When you think of Disney movies, you think of safe, wholesome fun for the entire family.
But based on this list, maybe instead you should think about phone sex, sad orphans,
and the literal embodiment of death appearing in a man's eyes shortly before he meets his
grisly demise.
That rhymed.
“You know, for kids.”
Here are some of the most controversial moments hidden in Disney movies...
All The Dead Moms
The number of dead or missing Disney moms is staggering.
Just a few of the Disney movies featuring missing mommies: Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas,
Fox and the Hound, and of course, Bambi.
What gives?
Apparently Walt Disney had a devastating personal reason why his films were so heavy-handed
with this form of despair.
Disney producer Don Hahn explained in an interview with Glamour, that in the 1940s, Walt was
so successful that he bought his parents a house.
"He had the studio guys come over and fix the furnace, but when his mom and dad moved
in, the furnace leaked and his mother died.
[...] He never spoke about that time because he personally felt responsible because he
had become so successful that he said, "Let me buy you a house."
It's every kid's dream to buy their parents a house and just through a strange freak of
nature—through no fault of his own—the studio workers didn't know what they were
doing."
Eesh.
Still, it's not as though the dead parents in these movies are getting eaten or anything.
Right?
Family Matters
The three little pigs might have been most afraid of the big, bad wolf coming to blow
their houses down, but the 1932 short film, Three Little Pigs, also included a gentle
reminder of the other big threat to the pink trio's safety: the human diet.
Take a look at the picture labeled "Father" hanging on the wall.
Yup: that's just a length of sausage links.
It doesn't stop there, either.
Not long after, we see another photo of their Piggy Papa—this time as a big ham hock.
Meanwhile, in her portrait, Ma Pig was shown nursing seven piglets rather than just those
three.
Did four of the characters' siblings end up in the slaughterhouse with dear ol' dad?
Probably!
That's all pretty gross for a kids cartoon, right?
But at least it wasn't something truly disturbing, like a guy dressed as Santa Claus inspiring
kids to dial a phone sex line.
Uh, wait a second...
The Spanka Claus
Disney had a pretty big oopsie on its hands with 1994's The Santa Clause.
In the film, Tim Allen's Scott Calvin was given a phone number with which he could reach
his ex-wife during his Christmas visit with their son.
And so he said…
“1-800-Spank-Me, I know that number.”
As far as zingers go, it's pretty tame.
But little did Disney realize the number was actually an active sex hotline that charged
callers by the minute.
The Seattle Times reported that several children reportedly dialed in and racked up some huge
phone bills as a result of their curiosity.
The dialogue was later cut from DVD releases for the movie and changed to "1-800-POUND"
in television airings of the same.
Not that 1-800-POUND isn't any less suggestive...but at least it's not enough numbers to actually
connect to a phone sex line.
So Disney accidentally got some toddlers to call dirty chat lines.
Big deal!
It's not like they inadvertently filled their animated movies with all kinds of sexually
suggestive images and dialogue.
Right?
Good Kitty, Bad Centaur
Between the topless photo that found its way into The Rescuers, and the strange anatomy
that fans discovered in The Little Mermaid, Disney movies have no shortage of accidental
sexiness.
Case in point, 1992's Aladdin and 1997's Hercules.
Legend has it that Aladdin, disguised as a Prince, said something pretty...insane while
attempting to court Princess Jasmine on her balcony.
Take a listen:
“good teenagers, Take off your clothes.”
Did he say "good teenagers, take off your clothes"?
Listen again:
“good teenagers, Take off your clothes.”
Actor Scott Weinger, who voiced the character, has insisted he never said the words so many
heard...but the sound bite is still pretty convincing despite his denial.
The scripted line for the moment in question was reportedly supposed to be "c'mon, good
kitty, take off and go," which would make sense, since Aladdin's in danger of getting
eaten by a tiger.
But whether due to a sound mixing flub, as some suspect, or an intentionally implanted
bit of subliminal messaging, that is just not what what the utterance sounds like.
Meanwhile, in Hercules, fans looking for more subliminal shenanigans saw privates everywhere.
From an alleged man-doodle on Hercules's baby crib, to one of the Muses seemingly (but not
really) going commando, viewers have filled the internet with so-called "proof" of sexual
deviancy sprinkled throughout the movie, but have mostly came up with nothing.
Well, except for maybe this one scene where Hercules fights a centaur...
“Those are balls.”
Really?
Couldn't it be a mistake?
“Nope, you’re looking at balls.”
Okay, fine.
We'll chalk that up to an animator getting a little careless with his...pencil.
But seriously, it's not as though Disney is intentionally cramming adult subject matter
into its kids movies, right?
Gaston Sees Death
When Gaston finally goes by the wayside—as in, getting pushed off a cliff after trying
to kill Belle's true love in Beauty and the Beast, we never see his ultimate fate, even
though it seems pretty clear that he's met his maker.
But upon closer inspection, the scene was even more grim than it seemed.
In the close-up of Gaston's eyes, a pair of skulls can be seen flashing in his pupils—a
detail deleted from VHS release but seen in the DVD version.
The fact that Disney removed it from the first home release of Beauty and the Beast proves
that someone at the studio realized that this is actually pretty messed up.
For one, the fact that it only lasts a frame or two seems to prove that all those crazy
conspiracy theorists are right—that Disney is sticking subliminal messages into its movies.
For another, it's just super creepy on its own.
Do kids really need to know that Gaston is actually seeing the face of the Grim Reaper
himself as he clearly plunges to his doom?
Probably not.
Just make the candlestick dance and sing again, okay?
“Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test.”
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