Ever since Disney's first cartoon, Steamboat Willie in 1926, Walt Disney Animation Studios, as it's now called, has been making heartwarming and family-friendly animated adventures that have defined our culture and influenced who we are. With groundbreaking colorful animation, techniques, and catchy songs, Disney has paved the way for all animation studios to follow, even later influencing the look of Japanese anime.
Some Disney movies take on a darker tone, exploring the shadowy side of life. These movies weren't afraid to tackle difficult, complicated, or even twisted and horrifying concepts, and though they terrified children, they are still beloved movies and in some ways, even better for these kinds of daring moves.
So what are the darkest Disney animated movies?
7 One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
The classic and original film One Hundred and One Dalmatians was a success when it came out in 1961, quickly becoming a cherished movie in the Disney collection. The villain of the movie Cruella de Vil is so memorable that the modern movie Cruella, based around her and played by Emma Stone, is beloved by fans and even getting a sequel.
In spite of the current adoration of this character, it is worth noting that the original movie does not shy away from reminding viewers that she not only wants to capture the titular dalmatian puppies, she also wants to kill them, skin them, and wear them. As the classic song from the movie says, "If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will."
6 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is an interesting movie, since it is technically two movies segmented together as a packaged film. The first segment is about the character Mr. Toad and The Wind in the Willows, and the second segment is based on the short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Set during Halloween and with a dark atmosphere and a highly memorable villain in the Headless Horseman, this movie is in many ways the perfect movie for fall.
The entire film is ominous and creepy, with the constant paranoia of the character Ichabod in the second half of the movie giving a foreboding feeling to the events as they unfold, until we see the relentless Headless Horseman chasing him down. He flings his head, a flaming Jack-o-lantern, directly at the screen, and we never see Ichabod again - only his hat the next day on the bridge. It is decidedly unsettling that the movie ends without revealing his fate.
5 Bambi (1942)
The classic and beautiful movie Bambi has perhaps the saddest on-screen death of a character, only surpassed, maybe, by Mufasa's death in The Lion King. The movie overall is gorgeous and sweet, but it also has a few heart-stopping moments in it that modern Disney movies wouldn't dare approach today.
Perhaps it is the pure innocence of the young Bambi that pulls so deeply at our hearts, or maybe the frightening music and animation as the hunters come searching for prey as the forest fire rages. One notable scene that is quite dark involves birds hiding in a bush, growing more and more frightened until one flies off in a burst of panic and is shot and killed.
But, of course it is the death of Bambi's mother, shocking and brutal, that cemented itself in the minds of generations, and is remembered vividly even 80 years later.
4 Pinocchio (1940)
Pinocchio is one of those movies that has dark themes and moments which only hit later, as an adult. It is certainly terrifying as a child to watch Pinocchio being swallowed by a whale, or him and the other boys being turned into donkeys. It's only when grown up that the implications of child kidnapping, trafficking and enslavement really hit hard. Pinocchio is threatened with death multiple times, and Pleasure Island itself is just as disturbing when given a rewatch as an adult. The more subtle ways that Pinocchio is manipulated and led astray are unsettling for an older mind, too.
But even as a child, the utter terror in the eyes of Pinocchio's friend Lampwick as he begins to transform into a donkey, breaking glass and screaming out in fear, is absolutely haunting and disturbed many a young mind that grew up watching this beloved classic film.
3 The Black Cauldron (1985)
The Black Cauldron is one of Disney's darkest movies, both in the story and in its visual look, evoking a sense of dread and horror with its memorable villain, The Horned King. Released in 1985, this movie is one of the signature movies of Disney's "dark age" of the '80s. The movie even earned Disney its first PG rating, for its dark themes, including the army of undead that the villain summons out of the mythical Black Cauldron.
The animation studio had to cut some of the more violent scenes out of the movie for fear it would turn people away. Unfortunately, audiences didn't take to the film anyway and it bombed at the box office, delivering a solid blow to Disney's animation studio that it would take them years to recover from. But, with its haunting atmosphere, unique story, and interesting visuals, the movie has gained an underground following and could do with a remake.
2 The Lion King (1994)
Influenced heavily by the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, it is no wonder that The Lion King would be on this list. This film is one of Disney's best movies ever made, and is utterly a triumph in every way, and part of the reason why it succeeded so well was because it wasn't afraid to get dark.
Shortly into the movie, one of the most famous and tragic on-screen deaths happens, that of Simba's father Mufasa. The dread in Mufasa's face in that cliff scene is palpable, as he realizes his own brother, Scar, was much more dangerous than he thought. Watching Simba tug on Mufasa's ear after he is dead is truly heartbreaking. After murdering Mufasa, Scar even convinces Simba that his father's death was Simba's fault.
The movie is dark in other ways, too. Scar's song "Be Prepared" has overtones of fascist regimes in its shots of the marching hyenas, and Scar's death at the end is particularly gruesome, shown on screen with shadows as he is eaten alive by the hyenas that once followed him. Without a doubt The Lion King has a darkness to it, but that darkness plays very well into the story and gives it the high stakes for the ending to be both powerful and moving.
1 The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame has long been considered one of Disney's darkest movies. Released in 1996, the animated musical was based on a novel of the same name by Victor Hugo and was very successful, coming out during Disney's Renaissance Era. It might even be getting a live-action remake soon.
The movie tackles incredibly dark themes such as sin, damnation, infanticide, sexual coercion, and genocide. The main villain, Judge Claude Frollo, is one of the most terrifying villains in Disney's history, and it's interesting to see why. He doesn't want to take over the world or destroy it, for instance. He thinks that he is righteous, and that is part of what makes him so horrid. The movie starts with him killing baby Quasimodo's mother and almost killing him too, then raising the boy in an abusive and manipulative way, locking him from the world.
Frollo is also obsessed with the Romani woman Esmeralda, and attempts to manipulate her into having sex with him multiple times, including threatening her life. The song "Hellfire" that he sings about her is disturbing, as he reveals his unhinged delusions and lust for her. With the backdrop of sin and hell giving the movie an ominous and unsettling tone, The Hunchback of Notre Dame successfully terrified kids everywhere, and remains today Disney's darkest animated movie.