care of pets is a huge responsibility any way you slice it, yet how some people are able to take care of multiple pets in their household completely baffles me.
Taking care of a hundred and one? Forget about it.
101 Dalmatians is a fantastic reminder that it might be in the pet owner’s best interest to not let their pets procreate. That is unless they want to have a whole bunch of puppies on their hand that they can’t take care of. I love the little critters as much as anyone else, but enough is enough!
