30 Obvious Disney Movie Mistakes Fans Totally Missed main image
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30 Obvious Disney Movie Mistakes Fans Totally Missed

Disney is no stranger to the movie business. From their 1937 silver screen debut with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to their neverending remakes of the modern era, Disney has produced over 140 movies in almost a century! Not many production companies can boast impressive numbers like that. 

And the really crazy thing is that so many of these films have gone on to be major hits with fans and critics alike. It's not an uncommon scenario for Disney to rack up multiple wins at award shows after a new movie has been released. But despite the company's impeccable track record, that doesn't mean their movies aren't without a few mistakes here and there!

Today, we're taking a look at some of the biggest blunders that actually made it into classic Disney films. From simple animation errors to scenes that seem to defy the laws of physics, the Disney collection has had its fair share of mess-ups and mishaps. 

However, most people don't even notice these mistakes when they're watching the films—but we're here to point out these errors for all to see! And be warned: once you start noticing these blunders, you won't be able to unsee them again! 

Let's get started! 

Ursula's Missing Potion

Ursula's Missing Potion

Ursula the sea witch from The Little Mermaid is no doubt one of Disney's nastiest and most memorable villains. But while she may have an eye for evil, it's clear that Ursula doesn't have an eye for the finer details of her villainous undersea operation—and this leads to some unexplained weirdness in her interactions with Ariel. 

In the movie, Ariel makes a Faustian bargain with Ursula—Ariel can become a human, but she must give up her voice to Ursula. The sea witch mentions that she has a potion that will turn Ariel into a full-fledged human, but then when the mermaid agress to her terms, it appears that Ursula uses some sort of magic spell to turn Ariel human...there's no potion in sight! 

(Image via Disney)

Animals Far From Home in The Lion King

Animals Far From Home in The Lion King

While The Lion King never explicitly states where the movie's events take place, fans have managed to narrow it down over the years to somewhere in Africa. This is because the producers did real-life research here and the fact that you can see Mount Kilimanjaro in some scenes of the movie. 

However, if the movie really does take place where fans think, then that means there are some animals featured that are incredibly far from home. For example, in the musical number, "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" we see some expertly-choreographed anteaters busting a move. The only problem? Anteaters are native to South America and aren't seen at all in Africa. 

(Image via Disney)

The Beast's Birth Certificate

The Beast's Birth Certificate

Beast, from the '90s animated classic Beauty and the Beast spends most of the movie in monster form, but we do get to learn a little about his life before he was cursed with his monstrous form by a witch. Namely, we know that the curse began when he was just 11 years old. 

However, this tidbit creates a major contradiction in one scene of the movie. At one point, we see a painted portrait of the prince back when he was still a human. However, in the painting, he's clearly a grown man, despite the fact that his transformation occurred as a child. Some people have tried to explain it away by saying it's a portrait of his father, but really, it seems like this was just an oversight error on Disney's part. 

(Image via Disney)

The Fox and The Hound Disappearing Act

The Fox and The Hound Disappearing Act

If you want to bawl your eyes out at one of Disney's most heartwarming and sentimental movies, The Fox and the Hound is the choice for you! However, if you want a movie with no continuity errors, you're gonna want to avoid this one because it's got a big one surrounding the main villain, Amos. 

Near the end of the film, Amos and his dog, Copper, have snuck their way into a wildlife reserve to hunt Tod the fox. How, exactly, they're going to hunt him gets a bit confusing in this scene, though. When they reach the reserve, Amos seemingly has only gone hunting. However, a few moments later, Amos magically has several hunting traps that seem to have appeared out of thin air. 

(Image via Disney)

Pinocchio's Whale of an Error

Pinocchio's Whale of an Error

You probably shouldn't be too upset or surprised that a movie about a puppet who comes to life isn't exactly concerned with realism. However, Disney is known for going that extra mile with the little details in their movies, but that just did not happen with their classic hit Pinocchio

In one scene, Pinocchio and his creator, Gepetto, are swallowed alive by a whale. Even if you ignore the fact that this would almost certainly hurt them, there's still another glaring error with the whale. The two are eventually sneezed out of the whale's mouth, but it's much more likely that if a whale could actually sneeze, you would be sneezed out of its blowhole, not its mouth. 

