Dark Disney
We are not talking about lighting here. We are talking about subject and content matter about evil, racism, prejudice, cruelty, murder, greed, hatred, insanity, death, and etc.. It has always been in Disney films since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) in order to drive the narrative and provide some adult content to interest them in a children’s film. Thank God, Walt Disney knew when to pull back and not go too far even though he was good at scaring kids and knew exactly how to do it. But some of the latest films, after his death, have gone particularly dark. (I could list some examples here but that would bias the poll.) The dark parts are generally the intense, scary, and not funny parts. So, I’m not asking you which one is your favorite. I’m asking you, “WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK IS THE DARKEST?”*
I’m starting this poll off with ones that I think went straight to black or pretty much the worst. But I’m leaving the rest to you to suggest some that you think went dark. Bring them to the light here for inclusion. Just make sure they are rated over 6.0. I confess that I haven’t seen all of the Disney films but I have seen a lot.
* That was typed deliberately for emphasis.
I’m starting this poll off with ones that I think went straight to black or pretty much the worst. But I’m leaving the rest to you to suggest some that you think went dark. Bring them to the light here for inclusion. Just make sure they are rated over 6.0. I confess that I haven’t seen all of the Disney films but I have seen a lot.
* That was typed deliberately for emphasis.
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- DirectorWilliam CottrellDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsAdriana CaselottiHarry StockwellLucille La VerneExiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.Jealousy, hatred, vanity, THE QUEEN IS THE FIRST ANIMATED CHARACTER IN HISTORY TO DELIBERATELY PLAN AND EXECUTE AN ATTEMPTED MURDER TWICE, black magic, and evil witch.
- DirectorDon HallCarlos López EstradaPaul BriggsStarsKelly Marie TranAwkwafinaGemma ChanIn a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.Within minutes after the start of the movie, the movie tells you is it going to go very dark with the talk of betrayal, revenge, greed for money, greed for power, jealousy, stereotype racism, distrust, and keeping secrets.
- DirectorByron HowardRich MooreJared BushStarsGinnifer GoodwinJason BatemanIdris ElbaIn a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.Hatred, bigotry, stereotyping, racism, drugs, mafia, crime, murder, and an attempted coup d’etat. Zootopia is supposed to be a utopia when, in reality, it is not.
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsMary Grace CanfieldRichard DavalosJake DengelIn a small American town, a diabolical circus and its demonic proprietor prey on the townsfolk.This is a fantasy/science fiction horror tale in which the Autumn people of Mr. Dark's Pandemonium Carnival are not human but a vampire-like creatures that grant your deepest desire in return for seizing your soul and make you live in misery or death. They feed on misery. Mr. Dark’s words say it best, “We are the hungry ones. Your torments call us like dogs in the night. And we do feed, and feed well”, “And butter our plain bread with delicious pain.” and “ We suck that misery and find it sweet. We search for more always.”
- DirectorTed BermanRichard RichStarsGrant BardsleyFreddie JonesSusan SheridanA young boy and a group of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power before a diabolical tyrant can.Raising the dead
- DirectorJohn HoughVincent McEveetyStarsBette DavisLynn-Holly JohnsonKyle RichardsWhen a family moves to a country home, the young girls experience strange happenings that have a link to an occult event years past.A ghost story that involves an occult ritual.
- DirectorLes ClarkClyde GeronimiEric LarsonStarsMary CostaBill ShirleyEleanor AudleyAfter being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies.Maleficent (the character’s name is a word “ adj, causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means”), Maleficent is a vengeful evil dark fairy who plots a murder because her pride was wounded. She is sadistic and delights in the evil she does. And in fact quite lazy by send out others to do her searching instead of doing it herself. She is a class bigot. She delights in taunting her victims as shown in her speech to Prince Phillip (which was actually written for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” (the extras on my dvd for SWatSD has the recording of that scene that was edited from the picture).
- DirectorJohn HoughStarsEddie AlbertRay MillandDonald PleasenceTwo mysterious orphan children have extraordinary powers and are chased by a scheming millionaire. But where do these kids really call home?Kidnapping and exploiting children.
- DirectorChris BuckJennifer LeeStarsKristen BellIdina MenzelJonathan GroffFearless optimist Anna teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.The brutal fact in the day in which the story was set, many people didn’t marry for love, but for what they could get out of the marriage. Some works by Shakespeare (“The Taming of the Shrew”) and Charles Dickens (“Our Mutual Friend”) can attest to that fact. And the use of hatred, greed, and superstition too.
- DirectorChris BuckJennifer LeeStarsKristen BellIdina MenzelJosh GadAnna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa's powers in order to save their kingdom.It carry on the themes of hatred, fear, bigotry, and superstition.
- DirectorHendel ButoyMike GabrielStarsBob NewhartEva GaborJohn CandyR.A.S. agents Miss Bianca and Bernard race to Australia to save a little boy and a rare golden eagle from a murderous poacher.Illegally killing animals for money (poaching) and torturing them. The main villain delights in killing and mocks the kid.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsBob HoskinsChristopher LloydJoanna CassidyWhen a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.The film is an animated live action hybrid film noir hard boiled detective story with the lurid tale of adultery, money, greed, and murder. And adult sex jokes was supposed to go over the kids heads but ….
- DirectorJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongFord Beebe Jr.StarsLeopold StokowskiDeems TaylorThe Philadelphia OrchestraA series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.The “Night on Bald Mountain / Ava Maria” and “The Rites of Spring” segments.
- DirectorPete DocterDavid SilvermanLee UnkrichStarsBilly CrystalJohn GoodmanMary GibbsIn order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.The film talks about fear. The film’s plot contains the villains kidnapping children and bleeding them dry of their screams in a mechanical vampire-like way so that society that the monsters live in somehow can convert the children’s screams into electrical power. It also talks about how children are more desensitized today than in the past because of the easier access to mass media.
- DirectorGeorge ScribnerStarsJoey LawrenceBilly JoelCheech MarinA lost and alone kitten joins a gang of dogs engaged in petty larceny in New York City.justifying stealing to survive, kidnapping, cruelty to kids, jealousy, sadism (Sykes delights in torture, cruelty, and in a phone call, he wants to hear the details on how someone was tortured), and attempted murder. Sykes’ vicious dogs
- DirectorJohn LounsberyWolfgang ReithermanArt StevensStarsBob NewhartEva GaborGeraldine PageTwo mice of the Rescue Aid Society search for a little girl kidnapped by unscrupulous treasure hunters.Kidnapping, child abuse and child endangerment.
- DirectorGary TrousdaleKirk WiseStarsDemi MooreJason AlexanderMary Kay BergmanA deformed bell-ringer must assert his independence from a vicious government minister in order to help his friend, a gypsy dancer.Obsession, racism, bigotry, superstition, fanaticism, brutality, and quite literally, in the book, the most humane character is the most physically deformed character in the story, Quasimodo!
- DirectorJames AlgarGaëtan BrizziPaul BrizziStarsJames LevineSteve MartinItzhak PerlmanAn update of the original film with new interpretations of great works of classical music.(“The Steadfast Tin Soldier” and “The Firebird” segments.)
- DirectorNorman FergusonT. HeeWilfred JacksonStarsDickie JonesChristian RubMel BlancA living puppet, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.The Coachman, Stromboli, Pleasure Island, and Monstro the whale
- DirectorMike GabrielEric GoldbergStarsMel GibsonLinda HuntChristian BaleAn English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.Fear, greed, racism, lying, invasion, betrayal, and let’s face it, Governor Ratcliffe tricks his own people into slavery (indentured servitude) by promising hope of a new life, and then turns the tables on them when they land in the “New World”.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBenedict CumberbatchElizabeth OlsenChiwetel EjioforDoctor Strange teams up with a mysterious teenage girl who can travel across multiverses, to battle other-universe versions of himself which threaten to wipe out the multiverse. They seek help from the Scarlet Witch, Wong and others.(Suggested by Pencho15) “has murders and dead bodies coming back to life, besides a beloved character turning quite dark.”
- DirectorSamuel ArmstrongNorman FergusonWilfred JacksonStarsSterling HollowayEdward BrophyHerman BingRidiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential.(Suggested by Mariojacobs) The story is about prejudice, making fun of people who are different, and cruelty to children. Greed and cruelty when all but one of the clowns don’t care if Dumbo gets hurt in a dangerous stunt. Also, alcoholic hallucinations. It is what it says about people that gets dark.
- DirectorJames AlgarSamuel ArmstrongDavid HandStarsHardie AlbrightStan AlexanderBobette AudreyThe story of a young deer growing up in the forest.Man is the villain here. The film deals seriously with death and guns as the mother is shot by hunters.
- DirectorGary NelsonStarsMaximilian SchellAnthony PerkinsRobert ForsterA research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole.(Suggested by TheOldJalapenoman) insanity, experimenting on humans, lobotomy (too magnify the horror, cutting into the thinking portion of the brain), turning humans into robotic cyborg zombie slaves.
- DirectorAaron BlaiseRobert WalkerStarsJoaquin PhoenixJeremy SuarezRick MoranisWhen a young Inuit hunter needlessly kills a bear, he is magically changed into a bear himself as punishment with a talkative cub being his only guide to changing back.Fear, anger, hate, refusal to take responsibility for his actions, unjustified murder, and then he is forced to face all the consequences his actions.
- DirectorRoger AllersRob MinkoffStarsMatthew BroderickJeremy IronsJames Earl JonesLion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.(Suggested by Breumaster) “The murder of Mufasa by Scar, and Scar's dark conspiracy with the hyenas to overtake the kingdom.” And … “The conspiracy scene is a hint on any fascistic reign or dictatorship in humankind”
- DirectorJames AlgarClyde GeronimiJack KinneyStarsBing CrosbyBasil RathboneEric BloreAn animated adaptation of "The Wind in the Willows" followed by an adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".Added October 13, 2023, (yeah Friday the 13th for 2023) . Do I need to tell you how dark the famous horror story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is?