When it comes to animated films, there is no name better known than Disney. Children and adults have fallen in love with Disney films for generationsranging from classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to modern favorites like Charm (2021). Audiences around the world love Disney animated films for their family-friendly stories, fun songs, and lovable characters.
However, Not every Disney animated film fits this mold. Every now and then, the company releases a film that challenges the public’s preconceived notions of what a Disney film can be. Whether this is done by depicting dark twists or covering adult topics, these films often surprise their viewers. Of course, that’s not to say that films that don’t fit the typical Disney mold are bad by any means. Instead, these animated features simply push the boundaries of what a Disney film can be, and in doing so, leave a lasting impact on their viewers.
10
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
A dark Disney tale with strong religious themes
In 1996, Disney made a bold decision when they decided to adapt Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Damein an animated family film. Like the original novel, the film tells the moving story of the isolated bell ringer at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The bell ringer, nicknamed “Quasimodo”, faces severe prejudice because of his appearanceand witnesses the brutal persecution of the gypsy population of Paris, led by his cruel adoptive father, judge Claude Frollo.
While The Hunchback of Notre Dame It features Disney staples like lovable characters and catchy songs, but it also depicts immense prejudice, widespread persecution, and prominent religious overtones. The film will certainly be quite intense for younger viewersregardless of whether they fully understand the events happening on screen.
The film will certainly be quite intense for younger viewers, regardless of whether they fully understand the events happening on screen.
It should also be noted that Frollo is without a doubt one of the scariest antagonists Disney has ever used in an animated film, as his existence is entirely plausible; he possesses no magical powers or abilities, but is driven purely by his intense beliefs.
9
Small Chicken (2005)
A surprisingly intense alien invasion story
Disney’s 2005 animated film, Small Chickenoffers a modern, sci-fi version of the classic folk tale. In the film, the titular chicken is mercilessly mocked by the people of his town, none of whom believe him when he claims that a piece of heaven has fallen to Earth. Things quickly escalate as Chicken Little must help save their community from an alien invasion after an alien child becomes lost in the town.
Zach Braff’s Chicken Little creates panic when he claims the sky is falling when a piece falls and hits him. Outcast for his claims, Little seeks redemption by joining the baseball team and plays a key role in winning a crucial game. He is once again hit by a “falling sky” – which turns out to be a UFO – and must convince everyone that he wasn’t lying.
- Director
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Marcos Dindal
- Release date
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November 4, 2005
- Writers
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Mark Dindal, Mark Kennedy, Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman, Ron Anderson, Robert L. Baird
- Execution time
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80 minutes
Even with its cast of animal characters with silly names Small Chicken doesn’t have the same light-hearted feel as most Disney animated films. In the first half of the film, Chicken Little’s experiences of bullying and ostracism definitely seem more petty than Disney films typically portray. In the second half, the arrival of the aliens (who appear to destroy the sky) is sure to disturb young audiences, especially when they begin to appear to vaporize the townspeople. However, Small Chicken has a much darker tone than one would expect from Disney.
8
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
A Scary and Amazing Holiday Story
Anyone familiar with Tim Burton’s dark and twisted works would probably be surprised to learn that he would be helping out on a project for Disney. Although directed by Henry Selick The Nightmare Before Christmas and a stop-motion animated film that has the undeniably creepy feel of a Burton film.
The mysterious film tells the unique story of Jack Skellington, who decides to change gears and try to organize Christmas instead of Halloween. The film’s popularity has exploded among children and adults alike over the years. Even with this growth in popularity, however, The Nightmare Before Christmas has a totally different tone than most Disney features. The film not only highlights an overall dark tone, but consistently celebrates it.
Many of the characters are designed to disturb their viewersembodying the macabre spirit of Halloween. Furthermore, one should not forget the fact that there are several characters in the film who intend to kidnap and kill Santa Claus. The Nightmare Before Christmas It might be a feel-good holiday movie, but it hardly feels like Disney.
7
The Black Cauldron (1985)
A fantasy story fueled by darkness
The 1985 fantasy film, The Black Cauldronit didn’t have nearly the same level of lasting impact as most of Disney’s animated films. Based on stories from The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, The Black Cauldron follows a young farmer named Taran on his journey to destroy the legendary black cauldron before the Horned King can find it and use its mystical powers for evil.
The film failed to recoup even half of its budget and quickly fell into oblivion in the history of Disney animation. Part of why The Black Cauldron It wasn’t very successful because it hardly felt like a Disney film. The overall story is consistently darkwith death feeling like a genuine threat to the characters.
The film also relies on characters/stories that its audience is likely unfamiliar with, rather than trying to capitalize on more recognizable elements. Play inside a genuinely scary villain and an army of the deadand you end up with a film that feels more like a horror film than a Disney film.
6
Big Hero 6 (2014)
A Disney animated film starring Marvel superheroes
No one was surprised when Disney began producing superhero films after the company bought the rights from Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The real surprise came in 2014, when Disney released a feature-length animated film about a little-known team of heroes from Marvel Comics, and later revealed that it would not be connected in any way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (despite Stan Lee’s cameo).
It seems very unlike the studio to capitalize on its Marvel property for a non-MCU animated film.
The film, Big Hero 6he follows a child genius named Hiro who helps form a team of superheroes as he struggles to find the man responsible for his brother’s death. While the film itself highlights themes and messages that are fairly typical of Disney animation, it seems highly unlikely that the studio would capitalize on its Marvel ownership for a non-MCU animated film.
