5 Disney Movies About Embracing Differences

Our family recently watched Zootopia 2. I'm not sure what I expected, but I didn't expect a message so warm and applicable to the world. Regardless of your affiliations in the mortal journey, I think we can all agree there's a great deal of chaos in the world. No surprised, based on the number of Biblical prophecies about our day. You don't need to go far to see how "men's hearts will fail them" (Luke 21:26) and "the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). It's always us against them. The more differences, the more we fight. But it doesn't have to be that way. Many Disney movies have taught us to look past those differences and these are just a few that came to my mind.

Zootopia

Both this movie and its sequel fit this theme perfectly. First it was predators against prey. In the second, it was mammals against reptiles. There were animals in Zootopia that wanted to pit the world against itself for their selfish reasons. Power. Influence. It's because Judy and Nick were able to see past those differences that Zootopia was changed for the better. Later it was Judy and Gary clinging together that returned a community of reptiles to their homes. Yeah, we're all different. But we can work together.

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Talk about different: a physically deformed Quasimodo and a pariah Esmerelda. The mad priest Frollo was bent on putting people against the gipsies because of their differences. As with many situations of us against them, We have more in common than we have different. The world will always fare better if we focus on those similarities instead of differences.

A Bug’s Life

For this movie, I’m not even talking about the different types of bugs working together. Even within the ant colony there are differences, especially with Flik and Dot. Aside from those two oddballs, the colony isn’t accustomed to working together, except to pool the food for the grasshoppers. Hopper knew that the ants had the sheer numbers to overwhelm their oppressors. Once the ants realized this and pulled together to stand against Hopper’s crew, it was easy to gain their freedom. 

The Tigger Movie

Once proud of being the only Tigger, our bouncy friend began to realize how lonely that reality is as. Off on an adventure to find his striped family, Tigger wanted to find belonging with those who would understand him. Funny how he wanted a crew of folks exactly the same as himself, not a group of Tiggers with their own personalities and interests. When other bouncy trouncy friends weren’t doing, the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood can’t together for Togger. Their differences made the community what it was. Not a group of identical Tiggers, but a diverse family of friends. 

Lilo and Stitch 

If you know me, you knew I had to include Stitch in this list. Both he and Lilo felt alone in the world: Lilo’s peers actively rejected her and Stitch was as literally the only one of his kind. Rejected by those little goths and the Galactic Council, they found a home and an Ohana together with humans and aliens alike. Just another example of how family and love are available to everyone, no matter how different we are. 

When Zootopia 2 inspired this post, I knew there was more I wanted to say about it. I still don’t feel like I’ve articulated everything I wanted from viewing that movie. So seated tuned for whatever comes to my mind and heart in future viewings. Maybe it’ll come to me during General Conference. In the meantime, check out Zootopia 2 and these other movies on Disney Plus. 

The Best Disney Villain Songs

Disney villain songs are some of the most iconic and memorable numbers in animation history. They set the stage for the antagonist’s motives, drip with charisma, and, in many cases, serve as a musical masterclass in manipulation. While songs like Be Prepared from The Lion King embrace full-fledged villainy, most of the best Disney villain songs share a common, insidious trait—they gaslight the protagonist into doubting their own reality. 

1. Gaston – Beauty and the Beast

Gaston is the ultimate egotistical buffoon, and his titular song is a hype anthem of self-delusion. In this tavern singalong, his loyal lackey, LeFou, reassures him that he’s the greatest man in town—nay, the world!—as Gaston recovers from the shock of being rejected by Belle. The manipulation here? The entire village is swept into his warped reality, where Belle’s lack of interest is framed as her problem, not his. Instead of self-reflection, Gaston chooses self-aggrandizement, setting the stage for his descent into full-fledged villainy.

2. Be Prepared – The Lion King

The exception to the gaslighting trend, Be Prepared is a rare villain song where Scar isn’t trying to manipulate the hero—he’s manipulating his own goons. This song is an outright declaration of treachery, complete with Nazi-inspired imagery and Shakespearean grandeur. Scar is already a lost cause, fully embracing the dark side and plotting his ascension to the throne. There’s no subtle deception here—just a villain reveling in his own genius.

3. Out There / Hellfire – The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Frollo is the king of religious hypocrisy, and his two songs, Out There and Hellfire, perfectly capture his brand of psychological warfare. In Out There, he convinces Quasimodo that the outside world is cruel and that he should be grateful for his prison-like existence. It’s classic gaslighting—twisting concern into control. Later, in Hellfire, Frollo turns that manipulation inward, blaming Esmeralda for his own desires and spiraling into self-righteous villainy. These two songs are a chilling look at how gaslighting isn’t just a tool for villains—it’s a mindset.

