Cartoons are goofy for a reason; they provide us with happy entertainment. It’s refreshing to take a break from life and dive into nonsensical hilarity or even nonsensical tragedy if it means gaining a sense of warmth once the film has ended. Disney is very successful in capturing this essence for its viewers and has proceeded to sprinkle it in most of their works.
This feature has become so glaring that the repetition with which it is employed has made fans brand it as ‘Disney Logic’. Disney Logic means having to believe something so far fetched that if it were to take place in our world odds are you’d either be incarcerated for being a madman or you’d be behind bars for being a straight up murderer. In other cases Disney Logic can make you scratch your head even after you’ve left your skepticism out the door.
Sometimes the ludicrousness is so jarring it becomes a talking point that serves to prove Disney’s films usually have a very similar pattern, which after identifying would make one realize that they don’t make any sense.
Then again, considering these are just for fun we can have our cake and eat it too, so there’s no harm in picking out a few cases where Disney Logic ran rampart and its inclusion made us titter in amusement at the bizarre nature of it. These range from all the way back to the inception of Mascot Mickey Mouse to the Disney Renaissance films like 1992’s Aladdin and up until more recent entries such as the 2013 film Frozen.
25 Should We Call Animal Rights?
While we’re on the topic of bizarre, here’s one that really takes the cake, to the extent that if the Mickey Mouse universe had had its inception in today’s generally ‘triggered’ society, you’d have people lambasting it for political correctness issues. But as it’s from a more than 70 year old classic, we can all share a laugh at the absurdity of this situation.
One of Mickey’s best friends is Goofy; the appropriately titled lovable goof is as loyal as a friend can be. But Mickey also does have another loyal companion; his dog Pluto. So how does that work? Not only does a mouse have a dog as a pet, his best friend is also a dog! So doesn’t that technically make Goofy and Pluto distant relatives at the very least? Either Goofy is evolutionary advanced, or Pluto is a special kind of dumb breed.
24 Matter Of Perspective
Okay this is just a little bit of fun because in proper context Simba’s decision to flee is understandable. However, the little cub clearly was not mature enough to realize that becoming king would mean his beloved father would be dead when he improvised the very catchy I Just Can’t Wait To Be King. It’s a cute song that showcases the cub’s desire for power, not in a sinister manner but one that would allow him to be free to rule in his own way.
In a fatal twist, his father does end up dying and what does Simba do now that he is next in line for the throne? That’s right, he runs away for years to party with a couple of fellow runaways and eats bugs for a living. Not too shabby for the rightful heir to the throne, you think?
23 What The Fork?
We’ve all been there when we’re so amazed by a new environment and setting that we easily overlook that we’ve seen bigger and better things up close from before.
This is a similar case with Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Ariel falls in love at first sight with Prince Eric, and is fascinated by the equipment used by humans that Merpeople don’t possess. Ariel is particularly taken by a utensil that is seemingly not used in the land under the sea; a fork to be precise. Except, wait! Isn’t she the daughter of the King of the seas who has in his hand at all times a vastly powerful, and enchanted, trident?
Maybe Ariel thinks tridents are only useful for magical purposes, or she’s too silly to realize that forks can be all shapes and sizes.
22 Maybe The Cold Does Bother Her
Let it Go. That song is still stuck in all our heads. And the message is loud and clear even after all these years; it’s to let go of all our problems once you are clear of them. So wouldn’t it be consistent to stick with that idea instead of reverting back from where you came within an hour after initially leaving?
Well, according to Disney, if you run away from your problems all it takes is for someone to follow and emotionally blackmail you into returning. For instance, in Frozen, Elsa is ecstatic after finally escaping her guilt and creating an icy palace to reside in, away from the harshness of societal pressures. But then along come a few other characters from the movie and, with a little prodding, she ends up back home. Now if real life were that simple.
21 Do I Know You?
Love is blind; nothing stamps that saying further in than Cinderella. The Prince and Cinderella have a magical evening under lights during which they become star crossed lovers. It’s a perfect fairy tale and one that is easy to understand.
But what sort of lover would one be if they couldn’t even recognize the one they claim to be deeply in love with? Sure the reasoning is that Cinderella was magically made up by the Fairy Godmother for that occasion but consider this, the prince had eyes for no one the entire night other than Cinderella. By the end of the evening every feature of hers should have been imprinted in his brain. But amusingly enough, his logical thinking is to make her prove she’s the one by putting on a show.
20 Changing Fortunes, Changing Colors
Disney has a habit of portraying an ultimate reward for its protagonists in the shape of some sort of makeover. Movies the likes of Cinderella and Hercules have the main characters as extremely beautiful or handsome to showcase the change in their fortunes. This logic slips into some other films as well such as Aladdin.