(Image via Disney)

Buzz Lightyear's Freeze Frame

Buzz Lightyear's Freeze Frame

One of the most endearing and funniest qualities about Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story is that he initially refuses to accept that he is a toy. In his mind, he's the real-deal interstellar superhero that he's based on. However, there's one unexplained thing he does in the movie that contradicts his insistence that he is a toy. 

Like all the other toys, Buzz freezes in place when his owner, Andy, enters the room to prevent people from realizing that toys have a secret life of their own. But the fact that Buzz freezes too makes no sense. If he genuinely believes he's the "real" Buzz, why does he behave the way a toy should when real people are around? 

(Image via Disney)

Cinderella's Shrinking Dress

Cinderella's Shrinking Dress

When it comes to fairytale fantasies, no movie captures that kind of magic better than Cinderella. Despite the fact that it was released more than 70 years ago, it still remains one of Disney's most beloved and successful movies. And while she may have looked fabulous in those glass slippers, Cinderella has a bit of a wardrobe malfunction at the end of the movie! 

After her wedding to Prince Charming, Cinderella and her beau get ready to ride off into the sunset in a carriage. At one point, Cinderella gives a wave to the crowd where we can clearly see that her dress is long sleeved. However, just a few moments later, we get a glimpse of it again...but this time it has short sleeves! Is the princess wearing a tearaway dress or was this just an oversight? We'll let you decide! 

(Image via Disney)

Eugene Escapes His Shackles

Eugene Escapes His Shackles

Tangled may not be Disney's biggest hit of all time, but when it was released in 2010, it was praised by fans and critics alike for its unique blending of traditional animation and computer-generated animation. While the movie may look gorgeous, it appears that a few continuity errors were animated into the final product. 

Near the end of the film, we have a scene where Flynn/Eugene has his arms visibly shackled. However, when he goes to stroke Rapunzel's hair, his shackles have mysteriously disappeared. Then, a few moments later, they magically reappear! Is he locked up or not, Disney? Make up your mind! 

(Image via Disney)

Pocahontas Shadow Slip-Up

Pocahontas Shadow Slip-Up

Disney released Pocahontas in 1995, and it was a major hit with fans—which largely had to do with how beautifully animated the film was. While there's no denying that it is a gorgeous movie, it was far from perfectly animated, and this little blooper that fans missed proves it! 

In one scene in the movie, we see Pocahontas and her best friend, Nakoma, walking away, hand in hand. However, their shadows tell a different story—if you look at them, you won't see the two characters holding hands at all! Shadows can be a tricky thing to animate accurately, and this scene definitely got the best of Disney. 

(Image via Disney)

Rajah's Bite Below the Belt

Rajah's Bite Below the Belt

Princess Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah, in Aladdin is very protective of her to the point where he will attack suitors trying to woo her. While, thankfully, no one loses a limb to this ferocious furball, one guy does end up losing a perfectly good pair of pants after Rajah bites him square on the rear. 

We get a good glimpse of this poor gentleman's backside, and we see that, while Rajah has taken a chunk out of his pants, his lovely heart boxers remain unscathed. However, just a few moments later, we see Rajah with a bit of the heart fabric in his mouth, even though he didn't bite into that article of clothing. 

(Image via Disney)

The Invisible Toys

The Invisible Toys

When it first released in 1999, no one was really sure if Toy Story 2 would be as big a hit as its predecessor. However, everyone's fears were unfounded, as the sequel was wildly successful with both fans and critics—some even said it was better than the original! 

Despite the movie's major success, it wasn't without its errors—including some that really left us scratching our heads. For example, in one scene we see the toys Rex and Hamm standing in front of a turned-off TV. Despite the fact that the animators animated a reflection of the room on the TV's screen, they forgot to animate reflections for Rex and Hamm! How did they miss that without someone noticing? 

