While Disney is mainly known for its magical and child-friendly image, there are moments when it also gives some socially aware messages through its movies and TV shows that are not only for kids but adults as well. Many of these have left viewers with hard-headed lessons or made them cry in a good way. Moreover, for every problem, there is always a solution shown through encouragement, bravery, friendship, and love. Just to show that while there is evil, there is also good in the world.
Update Aug 16, 2025: This article has been updated with even more great Disney films that tackle serious issues.
Disney is no stranger when it comes to talking about real-life issues. From intellectual disability to intergenerational trauma, the production house offers great insight into topics that have been hushed for decades on the big screen. This is not necessarily bad. In fact, research has shown that films that show real-life issues and how to solve them can help a child’s cognitive and behavioral development. For adults, they can help to make these issues easier to deal with, make them feel understood, and help them mature. Here are some Disney movies that explore serious real-life issues.
11Finding Dory (2016)
In this 2016 film, Dory is a character who suffers from short-term memory loss. Due to this, she has to constantly deal with being lost, forgetting important events, and sometimes even the names of people she met. One of these moments includes Dory accidentally gettingseparated from her parents, as she gets distracted and later forgets where she is and what she is doing. The film does a great job of showing how Dory overcomes all her obstacles with her infectious positivity and proves that her disability is not a weakness.
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Disney also carefully addresses how serious short-term memory loss can be for a person and how the people around them can help them feel more encouraged to combat it on a daily basis. In doing so,Finding Dorypromotes a message of inclusion and passion toward people who have cognitive impairments.
10Brave (2012)
In the criminally underrated 2012 filmBrave, the adventurous and fiery red-headed princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) refuses to conform to society’s traditional expectations and decides that instead of being betrothed to someone she doesn’t love, will compete for her own hand in marriage. The archery-savvy young woman fought against gender-specific roles and stood up to the patriarchy, knowing full and well that by doing so, she would be causing turmoil in her kingdom. Despite mounting odds, Merida’s fighting spirit and admirable courage gave children worldwide a positive Disney role model to look up to, encouraging kids to be themselves no matter what.
9Tangled (2010)
In Disney’sversion of Rapunzel, Mother Gothel is shown to be a narcissistic parent that constantly (and passively) slides into guilt-tripping and emotionally abusing remarks toward Rapunzel. In the scene where Rapunzel asks to go see the floating lanterns, Gothel responds with the famous ‘’mother knows best’’ line, along with multiple passive-aggressive and fear-engraving comments. This is effective as Rapunzel is seen going back into the arms of Gothel at the end of the song. InTangled, Disney provides an authentic depiction of narcissistic parents who value what their children can provide and not what they are worth.
8Mulan (1998)
Audiences everywhere fell head-over-heels for the strong-willed and deeply loyal titular heroine in the ’90s smash hitMulan, which follows the ambitious young woman (Ming-Na Wen) as she takes her ailing father’s spot in the Chinese military and pretends to be a man in order to serve her country and protect her family from a Hun invasion. Both a celebrated feminist film and inspiring Disney staple,Mulanshowcases the immense struggles the daring female warrior experienced, like misogyny and sexism in society, and tackles heavy issues like gender roles and the terrifying threat of war.
7Coco (2017)
Cocois a brilliant combination of friendship, passion, betrayal, and love. One of the reasons whythis movie stands outfrom the rest is because it explores the taboo of life and death. This is not discussed much in animated movies and was executed masterfully in the Oscar-winning triumph.
6The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Arguably one of Disney’s most underappreciated and darkest releases so far,The Hunchback of Notre Dameambitiously tackles a wide array of mature subject matter, including genocide, prejudice, and damnation and is without a doubt one of the studio’s most somber releases. The issues presented in the picture still run rampant today, and the villain, Judge Claude Frollo, is brimming with profound hatred and racism, with the fanatically religious man going on a crusade to exterminate Paris' Romani population.The Hunchback of Notre Damepromotes tolerance and compassion and is one of Disney’s most eye-opening and honest releases.
5Inside Out (2015)
This 2015 Pixar hitexplores an array of emotions throughout the film, from depression to intermittent explosive disorder. Riley has been shown to suffer from different stages of depression and is afraid to talk about it. What’s great aboutInside Outis that it was created with the help ofactual psychological research. Rather than just dubbing Riley as an unruly child, this movie talks aboutwhyshe is this way and works its way up to resolve it. Additionally, it helps viewers to understand that it’s okay to feel sad at times.
4WALL-E (2008)
Lauded for its breathtaking animation, compelling storyline, and memorable characters,WALL-Ecenters on the eponymous solitary robot as he goes around the deserted planet Earth cleaning up garbage and struggling with his profound loneliness, but finds his bleak existence rocked with the arrival of a mysterious probe robot named EVE.The stunning picturedirectly addresses climate change and consumerism, as the world has become inhabitable due to humans constantly polluting the planet and robots are left to clean up the mess, providing audiences with a bleak and realistic look at what could happen to Earth if society carries on its destructive path.
3Zootopia (2015)
On the outside,Zootopialooks like a silly, comedic kids flick that showcases a city of human-like animals in which prey and predators live peacefully together. There’s the noble police Judy Hopps and con artist Nick Wilde, who team up to defeat the villain of the story and free mindless predators from causing havoc around the city. While this sounds like a creative story, this is not only what it’s about. In fact, the hidden (but not so hidden) issue that this film highlights is about racial profiling.
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The racial profilingof predator animals takes over the city of Zootopia, and it causes the police and society to start pointing fingers at predators for crimes they didn’t commit. Disney does a good job of highlighting how racial profiling can disturb the peace and cause innocent members of society to be targeted easily. In the end, the movie shows how society can work together to abolish this culture and accept people for what they are, not what they look like.
2Up (2009)
Widely regarded as one ofPixar/Disney’s greatest cinematic accomplishmentsof the new millennium,Upbeautifully chronicles the unlikely bond between an eight-year-old boy and a grumpy old man as they embark on an adventure of a lifetime via a balloon-propelled house. Though the whimsical and dreamy flick focuses on Russell and Carl’s globe-trotting excursion and the friends they make along the way, it also touches on some pretty heart-heavy topics like miscarriage, depression, and grief.
The animated film’s introduction both touched and devastated moviegoers as Carl’s love story with his longtime love, Ellie, played out on the screen, revealing that the married couple had heartbreakingly lost their baby and were shattered by the miscarriage. The montage ends with the sad death of Ellie, as Carl is left struggling with overwhelming grief and resentment from her passing that Russell ultimately helps free him from during their adventure.