Big Hero 6 was a critical and commercial success, but still manages to seem a bit out of place in Disney’s long line of animated films. The inclusion of Marvel characters makes it feel like a hybrid between a Marvel hero film and a Disney animated film, not completely belonging to either category in particular.
5
Dinosaur (2000)
An epic mix of animation and live action
Upon hearing the words “dinosaur” and “Disney”, many minds will immediately go to Dinosaurthe thrilling attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. Few people realize that the ride is directly linked to an animated film of the same name. Dinosaur tells the story of a young iguanodon raised by a family of lemurs. When his home island is destroyed by a meteor showerthe single family must embark on a journey to find a new place to live.
Dinosaur (2000)
Dinosaur (2000) is a Disney animated adventure film that follows an orphaned iguanodon named Aladar who is raised by a family of lemurs. When a meteor shower hits Earth, Aladar and his family embark on a dangerous journey to find a new home. Along the way, they encounter numerous prehistoric creatures and face natural obstacles, testing their resilience and adaptability in a changing world.
- Director
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Ralph Zondag, Eric Leighton
- Release date
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May 19, 2000
- Cast
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DB Sweeney, Alfre Woodard, Ossie Davis, Max Casella, Hayden Panettiere, Samuel E. Wright, Julianna Margulies
- Execution time
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82 minutes
Where Dinosaur What stands out most from other Disney animated films is the animation style it uses. Dinosaur uses an interesting mix of computer-generated animation and live-action elements. Although the dinosaur characters are all digitally rendered, many of the landscapes/scenery used in the film were actually shot on location with real cameras. The technology used to do this was still very new at the time the film was made, making Dinosaur a rather unique experimental entry in Disney history.
4
The Fox and the Hound (1981)
A dramatic story about identity and friendship
In 1981, Disney decided to try a more dramatic story for a change with your new film, The Fox and the Hound. The film explores the tender friendship that exists between Tod (a fox) and Copper (a hound), delving deep into how the friendship evolves as the characters grow older and are pressured to act as natural enemies. Despite its marked differences from most Disney films, the film proved to be a financial success.
Even with its adorable cast of animals, The Fox and the Hound is still, at its core, a much more dramatic film than one would normally expect from Disney animation. When stripped of its colorful artistry, the film is a moving story about two best friends who were pressured to hate each other because that’s what society expected of them. The film abandons the idea of musical numbers, starting to rely on an instrumental musical score to further increase the dramatic tone.
3
A Christmas Carol (2009)
A motion capture version of the classic holiday story
While it’s not the only time Disney has adapted Charles Dickens’ classic story, the 2009 retelling of A Christmas carol easily stands out as the least Disney-like. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis (the same mind behind Forest Gump and Back to the future), is a rigidly faithful adaptation, as Zemeckis was determined to tell the story exactly as Dickens would have imagined it.
The film stars Jim Carrey not only as Ebenezer Scrooge, but also as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Because the film is a faithful adaptation of the original version of A Christmas carolhighlights several darker moments that are often glossed over in modern interpretations.
This includes scenes from all three chapters of Scrooge’s life, depicting how his greed has ruined his relationships in the past, the dangers of ignorance and neediness in the present, and the cold, deadly future that awaits Scrooge if he doesn’t change. The use of motion capture technology for animation separate A Christmas carol from other Disney films, both thematically and stylistically.
2
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Two unusual stories rolled into one
At the time that The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was released, Disney had only been making feature-length animated films for a little over a decade. The studio was still finding its feet and deciding what stories they really wanted to tell. With this 1949 film, they decided to tell two different storiesdividing the film into two distinct segments.
The first segment, The wind in the willowsfollows the antics of the vehicle-obsessed Mr. Toad. The second segment, The Legend of Sleepy Hollowtells the frightening story of the Headless Horseman. Both in terms of style and content, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is drastically different from modern expectations of Disney films.
For one thing, it’s unusual for the film to utilize an anthology style, telling two completely distinct stories, as opposed to one cohesive narrative. Furthermore, the film (particularly the Sleepy hollow portion) is too dark for Disney standardsgoing so far as to end with the implication that the main character was killed by a headless spirit. This is a direct contrast to the “happily ever after” endings that audiences tend to expect from Disney.
1
Frankenweenie (2012)
A black and white sci-fi horror story
Years later The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton and Disney reunited for another horror-based collaboration with the 2012 film, Frankenweenie. The black-and-white stop-motion animated film follows a boy named Victor who manages to bring his beloved dog back to life, prompting his jealous classmates to perform similar experiments on their own deceased pets.
Although intended to be a family adaptation/parody of Frankenstein, the film delves deeply into the idea of deathcontributing to its horror-filled atmosphere. FrankenweenieThe film’s dark story and macabre visual style feel very different from the fun, upbeat nature of most popular Disney films.
However Frankenweenie was a critical and commercial success, hardly fitting what one would expect from a Disney film.
The film clearly places an unusually strong emphasis on death and is even willing to show the deaths and bodies of various animals. THE use of strictly black and white colors and stop-motion animation they also contrast sharply with Disney’s typically glossy style. However Frankenweenie was a critical and commercial success, hardly fitting what one would expect from a Disney film.