4. Mother Knows Best – Tangled

Gothel’s entire method of working is built on gaslighting, and Mother Knows Best is her magnum opus. She weaves a tapestry of fear, mocking Rapunzel’s dreams while pretending it’s all for her own good. Every lyric is designed to make Rapunzel doubt herself and believe that Gothel is her only source of love and protection. This song is so effective that even when Rapunzel starts breaking free, she still struggles with the belief that Gothel might have been right. That’s some top-tier emotional manipulation.

5. Poor Unfortunate Souls – The Little Mermaid

Ursula doesn’t just gaslight Ariel—she cons her. Poor Unfortunate Souls is a masterclass in the art of the villain sales pitch. She frames the deal in a way that makes it sound like Ariel is the one making the right choice, twisting the truth just enough to make giving up her voice seem reasonable. The best part? Ursula presents herself as a benevolent benefactor, acting as though she’s doing Ariel a favor when, in reality, she’s setting her up for failure. By the time Ariel realizes the truth, she’s already too deep in the contract to back out.

6. Dos Oruguitas – Encanto (Wait, what?)

Okay, hear me out. Dos Oruguitas isn’t a traditional villain song, but if you think about it, Abuela is the antagonist of Encanto. The song plays during the most tragic moment in her backstory, painting her actions as understandable, even noble. But let’s be real—she spent years emotionally repressing her family, making Mirabel feel inadequate and convincing everyone that their worth was tied to their magical gifts. Dos Oruguitas gaslights us into sympathizing with her, excusing years of emotional damage because of one moment of loss. See? Villain song.

Conclusion

Disney villain songs are at their best when they don’t just showcase evil but actively manipulate both the protagonist and the audience. Whether it’s Gaston twisting reality, Gothel feigning love, or even Encanto subtly framing Abuela’s past to justify her actions, gaslighting is a powerful storytelling tool. And if you still don’t believe Dos Oruguitas is a villain song—well, maybe you just weren’t paying attention. ;)

PS: Don't forget to check out our ongoing playlist of Disney villain songs.

LDS Geeks Podcast #27: Disney Songs (2)

Spooky season has begun. Despite the fact that neither of us are into horror (though I'm enjoying Agatha All Along), Russell and I got together to discuss some notable Disney villain songs. Perfect additions to your October playlist. And check out our ongoing playlist of favorite villain songs here.

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 27 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show Notes:

00:10 - Introduction

01:43 - Russell's Recommendation: Star Wars Gangsta Rap
            Listen on YouTube

03:47 - Spencer's Recommendation: Halloweentown
            Available for streaming on Disney Plus
06:31 - Halloween costumes
09:40 - "Be Prepared" from The Lion King
13:52 - "Mother Knows Best" from Tangled
22:08 - "Hellfire" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
27:45 - "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid
32:06 - "Shiny" from Moana

34:37 - Closing Thoughts
36:11 - Conclusion

5 Disney Movies that Deserve a Remake

 Here's my issue with the latest run of Disney live-action remakes: Why? At one point I'll make a scale of the remakes from best to worst, but suffice it to say I don't get why these particular movies got a remake. Beauty and the Beast: Perfect the first time. Lion King: Perfect the first time. Sleeping Beauty... Okay Malifecent just rocked so I'm fine with that, but there's a few Disney movies that could use a second try, not necessarily live action but another attempt to help some amazing ideas reach their full potential. 

5: Hunchback of Notre Dame

Fun fact 1: Victor Hugo wanted his original novel to be a big hit musical like Les Miserables, but it didn't take off that way. 

Fun fact 2: Disney made a stage musical of this film that was spectacular but sadly did not catch the public's interest like Disney's other Broadway babies. 

Fun fact 3: This is one of my favorite Disney movies, I even have a Disneyland artist drawing of Quasimodo and Funko Pops of Quasimodo and Esmeralda. 

Fun fact 4: While the book didn't turn into a huge play it did help to get Notre Dame cathedral renovated instead of the original plan to tear it down and started a revolution of saving and restoring old buildings instead of demolishing them. 

Fun fact 5: This needs to be remade so bad it hurts. 

4: Meet the Robinsons

Nobody knows about this 2007 film, and frankly seeing the slightly janky animation I don't blame them. The film has all the great Disney tropes, including a great villain, the definition of family, and an orphan gets a happy ending. This film had some parts that made my mother and I cry, something which is hard to do with our jaded Sinicism. Check this out on Disney+ and please please PLEASE pressure Disney into taking another swipe at it. 

