With over 50 animated films under its belt, Walt Disney Studios has captivated us all with its fairy tale adaptations, as well as its own original stories. In fact, I am 106 percent certain that if I randomly start singing, "Let's get down to business!" that someone will always reply, "TO DEFEAT THE HUNSSSS!!!" with ALL the force of a great typhoon!
The characters Disney created over the years have continuously held just as much (if not more) importance than the movies they were a part of. When people are asked about who their favorite Disney character is, they usually cite their favorite princess, one of the more well-known animated heroes of the so-called "Disney Renaissance" in the 90s or a lovable person or animal from the Pixar cannon.
As cool as all of those options are, there are so many more rad characters from Disney that people overlook all the time. I, personally, feel like it is my super random responsibility to take my knowledge and passion for obscure Disney characters to point out and explain why there are a bunch that are hella underappreciated.
WARNING: Potential Spoilers! (And if so, I question the existence of your childhood.)
1. Gurgie ("The Black Cauldron," 1985)
I know what you guys are all thinking: "Who the hell is this dog thing?" Well, in the same year "Back to the Future" came out, Disney released one of their lesser-known movies, "The Black Cauldron." The movie was about a boy's quest to protect a magical pig and a powerful cauldron that was in danger of being used for evil by a "Horned King" (pretty far-fetched, I'll give you that), BUT this little whatever-he-is in particular is a SUPER underrated guy. First of all, look how cute he is! Secondly, and more importantly, even though he seemed like a pest at first, he ended up sacrificing his own life to destroy the cauldron's powers, saving pretty much everybody in his world from becoming slaves to the Horned King.
2. Zazu ("The Lion King," 1995)
Okay, yeah, he's from "The Lion King," the world's most popular movie. HOWEVER, nobody ever acknowledges that this bird had to deal with a lot of crap. Exhibit A: Mufasa used him as bait to teach Simba how to pounce and if you don't see anything wrong with that, imagine if your boss did the same to you! Exhibit B: When Zazu babysat Simba and Nala on their way to the "water hole," a.k.a., the Elephant Graveyard, the cubs rudely disregarded his well-being while using a song as a diversion to escape him, and the poor dude ended up under a rhino's backside. Lastly, Exhibit C: Once Scar was king, he reduced Zazu to a performing monkey, ordering him to sing whenever he was bored. Poor guy. I mean, look at the picture! #sadZazu
3. Merlin ("The Sword in the Stone," 1963)
So aside from being a wizard, Merlin is a seemingly simple old dude with a penchant for drinking tea in his forest home. However, he should not be looked over, because not only did he have kick-ass magical powers, but he was also super educated guy who wanted to spread his knowledge. In the movie, Merlin meets Arthur, a scrawny preteen whose sights did not go past being his adopted father's servant, and he never stopped nurturing his potential by showing him that with knowledge and sound moral character, you can be so much more.
4. Anita and Roger ("101 Dalmatians," 1961)
This couple not only had impeccable fashion sense during their adorable meet-cute, but these are two of the sweetest people in the Disney universe. While some people might not consider missing puppies as that serious an issue, Anita and Roger never gave up hope that their dogs would be found. On top of that, once they found their puppies (plus, like 85 other puppies), they agreed to open their home to 101 DALMATIAN PUPPIES! (I don't know about you, but my mom would murder me if I even thought about bringing another dog home!) Think of all that poop! The amount of poop alone is enough to consider these two as saints.
5. Milo Thatch ("Atlantis: The Lost Empire," 2001)
I'm going to start off by noting that Milo is voiced by Michael J. Fox, the world's most adorable human being and (in my opinion) America's real sweetheart. Secondly, super-nerd Thatch leads a whole expedition of brawn to a civilization that nobody else believed existed! Later on, his integrity is even further proven by refusing to sell out his beliefs to sacrifice a whole living community just to make a quick buck AND convincing most of his team to do the same.
6. Koda ("Brother Bear," 2003)
This cutie is one of my all-tie favorites who will always deserve my admiration for a few reasons. His personality is just as sweet as his wittle bear paws because even though he was separated from his mother, he not once stopped being a positive and friendly little cub. His sweetness even cracked through the main character, Kenai's stubborn anti-bear sentiments and was the main contribution to his change of heart at the end of the story.
7. Tony ("Lady and the Tramp," 1955)
At this point you think I'm reaching pretty far, but hear me out on this one. I think anybody who knows anything about restaurants would know that nighttime is usually a crazy busy time and the fact that this dude took the time to come out to the back, give two dogs a huge plate of perfectly good spaghetti, AND serenade them with a romantic song accompanied by some talented accordion work is insanely generous. These were DOGS for crying out loud, and for all Tony knew, they could've ransacked his whole restaurant! This guy took a chance on these two and that's definitely worthy of praise in my book.
8. Widow Tweed ("The Fox & the Hound," 1981)
Alright, I preemptively forgive you for not knowing this lady's name and will continue my rant while ignoring your newbiness. Widow Tweed is the sweetest old lady you ever did see in the Disney universe and will receive this well deserved pat on the back from yours truly for taking in and raising an orphaned fox then releasing him to his rightful place in the woods, even though it was super hard due to her emotional attachment to him.
9. Pascal ("Tangled," 2010)
This cutie can't speak for himself so I felt it necessary to do so. Pascal is a better friend than many actual animals or people would be in his situation. He could have easily hit Rapunzel with a "Bye Felicia" once he figured out she couldn't leave her itty bitty tower. Pascal is a FREE ANIMAL who could have done literally anything else with his time but instead, chose to stay and entertain a lonely girl by trying on ill fitting dresses, making candles, and rereading the same books day after day.
10. Goofy ("A Goofy Movie," 1995)
I think my appreciation for this one came with age and maturity because I understand his struggle a little better now. All Goofy ever wanted was to be closer to his teenage son, Max. Although his efforts to do so often turned out to be embarrassing failures for the both of them, Goofy never gives up trying to bond with his son. Even when he found out Max had been lying to him about where he was navigating their road trip, Goofy still found it in his heart to forgive his son and sneak him into the concert and subsequent dance-battle of the year.
11. Kocoum ("Pocahontas," 1995)
I understand your confusion and will help you come out of this state of shock many of you are in at my last character choice. Although Pocahontas never felt the vibes Kocoum was giving out, he still shouldn't be looked at as just an obstacle Pocahontas had to avoid to be with her real bae, John Smith. All Kocoum wanted to do was to marry and take care of Pocahontas and once he thought she was in danger, he sprung to action and sacrificed his own life to save her. If he somehow survived, I'd like to think he, like everyone else in the story eventually did, would have overcome his hatred of the white man and he and Pocahontas would have just stayed good friends. #RIPKocoum