Top 10 Insanely Racist Moments in Animated Movies That You Forgot About
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Insanely Racist Moments in Animated Movies That You Forgot About. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most problematic instances in animated features that make use of racist caricatures, visuals, or language that you might not recall. Did you remember any of these moments? Or did you block them from memory? Let us know in the comments below.
#10: “Fairest One of All”
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
Disney’s first full length animated feature introduces us to the original Princess. An adaptation of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, it has also been deemed “culturally significant” by the Library of Congress. While the film is celebrated for its historical significance, audiences may not realize one of its most iconic lines has racist implications. We famously see the Evil Queen asking her magic mirror, “who is the fairest one of all”? The question is problematic because it could be seen as equating a person's beauty with the lightness of their complexion. Paired with ableist language and a non-consensual kiss, the film probably couldn't be made today as it was in the 1930s.
#9: “Under the Sea”
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“The Little Mermaid” (1989)
The film that kicked off the Disney Renaissance is beloved for a lot of reasons, including its music. However, upon further inspection, one beloved song in particular contains racist elements. “Under the Sea” is performed by Sebastian, a Jamaican crab, as he tries to convince Ariel that living under the sea is better than on land. Towards the end, he lists different musical fish in the underwater kingdom. Two of the species he mentions appear to be caricatures of Black musicians, with one even being called “blackfish.” If you forgot about this moment, we don’t blame you. Both fish are on screen for a short amount of time, and they’re introduced alongside many other musical species. Still, this one is pretty bad.
#8: The Gorillas
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“Sing” (2016)
Creators of the animated jukebox musical with anthropomorphic animal characters made a bad call with one of their featured species. The storyline follows a group of criminal gorillas with British accents. Although the animals are voiced by white actors, casting gorillas as felons and seeing them jailed is reminiscent of racist ideas about Black people. The actual depiction of the characters behind bars wearing orange jumpsuits is especially problematic. This could have easily been avoided if the filmmakers had gone with a different species for that plotline. Or they probably could have dropped it all together; it wasn’t exactly necessary in a children’s movie about singing animals.
#7: The Hyenas
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“The Lion King” (1994)
Scar’s three hyena minions, voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings, are among Disney’s more memorably animated henchmen. However, critics have pointed out that their behavior is filled with racist connotations. Their vernacular and dark coats, paired with their home in the elephant graveyard, have been compared to depictions of socioeconomically disadvantaged people of color. Instances of slapstick humor also often make them the butt of the joke. Although Disney executives reportedly brushed off critiques about this following the original film’s release, the characters are changed and taken more seriously in the 2019 version. Florence Kasumba, who replaced Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi, noted that the hyenas in the remake are more intimidating than amusing.
#6: “You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down”
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“All Dogs Go to Heaven” (1989)
After getting out of the pound, Charlie B. Barkin and his friend Itchy Itchiford celebrate with a song. They reflect on the German Shepherd's ability to persevere and rebound, even in hard situations. At one point, the dogs begin to reference stereotypical traits of different nationalities, calling the Irish lucky, the German proud, and so on. Itchy brings up Siam, but is animated in a manner offensive to Eastern Asian people when he does so. The Dachshund appears with a cymbal on his head and buck teeth. It’s a musical moment with seemingly no purpose except to make fun of a group of people based on their ethnicity.
#5: The Toads
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“Thumbelina” (1994)
Although you might not have noticed it as a kid, the 1994 film includes some problematic figures. It shows the titular character getting taken by anthropomorphic toads that bring to mind unfortunate racist tropes. The amphibians are supposedly Spanish, but their vernacular and appearances implicate Latine people all over the world. Their role in the story is also nefarious, implying that people with Hispanic heritage are misogynistic criminals. Plus, Mrs. Toad, who’s voiced by the Spanish-American performer Charo, is characterized in a way that plays into the stereotypical portrayal of Latin women as overtly sensual. While we love Charo, we don’t love these characters.
#4: Shun Gon
“The Aristocats” (1970)
This France-based story includes a character clearly informed by exaggerated, racist depictions of Eastern Asian people. After being taken and left in the middle of nowhere by Edgar the butler, Duchess and her three kittens encounter Thomas O'Malley and meet his friends. They’re introduced to the alley cats, a band of musical felines including a Siamese breed who is presented as being Chinese. However, pretty much everything about Shun Gon is deeply offensive. With his buck teeth, chopsticks, accent, and choice to wear a cymbal as a hat, the animated cat embodies a lot of toxic, harmful stereotypes.
#3: “The Pastoral Symphony”
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“Fantasia” (1940)
Disney’s 1940 musical anthology film features animated segments scored with pieces of classical music. One of these segments, set to Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6,” originally showed two dark furred centaurettes serving many lighter toned creatures. The characters, dubbed Sunflower and Otika, clearly draw upon racist notions surrounding Black women. If you don’t remember this moment, it could very well be because you blocked it from your mind. Or maybe it’s because you saw the edited version that Disney released later on. The newer edit thankfully doesn’t include either of the characters.
#2: “What Made the Red Man Red?”
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“Peter Pan” (1953)
Disney has a habit of portraying Native Americans as magical folk from the past, with little regard for the Indigenous people who are alive today. Arguably the most problematic depiction of Native Americans comes from “Peter Pan,” a story about British kids on a make believe island. It shows the Darling children and the Lost Boys interacting with Indigenous people who are more caricature than character. Through song, the kids ask their hosts a series of extremely offensive questions. Curiosity is usually a good thing, but their inquiries cross a line into racist territory, and the film would’ve been better off without this number altogether.
#1: The Crows
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“Dumbo” (1941)
Disney’s classic 1941 feature includes a group of anthropomorphic animals with racist undertones. In the original animated movie, the titular elephant meets a murder of crows who initially doubt his ability to fly. While they initially sing a song at Dumbo’s expense, they come to be sympathetic to his struggles and help him get airborne. The birds themselves, however, are seen as distorted characterizations of Black people, with one even being called “Jim Crow” at first. The filmmakers were influenced by background chats on Black musicians’ albums recorded around the same time. Nevertheless, the animated birds have been widely criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes. Luckily, the crows are nowhere to be found in the 2019 live-action adaptation.