3: Brave

A lot of people like Merida from Brave, but ask anyone what Brave was actually about and you'll get a few blank stares. The issue is that the script was rewritten after half the animation was done, so the movie has some issues. They had to do something similar to Frozen, but the rewrites came much earlier in the process so the film was far more coherent. A better script and Merida could get the film she deserves. 

2: Treasure Planet

Scriptwise I wouldn't touch much (Except the annoying robot in the third act, kill him). The live action budget for this one would be out of control, so even an animated remake would be understandable and acceptable. This was another that had a long production history but didn't get it's just due. If the heart could be preserved and the fun world even slightly replicated I would be right there to see it. 

1: Sword in the Stone

Watching this thing as an adult is a sad disappointment. The film is a weird psuedo-magical science lesson based in King Arthur's time. It's just Merlin turning Wart into animals and talking about how they live. I'd want to see something with more story, more characterizations, and just... More... movie. 

Also picture Tim Burton directing this thing and casting Johnny Depp as Merlin. 

-JOE

10 Best Disney Songs On Broadway (but not in the movies!)

A lot of questions pop up whenever Disney remakes a film. Questions like "Why did we need this? How are they going to portray the non-human characters? Hay is that Hermione?" but the question I keep having is "Why don't they use any of the music from the Broadway shows?!" An entire untapped world of Disney music is sitting around, needing to be heard by general audiences, and here are some of my favorites.

10: Watch What Happens (Newsies)

This is a perfect summary of women trying to break into the workplace at the turn of the century, as well as gives character to the female lead Katherine as she tries to tackle the big story of the Newsies protest. It's everything we think of when we think old time female reporter minus having to be saved by Superman.


9: Shadowlands (The Lion King)
Nala does not get her just due in The Lion King. She's an amazing lioness who left her family to find help, and while the Broadway show has many songs that were criminally left out, I think this one of Nala being blessed by the other lionesses is the best.



8: I Want the Good Times Back (The Little Mermaid)
Arguably one of the best villain songs of all time is Poor Unfortunate Souls by the iconic Ursula, but ever wonder where under the sea Ursula came from? Her entire backstory and relationship to Triton is explained in this jazzy song by the sea witch.



7: If I Can't Love Her (Beauty and the Beast)
Okay so Evermore wasn't bad from the live action film, but Beast gets an even more soulful song with this one on Broadway. With a reprisal later, this haunting melody makes us all remember why we loved the Beast.



6: Rhythm of the Tambourine (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
I will argue to the ends of the earth on behalf of Hunchback. I think it's the most underrated Disney film of all time and this soundtrack only takes it to the next level. Here is the quintessential moment where Frollo, Quasimodo and Phoebis all first see the mesmerizing Esmeralda. It's a fun song that you can't help but to shake your hips to.



5: Proud of Your Boy (Aladdin)
One of the best part of the Broadway musicals are the fleshing out of characters, even ones we didn't know we needed more of. Here we get an insight into Aladdin's heart, that not only is he a good person but he's just trying to do what's best despite his situation.



4: Practically Perfect (Mary Poppins)
This song doesn't add much to the story, but it does add a fantastic new song to the Mary Poppins universe by expounding on one of our favorite Mary Poppins phrases.



3: Home (Beauty and the Beast)
Belle gets to star here as she expresses her feelings about being trapped in Beast's castle and making the best out of her situation. Her reprise to this song comes when the Beast is dying and strengthens one of Disney's most beautiful moments.



2: Made of Stone (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
One of the major changes from the cartoon to the stage was that they dropped the irritating gargoyles and replaced them with statues of the Saints. Here the statues are trying to convince Quasimodo to not give up despite everything seeming hopeless.



1: He Lives In You (Lion King)
Lion King is at its heart the story of a child learning to cope with the loss of his father. He Lives In You and its reprise are Simba connecting to his father, no matter where he is, and never fails to bring a tear to the eye.

The Top Ten Best Written Disney Characters

Megara
Starting on the villains team, Megara is no damsel in distress. Her job is to lure Hercules into the clutches of the Lord of the Dead, but ends up falling in love with the hero. Most interesting of all is how she ended up working for Hades in the first place: she bargained her soul for her boyfriend to come back to life only for him to ditch her for another woman. This gives her depth not a lot of Disney characters have, since she's not after true love but is actively trying to avoid falling in love altogether. She just wants her soul back but falls in love anyway.