(Image via Disney)

The Mystery of Hans' Sword

The Mystery of Hans' Sword

Though he doesn't look it at first, Prince Hans ends up being the antagonist of Disney's 2013 hit Frozen. While some Disney villains just like causing chaos, Hans has genuine bloodlust and has every intention of murdering Elsa so that he can become the ruler of Arendelle himself. However, Hans' scene raises some serious questions. 

In the scene where he confronts Elsa, he appears unarmed at first. However, when it comes time to do the deed, we hear him unsheath a weapon, and suddenly he's holding this gigantic sword. But where in the world did it come from? He is wearing a long coat in this scene, but even then, there's no way he would have been able to completely conceal a weapon this large. 

(Image via Disney)

WALL-E's Pointless Existence

WALL-E's Pointless Existence

In Disney's 2008 animated hit WALL-E, we meet an adorable robot who managed to develop sentience and a personality while being stranded alone on an abandoned Earth for centuries. While the movie may have been heartwarming, there's one major plot hole that completely disrupts the entire premise of the movie. 

According to the film, WALL-E  (and many others like him) is a robot that was left on Earth after humans made the planet inhospitable. It's WALL-E's job to clean up the garbage left behind, but it doesn't seem like his kind are actually capable of that. WALL-E is a trash compacting robot, but it's never implied that he can actually dispose of all that garbage. Compacting it alone isn't going to fix the planet! 

(Image via Disney)

Finding Nemo's Floating Fish

Finding Nemo's Floating Fish

Considering it's a movie about talking sea creatures, it's probably not fair to hold Finding Nemo to the high standard of real-life science. But there's one scene that seems to defy physics that has confused and annoyed viewers since the movie first debuted in 2003. There were a few fish that just didn't want to play by the rules of physics! 

During the movie, a primary character, Gill, finds himself trapped in a fish tank at a dentist's office. He and the other fish make a daring escape after they are put into plastic bags while the tank is being cleaned. They reach the ocean, but are still trapped in their plastic bags, which somehow magically manage to float on top of the water. If this were going to be accurate to real life, the bags would most likely either float level with the ocean or sink beneath the surface. 

(Image via Disney)

Ratatouille's Not-So-Insulting Insult

Ratatouille's Not-So-Insulting Insult

Disney's Ratatouille was clearly not going for realism—a rat in a restaurant's kitchen is obviously not as fun and heartwarming as the movie makes it seem. However, the film's biggest blunder comes from its antagonist, the snooty food critic Anton Ego. He gives what he thinks is an insult, but in reality, it was a major compliment. 

Ego compares the late, great French chef Auguste Gusteau to the real-life food mascot Chef Boyardee. Ego insinuates that Gusteau's cooking is no better than canned pasta, but the real Chef Boyardee (real name Ettore Boiardi) was much more than just his canned food line. Before all that, Boiardi was an acclaimed chef at the Plaza Hotel in NYC and received honors from both the United States and Russia for feeding their troops during World War II. 

(Image via Disney)

Woody's Magically Appearing Magic 8-Ball

Woody's Magically Appearing Magic 8-Ball

In the classic film Toy Story from 1995, there's a funny little slip-up involving that trusty magic 8-ball. You know, the ones that can supposedly see into the future? Well, in one scene, Andy's toys are all lined up on his desk. But there's nothing around them, just a lamp and some pens.

Then, out of nowhere, when Woody pushes Buzz away, suddenly there's a magic 8-ball right by his arm! No camera angles or tricky shots to blame – it's just a plain old mistake that somehow made it into the movie. Looks like those 8-balls aren't just magical fortune-tellers; they're also experts at making surprise appearances!

(Image via Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

Vanellope's Tooth Reappears in Seconds

Vanellope's Tooth Reappears in Seconds

In Wreck-It Ralph, there's a tiny slip-up that's hard to unsee once you catch it. During a scene where Vanellope is practicing driving, she crashes, and her tooth goes flying. She then smiles at Ralph, showing off her missing tooth for all to see.

But here's the thing: for the rest of the movie, her teeth are perfectly fine and intact! Now, you might try to explain it away by saying it's a video game and her teeth got magically fixed, but let's be real – it's just a simple joke that the animators didn't carry through the whole movie. So, next time you watch the film, keep an eye out for Vanellope's disappearing tooth!

