Disney movies have a reputation for taking questionable fairy tales, novels or real-life events and “Disneyfying” them – i.e. cutting out all the darkness to make them palatable for kids. While that’s mostly true, you’d be surprised how many alarmingly disturbing things there are hidden in the movies of the House of Mouse. Often, the filmmakers will hide something within their family films that, if you pick up on it, will give the whole thing a much grimmer edge.
To clarify, we won’t be looking at gruesome fan theories or unsavory behind-the-scenes facts in this article – though there might be some crossover now and then. Instead, we’ll be focusing on details in the movies – everything from plot points to a visual easter egg – that most people miss… But when you think about it are actually pretty chilling.
What’s the horror movie that Toy Story is filled with references to? What’s the dark truth behind the Beast’s servants? And how are Simba and Nala related? Find out the answers to these frightening facts and more in the following pages.