Ever since the release of its first feature-length animated film, 1937’s groundbreakingSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,Disney has held a special place in the hearts of many. In the decades since,the studio has produced an impressive list of classics, ranging frombeloved animated musicalslikeThe Little MermaidandEncanto, to live-action favorites likeMary Poppinsand thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise.
However,while Disney has been responsible for a huge number of great family films, they’ve also been responsible for a few of the worst. These weaker offerings are often forgotten in light of the studio’s more critically and commercially successful works, but they exist as stains on the studio’s history nonetheless. These are10 Disney movies that are awful from start to finish, bogged down by bland stories, dull characters, and sometimes, even poor visuals.
10’The Wild' (2006)
Directed by Steve “Spaz” Williams
In 2006, Disney releasedThe Wild, an animated comedy starringKiefer Sutherlandas Samson, a zoo lion who returns to the wilderness alongside his animal friends in search of his son, Ryan (Greg Cipes). While being in production at the same time,the film shares many similarities to DreamWorks’Madagascar, released just 11 months earlier, something which worked to its detriment, asit quickly drew negative comparisons from audiences and critics alike.
The biggest area whereThe Wildis hurt by these comparisons is in terms of its comedy.Madagascarisn’t exactly comedy gold, but its cast, featuring comedic icons of the era likeChris RockandBen Stiller, is able to elevate subpar jokes into being at least somewhat amusing at times. The same cannot be said aboutThe Wild, in whichtalent like Jim Belushi, Eddie Izzard and Janeane Garofalo are incapable of squeezing even a single laugh out of a script with jokes that feel pulled straight out ofthe worst kind of early 2000s sitcom. The art style has also aged poorly, becoming genuinely unpleasant to look at in quite a few places over the years. Simply said,The Wildis a truly awful Disney film that viewers should avoid.
9’Home on the Range' (2004)
Directed by Will Finn and John Sanford
After experiencing an unprecedented level of success in the ’90s with hits likeAladdinandThe Lion King,Disney’s animated output began to struggle with critics.The Emperor’s New Groovehas earned a cult followingandLilo & Stitchis a beloved classic to many, but films likeDinosaur,Chicken LittleandBoltare often remembered as some ofDisney’s worst animated theatrical releases. However, while each of those has plenty of issues,none of them is as thoroughly unenjoyable as 2004’sHome on the Range.
In the film, Maggie (Roseanne Barr), Mrs. Calloway (Dame Judi Dench) and Grace (Jennifer Tilly), three cows, work together in order to track down Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid), a criminal with a bounty on his head large enough to keep Patch of Heaven, the farm where they live, in business. The plot is fairly straightforward and the film’s runtime limited, offeringlittle room to make its main characters particularly interesting. This might not be an issue ifHome on the Rangefeatured stronger comedy, butnot a single joke lands, as the script lacks the wit necessary to entertain older audience members, unlike better Disney comedies likeWreck-It Ralph. These issues, in tandem with the film’s forgettable soundtrack, cement it asone of Disney’s few animated releases worth skipping.
Home On The Range
8’Cars 2' (2011)
Directed by John Lasseter
While Disney’s output in the 2000s was largely hit-or-miss, Pixar was releasing some ofthe best animated films of all time, including classics likeFinding Nemo,RatatouilleandWALL-E. Following the release ofUpandToy Story 3, both Oscar nominees for Best Picture, Pixar was one of the most trusted names in animation, noted for not having a single bad film in their catalog. Then, in 2011,Cars 2brought a disastrous end to their streak, definitively proving not only that the studio could make a bad movie, but that they could make an awful one.
Cars 2plays out much closer to a spin-off than a proper sequel, primarily focusing on Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), the first film’s comedic relief, and changing the tone entirely by being, oddly enough, a spy comedy first and foremost, rather than a racing film.The final product is absolutely horrible. Mater’s comedy worked in doses inCars, but by being the main protagonist in the sequel,his dialogue becomes obnoxious, predictable and dull by the end of the first act, leaving the rest of the film with a totally unlikable lead who receives no true growth. Over a decade later,Cars 2is still almost unanimously viewed asPixar’s worst filmby a sizable margin, as it lacks any redeeming factors whatsoever.