(Image via Disney)

Kristoff Suddenly Stops Slipping

Kristoff Suddenly Stops Slipping

We're not going to sit here and pretend we know anything about physics, especially when snow is involved, but there's absolutely no way Kristoff from Frozen should have survived in the following scene. At nightfall, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven race away from wolves in a sled, and they miraculously jump over a wide ravine to escape. The sled doesn't make it, and Kristoff barely manages to grab hold of a line Anna tosses to him.

First, how did Anna throw that axe so perfectly without ending Kristoff? More importantly, Kristoff dangles from the ravine's edge, slipping without purchase on fresh snow. Yet when the axe falls perfectly in front of him, gravity pauses just long enough for him to grab hold of the line.

(Image via Disney)

Jasmine's Golden Armband Switches Arms

Jasmine's Golden Armband Switches Arms

In the classic film Aladdin, there's a small slip-up you might not catch unless you're paying close attention. During the scene where Jafar chains up Jasmine, she's wearing a golden snake bracelet on her right arm. You can spot it when she kisses Jafar and just before she tries to grab his staff.

But then, when she gets knocked to the ground, suddenly the bracelet is on her left arm! It's a quick switcheroo that happens in the heat of the moment. And just as quickly, in the next shot, when she stands up, the bracelet is back on her right arm again. It's a tiny mistake that is easy to miss, especially with all the action in the scene. 

(Image via Disney)

Elsa's Hair Goes Through Her Shoulder

Elsa's Hair Goes Through Her Shoulder

Believe it or not, there’s another little mistake in Frozen only eagle-eyed viewers caught. It's the kind of thing you might notice if you've seen the movie a hundred times like some unlucky parent probably did! In the song "Let It Go," when Elsa lets her hair down, it somehow passes through her left shoulder like she's a ghost.

It's not obvious unless you're watching closely or purposely slowed down the scene. But hey, maybe we should just let it slide because the scene is still pretty awesome overall. Well, maybe not for the parents…

(Image via Disney)

Boo's Doesn't (Always) Affect the Monster's, Inc. Power Grid

Boo's Doesn't (Always) Affect the Monster's, Inc. Power Grid

The Monsters, Inc. corporation is all about how Boo's screams and laughter generate huge power boosts. Like, that's the whole premise, right? Kids' emotions fuel the monster world. But there are moments in the movie where Boo's screams and laughter don't seem to affect the power at all.

For example, she screams in Randall's scream extractor and giggles away in the bathroom with Sully during their game of hide and seek. You'd think the lights would be flickering like crazy, but nope, nothing happens! Disney, come on, you gotta keep your story straight! It's like they forgot their own lore for a minute there.

(Image via Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

Mike & Sully Met Before Monsters University

Mike & Sully Met Before Monsters University

Monsters University from 2013 caused a bit of a hiccup in the Monsters, Inc. timeline that avid fans couldn’t forgive. You see, in Monsters, Inc., Mike and Sully are established as already friends from childhood – Mike even mentions that Sully has been envious of his good looks since fourth grade! But in University, they supposedly meet for the first time. Talk about a timeline mix-up! So which is it?

The director acknowledged this slip-up., and explained they decided to tweak the lore for the sake of a good story. Fair enough, but hey, we still gotta call it out when we see it, right?

(Image via Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

The Rips in Beast's Human Portrait Change Directions

The Rips in Beast's Human Portrait Change Directions

In Beauty and the Beast, fans have noticed a continuity error. In the prologue, when the Beast dramatically tears at his human portrait, the scratches go downwards from left to right. One scratch even starts at his right eye and goes across his nose and cheek.

But when Belle finds the same portrait, the scratches suddenly go upwards, and the one starting at his right eye disappears altogether! You'd think for such a crucial scene, they'd double-check these details, right?

(Image via Disney)

Elsa’s Shackles Don't Shatter

Elsa’s Shackles Don't Shatter

Wow. Another Frozen mistake… Will they ever end? When Elsa’s locked up and awaiting her fate, she uses her ice powers to break free from metal shackles. It's a thrilling moment, but if you stop to think about it, something doesn't quite add up.