Jessica Rabbit
The wife of Roger Rabbit, Jessica is the epitome of the femme fatale. She's dangerous, mysterious, and up until the third act you never know who's side she's really on. In the end though, she's a devoted wife willing to go above and beyond to keep her beloved safe. Don't let her figure fool you, she's not bad, she's just drawn that way.

Quasimodo
The source material for the hunchback was extremely complex as are most characters written by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo makes it relatively unscathed into the movie as the film's outcast heart, showing both his incredible loneliness yet fear of the outside world masterfully throughout the film. While the Disney version gave the audience far more of a happy ending then the novel ever did, it didn't hold back from not giving Quasimodo a love interest in the end, instead making his reward the acceptance the people of Paris as well as the acceptance of himself. This was a perfect way to end a kids friendly Hunchback of Notre Dame film, so long as we ignore the sequel.

Mother Gothel
Villain complexity in Disney is rarely a thing, since the villain is mainly there to keep the story going, but we do get an extra layer of character from Gothel. Her motivation is to keep Rapunzel enslaved, and she does this not by bars or guards but by using mothers guilt. She is the shadowy side of the good mother seen in the few Disney films where the mother isn't dead, and this makes her a far more effective villain since no matter how good a person's mother is, we've all felt the mother's guilt trip at one point or another.

Lilo
By far the youngest entry on the list, Lilo is the kid we all wished we were. She's into weird stuff, from giving a fish a peanut butter sandwich to using voodoo on her friends when they mistreat her, and thus is probably the only person who could've seen the good in the alien monster Stitch. The interesting thing about her is her conflict between her own weird view of the world and wanting to be accepted by the world she doesn't fit into, which makes her to anyone who is into the weird but gets sick of being laughed out of the room or having nobody understanding them.

Aladdin
Before Aladdin we really didn't have a lot of complex male characters in Disney movies. Robin Hood was just a hero, and most of the princes had less lines than the supporting characters. We had the Beast, and he was pretty good, but Aladdin was better. He's a con artist. He cheats people into getting what he wants, not because he's evil but because that's what he does to survive. Lying isn't the only tool he has on his belt, but he thinks it is. He has to learn that there's more to himself than meets the eye, and that makes for the fantastic character arc we get in the film.

Hiro
Big Hero 6 is packed with fun characters, but Hiro is the most human, especially after Todashi's death. He's heartbroken, angry, and generally confused, as a child would be when dealing with death. He even nearly turns Baymax into a killer robot to go after the guy who was responsible for his brother's death. This film has a better grasp of the grieving process than the entire Batman cannon.

Belle
I mentioned earlier that Beast was a good character, but I think the better character here is Belle, the soft spoken outcast from the village. Some people may argue against this, citing Stockholm Syndrome as her main motivation for loving the Beast, to which I have to respectfully disagree. When given the chance to leave, Belle leaves. She only goes back when he's in physical trouble from her idiot stalker. Either way, Belle is smart, well-read, and doesn't compromise for no man. She's not even looking for a man, she just wants a life outside her podunk French village, which makes sense that the Mormon version of this movie had her living in Provo.

Ariel
Another misunderstood princess, I'd say that she's one of the stronger female princesses we've ever had, Anna included. Ariel knows exactly what she wants and will do whatever she can to get it. While she ends up doing it for a man, its established that she wanted to be a human long before she saw Eric, he just happens to be an extra prize. Ariel even manages to get so close to kissing Eric and thus completing the spell so she'll have legs that Ursula gets frustrated at one point and has to change her own plans. Ariel even has a couple kills under her mer-belt when she axes Ursula's sidekicks, making her not only one of the more complex princesses but one of the few with actual blood on her hands.

Kristoff
It's nice to see the love interests of princesses be something other than princes, and indeed seeing them even get the occasional line. Kristoff is interesting because he's the opposite of your average prince without being a villain or a criminal. He's just a guy, just a blue collar worker with a reindeer and a sled. He never tries to be something else to impress anyone or feel that bad about being who he is. While most of his traits are played for laughs, he's far more like someone you'd actually know then most love interests in any movie.

What characters do you find well written?
-JOE

Top Ten most annoying Disney sidekicks

We haven't discussed Disney in a bit, let's try something a little controversial.
Contrary to popular belief, I don't love all Disney characters, particularly the side characters. Sadly, it's almost a requirement for every Disney movie to have a few talking clocks or thinking snowmen just to sell more toys and add some comic relief. But for me sometimes these characters aren't just annoying, they take away from the quality of the movie. So here's my list of the top ten most annoying Disney sidekicks, and this time they WILL be in order.

