Top 10 Most Surprising Deaths in Disney Movies

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. Tadashi is the older brother of the film's protagonist, Hiro Hamada, and is the creator of the inflatable healthcare robot... read more

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 retains her youth for hundreds of years through the healing properties of a magical golden flower. She kidnaps Rapunzel as a baby to exploit the flower's power within her hair.

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.

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Pedro Madrigal - Encanto

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Commander Rourke - Atlantis: The Lost Empire

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

Nuka was a male lion from Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. He was a member of the Outsiders and the son of Zira, making him the elder brother of Kovu and Vitani.

When Nuka was young, Scar chose Kovu to be his heir, even though Nuka was the eldest of Zira's cubs. This caused Nuka to resent... read more

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. He is the main antagonist, known for his narcissism and desire to marry Belle. The character first appeared in the 1991 film and was later portrayed by Luke Evans in the 2017 live-action... read more

Zira - The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Zira was a female lion from Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. She was the leader of the Outsiders and the mother of Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani.

After Scar became the king of Pride Rock, he chose Zira's son, Kovu, as his heir and protégé. When Simba overthrew Scar and reclaimed his birthright... read more

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 in Disney's 1959 animated feature film Sleeping Beauty. She is an evil fairy and the personification of pure evil, causing misfortune throughout King Stefan's kingdom. Maleficent has since become one of Disney's most iconic villains.

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, released in 1989. She is portrayed as the main antagonist and is known for her distinctive appearance and dramatic personality. The character was inspired by the drag queen Divine.

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 the father of Simba, the mate of Sarabi, and the older brother of Scar. Mufasa was the King of the Pride Lands until his death.

In the film, Mufasa is tragically killed by Scar while trying to rescue Simba... read more

Bing Bong - Inside Out

Bing Bong is a fictional character in Pixar's 2015 film Inside Out. He is Riley's imaginary friend who is part elephant, part cat, and part dolphin. Bing Bong plays a crucial emotional role in the film by helping Joy understand the value of sadness.