The protagonist is a notorious street rat at the start of the movie, and his complexion reflects as such. You don’t expect him not to be tanned considering he doesn’t even own a shirt. However, once he wins the hand of Jasmine by the conclusion, there’s a definite glow about him. Not in spirit, but in his skin color. Because Disney probably wants to highlight just how much brighter his future is, right?
19 What’s The Fuss All About?
All that trouble, and for what? Maybe Miss De Vil needed to spend a little bit more time thinking over her plans rather than scheming to steal over a hundred Dalmatians for a fur coat. Cruella spends most of 101 Dalmatians attempting to seize all the dogs to quench her fur obsession and, after her attempt at buying the dogs out doesn’t work, she hatches a plot to procure the Dalmatians by nefarious means.
But shouldn’t someone tell Cruella all that effort isn’t really needed considering there are literally thousands upon thousands of stray dogs roaming the streets. All she needs to do is send a henchman on an errand and he’ll be back with a stray dog in a jiffy. Should’ve used your brains on something logical, Cruella!
18 Don’t Hold Your Breath On This One
Time for all of us to collectively scratch our heads. Pinocchio is considered a classic in cinema and, after decades upon decades of movies that have followed, its legacy has remained ever so bright. Yet the film was one of the harbingers for the classic Disney logic.
Pinocchio is famously swallowed whole by a whale in an attempt to rescue his creator and father. In order to reach him, Pinocchio needed to traverse to the depths of the ocean, which would mean no oxygen supply. Maybe we’ll give him a pass over his lack of problems surviving underwater owing to his non-human nature, but then how is it possible that he straight up drowned at the end of the film once he’s accomplished his mission? Shouldn’t he have died the first time round? Also, how does a boy made out wood even drown in any case?
17 Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Fun
If you remember times when pirates were factually terrifying and looted anything in sight then you were probably born in the 1700s, because they’re a far cry from their once foreboding repute. As Disney is the largest entertainment distributor in the world, it has a hold on a number of franchises. These can range from cartoon to live action.
But as the innovators of its own Disney logic, it has crafted a family friendly view of pirates and achieved in making them ‘cool’ enough to influence kids. Although the message they intend to send is positive, there’s the obvious fact that one of their most popular characters is the beer swilling, treasure stealing Jack Sparrow. Sparrow’s never spent an honest day in his entire life and all his exploits are intentions to steal. So, not one for continuity are you, Disney?
16 If The Shoe Fits
Good thing no one pointed this out to the Prince or he’d have branded Cinderella as a fraud right then and there. Cinderella had apparel designed perfectly for her by the fairy Godmother so as to have a wonderful time at the ball and hopefully encounter the prince. All goes as they could have hoped for until the dreaded midnight when Cinderella is forced to abandon the ball before she reverts back to her plain old self.
The only way the Prince is ever able to recognize her as the girl he’s fallen in love with is when the glass slipper that had slipped off her foot is perfectly able to fit. But if the shoe fits so perfectly that no other girl in the entire kingdom can try it on, then how was it able to fall loose from Cinderella’s own heel? Disney logic it is.
15 Too Dumb To Live
You know, most times Disney logic is a pretty good thing. It enables you to stop being so negative and expect the best out of any situation. And then there are times when you want to kick the protagonist in the shins for being such a trusting ninny.
Sleeping Beauty is appropriately titled as such due to the titular Princess Aurora being tricked into touching a spinning wheel, upon being pricked by which she falls into an endless slumber. If you think about it though, she wasn’t really tricked by Maleficent, was she? Aurora was stupid enough to touch the eerily glowing wheel, if she’d had some common sense she’d have stayed far away from it. But then again, can’t have a Disney movie without someone acting like a fool, can you?
14 The Hot Girl Wins The Heart
Let’s consider The Little Mermaid a little further, shall we? So from a logical standpoint a prince happens to find washed ashore a beautiful girl on a beach, and proceeds to take her home with him, then on the second day itself has his heart set on marrying her. Oh, and said girl can’t speak a single word. Does that sound like a person right in the head to you?
Now from a Disney point of view we all know how the story unfolds, it’s the whole movie we’ve come to know and love. But if life were that easy, then we’d have seen every prince in the world getting married to a random girl they chanced by, and they wouldn’t even need to say anything to seal the deal either.
13 Only If You’re Hot Enough
Logic dictates you see a total stranger and you avoid getting too close. Disney logic dictates just as much… unless said stranger happens to be gorgeous.
Really think about it, though. Every one of the protagonist in these films usually starts off looking worse for wear. That is, until midway or the end, when they undergo a makeover that enables them to catch the eye of the one whose attention they seek. Would all those princes have become enamored with our princesses had they looked like Cinderella’s stepsisters?