When Elsa freezes the metal, the shackles actually bend open instead of shattering like they should from the very cold temperatures. Now, scientifically speaking, extreme cold doesn't make metal bend – it makes it brittle and prone to shattering. It's actually heat that makes metal soft enough to bend.

(Image via Disney)

Ariel’s Hair Looks Dry Half the Time

Ariel’s Hair Looks Dry Half the Time

Ariel, a mermaid princess who yearns for life on land, falls head over heels for a human prince and goes to great lengths (even dabbling in some dark magic) to be with him above the waves. But here's the thing that makes you scratch your head: no matter if Ariel's swimming underwater, just popped out of the ocean, or has been on land for ages, her hair (almost) always looks perfectly dry!

It's like she's got some kind of magical mermaid hair that never gets wet. Do mermaids have a secret haircare routine we don't know about? It's a mystery, but in a world filled with talking crabs and singing fish, we guess anything's possible!

(Image via Disney)

Nala's Eye Color Changes

Nala's Eye Color Changes

Disney's The Lion King is an absolute classic, no doubt about it! But hey, even the best movies have their slip-ups, right? In this case, it's a pretty noticeable one involving Simba's loyal companion, Nala. Keep an eye on her eyes – they seem to have a mind of their own! One minute, they're blue, and the next, they're green. Now, it's true that an animal's eye color can change over time, but not from one moment to the next as it does for Nala.

But you know what? Fans are pretty forgiving about this little goof. Who can blame them when the movie's storyline is so captivating? We're all too wrapped up in the epic tale of Simba and his journey to worry too much about Nala's eye color changing on us!

(Image via Disney)

The Incredibles Jumps Into the Future

The Incredibles Jumps Into the Future

In The Incredibles, we're transported back to the swinging 1960s, a time just after the glory days of superheroes. Mr. Incredible isn't too thrilled about his crime-fighting days being over, as evidenced by the newspaper clippings still hanging in his office from his heroic past. But here's where Disney slips up:

When Mr. Incredible starts dreaming about returning to his superhero life, the movie zooms in on a faded September 16, 2002 newspaper page. Wait a minute – that's 40 years into the future from the movie's timeline! Now, unless Mr. Incredible's got some time-traveling powers we don't know about, that date's definitely a mistake.

(Image via Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

Belle's Superhuman Strength

Belle's Superhuman Strength

Now, there's a scene where Belle makes a daring escape from the Beast's castle, only to find herself cornered by a pack of wolves. Just when things look grim, the Beast swoops in to save her, but gets hurt in the process. Next thing you know, Belle's riding back to the castle with the injured Beast draped over her horse.

Hold up – how did she manage to hoist that big guy onto the horse? Let's be real here – Belle's a petite gal, not some weightlifting champ! It's one of those movie moments where you just have to suspend disbelief and go with the flow. After all, in the world of Disney, anything can happen, right?

(Image via Disney)

A Mysterious Poster Appears in Finding Nemo

A Mysterious Poster Appears in Finding Nemo

There's a hilarious scene in Finding Nemo where Nigel, the pelican, causes chaos at a dentist's office to help the fish escape from the tank. It's a real crowd-pleaser, full of laughs and thrills. But here's the kicker: when Nigel first flies into the office, the wall behind him is totally bare.

However, when the dentist finally shoos him out, suddenly, there's a poster hanging on that same wall! Now, you'd think someone would've caught this little slip-up during editing, right? But for whatever reason, it slipped through the cracks.

(Image via Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

Slippers Appear by Mei’s Bed in Turning Red

Slippers Appear by Mei’s Bed in Turning Red

In the movie Turning Red," something funky happens with Mei's slippers. The night before she wakes up as a red panda for the first time, her slippers are nowhere to be found at her bedside. Then, when she transforms into a cute red panda in the morning, guess what? Her slippers magically appear!

This quirky detail probably wasn't on purpose, and could only be distracting to people who've watched the film multiple times. If anything, it adds to the fun of Mei's adventure, showing how her world gets turned upside down in the most unexpected ways. 
 

(Image via Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)