1. When Goofy gets to drive around and play golf with Mickey, but Pluto has to stay in the dog house...
Anyone else think that’s it totally unfair that Goofy gets to be anthropomorphic and not Pluto—even when they’re BOTH dogs??
This is BY FAR the biggest hole in the Disney universe, and a total injustice against poor Pluto, who doesn’t get to talk and do the same things Goofy can. And let’s face it—we know Pluto is smarter than Goofy!
Oh, and props to good ‘ol Louis Stevens, who pointed this out back in 2000 on “Even Stevens.” (See video below!)
2. When Chip and Dale ALSO can talk, but not Pluto...
And while we’re on the subject of Pluto’s lack of language skills, how can Chip and Dale talk and sing...but Pluto still can’t?? Even if they only exchange single words and brief phrases, those two mischievous chipmunks still have the ABILITY to verbally communicate! (If you're racking your brain trying to remember a time that Chip and Dale EVER spoke, check out the video below.)
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(No love for Pluto, I guess...☹️)
3. When everyone in Mickey Mouse's universe has to wear gloves...
Max's friend Bobby was onto something in “An Extremely Goofy Movie”—why DO they all wear gloves?? (See video below!)
Like, I get that this is something that was common with many cartoon characters back in the day, but for what reason? Are they hiding something? 🤔
4. When Prince Charming didn't tag along to find Cinderella...
Everyone ALWAYS questions this detail in 1950’s animated “Cinderella”, but it's SO true—if Cinderella had SUCH compelling beauty that drew Prince Charming away from the ball to spend the whole evening dancing with only her, why would he think that he would not recognize her afterwards??
Was it REALLY necessary to send the Duke to visit every girl in the kingdom to try on her slipper if good 'ol Princey would have easily recognized her at first glance?
And let's talk about the “trying on the shoe” idea—it didn't occur to anyone involved that this might not such a great plan? It could’ve easily failed because 1. you can't just assume that Cinderella’s slipper would only fit her foot and 2. what if the Duke, who had never actually seen Cinderella up close, brought back the wrong girl??
Honestly, if I were Cinderella, I would’ve been disappointed that Prince Charming wasn’t out looking for me himself...but at least they worked that into the live-action remake! 💙
5. When Buzz Lightyear was the only who with delusions about his state of being...
Buzz made it clear in “Toy Story” that he believed he was not actually a toy—yet he would freeze like all the rest every time a living being came into the room, including Andy, his mom, his dog Buster, etc. Which makes me think that Buzz had two VERY conflicting ideas about his state of being…
Being that he was so set in his belief that he was indeed NOT a toy, why would he bother pretending to be lifeless at all? Like, why did he think this was necessary?
(Thank you, “Toy Story”, for provoking such philosophical questions…)
6. When it was completely unclear how Pocahontas and John Smith could suddenly communicate with each other...
You might be familiar with the moment in “Pocahontas” when she meets John Smith for the first time and the language barrier between the two of them is crystal clear. However, then you see a breeze of leaves swirling around Pocahontas—and just like that, they can suddenly communicate with each other. But...how?
And that's where I (along with many other viewers, I’m sure) get confused. Like, are we supposed to assume that there some sort of a deeper spiritual mythology to “Pocahontas” that explains this? Or is this “magic” supposed to symbolize overcoming social barriers and practicing acceptance?
I guess we'll never know...
7. When Rapunzel's hair was ALWAYS flawless, no matter what...
Let's take a minute to talk about Rapunzel's relentlessly perfect hair. We watched her frolic and roll around in the grass and dirt, and even HIDE herself in her own long locks of hair, but how on Earth did she manage to keep her hair from getting knotty or frizzy?? And with this, Rapunzel carried on Disney’s legacy of unrealistic hair expectations…
So I have but one thing to ask Rapunzel: What magic conditioner do you buy for your magic golden hair??
8. When Tarzan had gone his whole life without growing ANY hair on his face...
Gorillas don't shave, right? Just making sure I'm on the right page because no one seems to question why a man men living among jungle animals SOMEHOW manages to stay so clean-shaven! 🤔
We know that Tarzan has lived among gorillas his entire life (and behaves as one), and he had never consciously seen another human before Jane, so how has he gone SO long without a single hair on his face?
Plus, have you seen his father's ‘stache?? Wouldn't Tarzan have gotten his amazing facial hair genes? (I'm just sayin'...)
Are there any other gaping holes in the Disney universe that you've noticed? Tweet me your burning Disney questions @missjulia1207!