The only exception might be The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but even in that film the protagonist had to battle all throughout to finally gain everyone’s respect. It wasn’t handed out because he was easy on the eyes, which he definitely wasn’t.
12 Hey, I’m No Snob, Peasant
Jasmine is generally seen as quite headstrong and undemanding for a princess who had spent all her life behind castle walls. Despite such affluent upbringing, she remains convivial to others. But that’s not always the case. In Disney worlds a change of appearance is more than enough to dupe even the ones who know you intimately.
Jasmine encounters Aladdin during an escape from home, and spends the day acquainting the commoner. The two show hints of a spark before their time is cut short by the palace guards. Considering that Jasmine has never seen another boy in her life, wouldn’t she still logically be able to identify him the next time she sees Aladdin clad in royal garb? Or is our princess actually a bit of a snob?
11 Because Why Not?
A real world logic to make you feel dumb for spending your hard earned cash. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 set a new standard of grabbing extra cash from consumers’ pockets by releasing the final movie in the series in two parts. Disney did one better and re-released the only theatrically released film in The Lion King series in 3D. There’s absolutely nothing new in this film other than the fact that you wear glasses to watch a traditionally painted film that was originally released more than two decades ago. Feel silly yet? How about this: you can watch it for free on TV as well! But when Disney tells you to haul over to the cinema, you most certainly will be obliging because that’s what logic dictates, after all.
10 That’s Quite Gross If You Think About It
Ah, love, who doesn’t yearn to be wrapped in its warm embrace at some point? Whether it is to fall in love with a friend you’ve known all your life or someone at first sight. And yet, it’s doubtful your ideal image of meeting the one you fall in love with is a random girl in the middle of the woods!
Well that’s how the love story of Snow White and her Prince plays out. When Snow is placed in an indefinitely comatose state, she isn’t buried by her faithful dwarves and is instead left out in the open. Perhaps the dwarves were privy to some Disney loophole that did in fact arrive in the form of the Prince? But who in their right mind ever thinks that they’re cool with kissing a dead body in the middle of the forest?
9 How Does That Work Again?
Plot convenience is a very convenient thing; you use it for your benefit and shift situations to whatever you please. This also consists of plot armor, a tool very regularly abused by writers and developers alike. One of these cases is a point to be noted in the hugely successful Frozen.
Queen Elsa has a severe complex over her ice powers after she accidentally caused her little sister to teeter at the brink of death when they were toddlers. In order to prevent another similar occurrence to befall anyone else, Elsa isolates herself from society. On the few occasions she does choose to interact with others, Elsa ensures she dons gloves so as to prevent her powers from releasing. However, how is it that later on she spread the icy power through shoes?
If gloves can be an effective tool for these powers not to slip through, then shouldn’t shoes be even more useful?
8 Use Your Head, Aladdin
Another one of the dumbest logical plot holes that Disney movies have overlooked. This one is so simple, there’s no doubt even little kids would have wondered why Aladdin wasn’t smart enough to use this loophole.
The whole issue with the movie was the fact that Aladdin only had three wishes. He had already used two by the climax, and so he is faced with a dilemma of whether to free his friend the Genie from eternal servitude or wish to be a prince. It’s some heartbreaking stuff but also bonkers considering Aladdin could easily pass Genie’s lamp over to Jasmine and have her utilize three wishes of her own, and wish Aladdin to be a prince. That way, he could’ve easily used his third one to set the Genie free and everybody wins.
7 Let’s Sing And Dance Our Troubles Away
This realization will knock you off your boots in amusement. High School Musical is a classic for a number of reasons, one of them being a message to teenagers to not worry about societal pressures and to just go for something they love. Being a musical, you do need to have characters putting on a singing and dancing number to express their feelings. But if said feelings are exactly about how they don’t like to sing and dance then that’s just hilariously stupid.
In the movie, Chad expresses his angst that students aren’t sticking with the status quo and branching out in their interests. Chad, being a school jock, doesn’t find singing and dancing appealing, yet how does he voice it out? By breaking into a huge dance number. Along the same lines, Troy tries his best to conceal his singing talent… by singing out loud in front of his basketball buddies.
6 Where Did That Accent Come From?
If it’s an American film it totally makes sense, right? At least that’s what Disney wanted us to believe, and we sure did in childhood, back when accents were barely noticeable to anyone. We watched in awe as Tarzan spent all those days learning of his true lineage from humans and finally was able to communicate to Jane.
However, there’s not a single American soul in sight, and Tarzan spends most of his time with Jane and her father. Then how does he end up with an American accent? Surely the best he should’ve been able to muster would be an imitation of the accent he’s been hearing. But his first words in English are heard onscreen when he replies that he does understand the language. Was he browsing through a few American classics in his spare time?
