Top Ten Most Surprising Deaths in Disney Movies

Woah... Did that really just happen?

Today we'll be counting down the top ten Disney deaths that come right the heck out of nowhere, are the most devastating, or are the most gruesome. Let's see.
The Top Ten
Tadashi Hamada - Big Hero 6 Tadashi Hamada is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 54th animated feature, Big Hero 6. The film is inspired by a Marvel comic book of the same name.

It was most surprising to Hiro. Disney was so mean to him. They killed off his parents, which is typical for Disney, right? Then, they killed off the person he loved most, Tadashi. They gave him a best friend and almost killed him too. I know many people are hoping Tadashi will come back in the sequel, but I have mixed feelings about it.

Did you notice I've only been doing recent ones? Strange. Anyway, Tadashi was and still is my favorite character in Big Hero 6, and I was completely devastated when he died. But I suppose it was going to happen eventually.

Mother Gothel - Tangled Mother Gothel is the main antagonist of Disney's 2010 animated feature film, Tangled. She is a wicked crone who retained youth for hundreds of years through the healing properties of a magic, golden flower.

Okay, don't question me. Obviously, the villain is going to die in a Disney movie. But the way she died genuinely surprised me. She evaporates into dust and falls out a window.

The Baker's Wife - Into the Woods

Yeah, I know it just came out, but honestly, this death genuinely surprised me. Maybe it's because I'm a big fan of Emily Blunt, or maybe it's because Disney seemed to kill off, like, everyone in this movie. I know it's originally a Broadway play, but they could have at least modified it a little.

The death surprised me, but I would have cared if I had cared about anyone in the film. Because I don't.

Ray - The Princess and the Frog

Me: Oh, they'll just bring him back with magic.
But no, when he died, he died for real. Um... That's kind of... Well... Oh.

I cried the first time I saw that part.

King and Queen of Arendelle - Frozen

This should be number one. They died very early on in the movie, and it was very unexpected.

Coral and Her Children - Finding Nemo
Flotsam and Jetsam - The Little Mermaid
The Horned King - The Black Cauldron

I have to be honest, I haven't seen this movie. But I have seen the death scene of the Horned King, where he's ripped into hell. Holy crap. Holy crap! OH, GOD. Eww.

Henry Royce - Gordy
Tod's Mother - The Fox and the Hound

True, we see Tod's mother for even less time than we see Nutsy from Lady and the Tramp, but her death is even more traumatizing because she had a kid who loved her! He would have been left an orphan if not for Widow Tweed. Bless her soul.

The Newcomers

? Commander Rourke - Atlantis: Lost Empire
? Scar - Lion King Scar is the main antagonist of Disney's 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King. He was the second son of Ahadi and Uru — who were, at one time, King and Queen of the Pride Lands — the younger brother of Mufasa, and the uncle of Simba.

I know he was a really bad guy, but I still found his death to be sad.

The Contenders
Bambi's Mother - Bambi
Clayton - Tarzan

I figure that Clayton has been the only Disney character to die by hanging. Maybe it should stay that way. I'm just saying.

Quasimodo's Mother - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

What is it with Disney and killing off mothers? What is this? Anyway, this is also very traumatizing, and she dies in one of the more gruesome ways she could have: death by skull fracture. *gags*

Nuka - The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Nutsy - Lady and the Tramp

True, we only see Nutsy for a few seconds, and his death is off-screen. But the sound of the execution is enough to give kids nightmares for weeks.

Tiana's Dad - The Princess and the Frog

Yet another entry from The Princess and the Frog. This was a cold movie. Tiana's dad James goes off to war and presumably dies there, leaving Tiana and her mom without much money. That's awful, but it teaches Tiana to work hard. So, A for effort?

Roscoe and DeSoto - Oliver & Company

Those poor dogs. Even if they belonged to a loan shark, you can hear them whimpering before they get electrocuted! And to think that Dodger was close to joining them.

Judge Claude Frollo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Gaston - Beauty and the Beast Gaston is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 30th animated feature film Beauty and the Beast.
Zira - The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Zira was a female lion and the leader of the Outsiders. She was the mother of Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani. After Scar became the king of Pride Rock, he chose Zira's son, Kovu, to be his heir and protégé.
Bill Sykes - Oliver & Company

The whole subway scene is one of Disney's darkest moments. From the look of terror on Sykes's dog right before he falls on the third rail to Sykes himself crashing headlong into an oncoming subway.

Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty Maleficent is the main antagonist of Disney's 1959 animated feature film Sleeping Beauty. An evil fairy, Maleficent is an incarnation of pure evil, and is responsible for all misfortune in King Stefan's kingdom.

I liked her. I know I shouldn't have, but I thought she was a good villain.

Ursula - The Little Mermaid Ursula is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 28th animated feature film The Little Mermaid.

It was actually scary when she died. It looked so painful!

Mufasa - The Lion King Mufasa is a major character in Disney's 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King. He is Simba's father, Sarabi's mate, Scar's older brother, and was King of the Pride Lands until his death. He is voiced by James Earl Jones.
Han Solo - Star Wars episode VII The Force Awakens Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. In the original film trilogy, Han and his co-pilot, Chewbacca, become involved in the Rebel Alliance which opposes the Galactic Empire. He is primarily portrayed by Harrison Ford. Han Solo served as the focus of the 2018 film Solo: A Star... read more
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