10. Cogsworth and Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast

These guys weren't so annoying until I saw a first cut for Beauty and the Beast where none of the furniture could talk. After that every time I saw these two eat up screen time bickering I just got increasingly angry. The only reason they land so low on my list is that "Be Our Guest" is a good song. 

9. Tantor from Tarzan

A scaredy-cat elephant voiced by Newman. He serves no purpose in the plot and that voice just grates on my nerves. Baby Tantor isn't any better, just a higher pitched annoying elephant. I'm just glad this guy didn't get popular, though I would've loved to see the thing get eaten by a Dilophosaurus. 

8. Skippy and his friends from Robin Hood

Here's a great idea: Let's take an awesome high-action idea like Robin Hood done with animals and waste 15-20 minutes messing around with annoying baby critters. All their scene with Maid Marian adds to our plot is that Maid Marian likes Robin Hood, something we could've figured out from knowing that the film was about Robin Hood. 

7. Owl from Winnie the Pooh

I know that his long-winded stories are played for laughs, but every time Owl's on screen I want to hit fast forward. When you have so many fun and high-energy characters bouncing around on screen, slowing down the story for this wind bag makes me want to mount him on my wall. 

6. Pegasus from Hercules

I feel like this character could've been beautiful and elegant like Aladdin's Carpet, but instead we get this weird bro-horse. Pegasus is always laughing or making a face or getting its butt jammed into things, which is supposed to come off as fun but for me it just comes off as Hercules's frat buddy. Maximus from Tangled could be funny without looking hideous. Zeus would've been better off just making Hercules a nice Ford rather than an annoying flying horse. 

5. Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King

This is probably one of the more debatable choices on this list since so many people love these guys, but for me Timon and Pumbaa are just empty comic relief. Even their song that is so popular with the masses is the worst advice they could have given Simba. There's a story of a prince who was captured by criminals and denied earthly pleasures because of his princely heritage, and honestly these guys are the antithesis of that story. They take Simba away from his birthright and tell him to stop caring about anything that matters. That's a great message to teach kids. 

4. B.E.N. from Treasure Planet

Okay so not a lot of people have seen this movie, which is a shame because the animation, character designs and overall tone for me just seem to work perfectly together. However, the obnoxious robot we have to meet in the third act, B.E.N. is basically a delayed Jar Jar Binks. One of his character traits is that his memory board is missing so he constantly "Acts crazy" because he's malfunctioning, but even when they do find his hard drive or whatever he still acts like an imbecile. Just throw him off the boat and let the vacuum of space deal with him, please. 

3. All the mice in Cinderella

I know mice are part of the original Cinderella story, but Disney decided to take them one step further and give them songs and a major role in the film. Couple that with their high pitched voices and the fact that they devolve a large section of the movie into an episode of Tom and Jerry and you get some universally awful characters. What's sad is that we have a main character that is severely underdeveloped in this film, namely our nameless prince, who could have become a major piece in the story if the mice were dropped. The same thing happened with Snow White but the dwarfs are so entertaining they get a pass, but really, does anyone care about the plight of "Gus Gus"?

2. Dr. Jumba Jookiba from Lilo and Stitch

This guy is almost classified as a villain if the movie hadn't decided for us that he was too weak and replace him with that giant whale man. The problem with Jumba and his weird little buddy is that this film didn't need them to drive up tension. We already had a major obstacle to overcome in the form of Bubbles the social worker threatening to break up the family. Honestly we didn't even need to know that Stitch was a lab experiment and not just an alien. This film could've been like ET and just been about the development of relationship and the meaning of family, but Jumba just has to sit there with his forced conflict and get in the way of our favorite blue alien.

1. The gargoyles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Disney made a bold move in trying to adapt this Victor Hugo novel into a fun movie for the whole family, and while so many parts to this film work, the gargoyle sidekicks to Quasimodo do not in any way shape or form. First, they don't make sense in the context of their own reality. We don't see any other evidence of magic or talking things that aren't supposed to be talking in the entire movie, and while the film hints that they are figments of Quasimodo's imagination, in the final battle it's extremely clear that they are helping defend Notre Dame and are real. Second, they have arguably the worst song in a Disney film. Here we have our hero already established to have shame and sadness around his hideous appearance and these three sing a song about how he can get the girl despite being ugly, while still reminding him of how ugly he is. Not only is this incredibly mean spirited, but Quasimodo doesn't even get the girl in the end anyway. So the gargoyles from Hunchback get the worst Disney sidekick award by me for not only annoying me but by putting the final nails into the coffin of the film they were in. I hope that gives them a sense of accomplishment as they remember that people would rather hug a stuffed Quasimodo than any one of them anytime soon. 

-JOE