7’Pinocchio' (2022)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
A consistent low point of Disney’s output within the past 15 years has been its live-action remakes of its animated classics.Few have managed to capture the magic that made their source material so acclaimed, serving as vastly inferior reimaginings of what wereonce nearly perfect films. 2022’sPinocchiois one ofthe studio’s most notorious remakes, transforminga beloved Golden Age classicinto a bland endurance test,lacking any of the charm or even visual appeal of the original.
Pinocchio’s issues are largely emblematic of what audiences dislike about most of the remakes.Changes are made to the story that are largely detrimental to its characters, while also unnecessarily bloating its runtime, mirroring 2017’sBeauty and the Beast.There are some notably weak performances, withTom Hanks' Geppetto serving as a low point in the esteemed actor’s career, similarly toJohnny Depp’s interpretation of Mad Hatter in 2010’sAlice in Wonderland. Finally, as is the case with 2019’sThe Lion King,the visual design doesn’t fit the film, making characters like Jiminy Cricket (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Honest John (Keegan-Michael Key) far less expressive than before.There’s really no reason to watchPinocchio, especially when the original has always been available on the very streaming service that the remake was exclusively released on.
6’The Country Bears' (2002)
Directed by Peter Hastings
The Country Bearsisbased on The Country Bear Jamboree, an animatronic stage show at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. In the film, the appropriately named Beary Barrington (Haley Joel Osment), a young bear who runs away from home after learning his parents are adoptive, attempts to reunite his favorite band, The Country Bears, in an effort to save Country Bear Hall, the band’s famed performance venue. Unfortunately, while the attraction is an enjoyable way to spend 15 minutes in the parks,the film is a total waste of an hour and a half.
At the core ofThe Country Bears' issues is its script.The concept is solid, as plenty of other films have illustrated over the years,but the execution is so safe here that it fails to stand out in any meaningful way. The vast majority ofthe jokes are low-effort, only really attempting to appeal to children, whilethe characters fail to make much of an impression, despite being portrayed by a talented cast. The bears themselves are visually impressive, butthe movie they feature in is so dull and boring that it is impossible to recommendover similar, but better family movies like 2011’sThe Muppets.
The Country Bears
5’Atlantis: Milo’s Return' (2003)
Beginning in 1994, Disney produced a number of direct-to-video follow-ups to their animated films, starting with obvious candidates likeAladdinandBeauty and the Beast, before moving on to less universally beloved fare likeThe Hunchback of Notre DameandBrother Bearin the 2000s.One of the most baffling sequels in the line-up wasAtlantis: Milo’s Return, a sequel toAtlantis: The Lost Empire, which had proven to bea financial disappointment for the studiojust two years earlier.
LikeBelle’s Magical Worldbefore it,Milo’s Returnis really three episodes of a scrapped television show, sewn together into one mind-numbingly boring final productthat is barely feature-length. None of the stories featured are even mildly interesting, failing to provide any of the characters with a compelling arc, or even engaging dialogue. The animation style is fine; comparable toDisney Channel series of the timelikeKim PossibleandLilo & Stitch: The Series, but it is a notable downgrade from its predecessor. Some ofDisney’s direct-to-video sequels have redeeming qualities, butAtlantis: Milo’s Returnstands as one of the least enjoyable of the bunchdue to just how soulless it is.
Atlantis: Milo’s Return
4’Wish' (2023)
Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn
Released at the end of 2023,Wishwas intended to celebrate Disney’s centennial by taking a look back at their well-established narrative tropes, while also attempting to reinvent their 3D art style by adopting a look that more closely resembles their 2D output. The film wound up beinga surprising flop for the studiothat failed to resonate with critics and audiencesin the same way that movies likeTangledandFrozenhad,largely owing to its lack of original, compelling ideas.
Wishtells a fairly traditional Disney story in which young Asha (Ariana DeBose) aims to overthrow the evil King Magnifico (Chris Pine) after learning that he never intends to grant most of his subjects' deepest desires, despite having the ability to, because he views them as dangerous. Its biggest issue lies in its execution. Thesongs are completely forgettable, while also featuringsome of the worst lyrics in Disney’s long history. No character is particularly likable or memorable, as they’re all noticeably underdeveloped. The movie offers some fun forDisney fans who like spotting Easter eggs, but aside from that,Wishis an awful slog from beginning to end.
3’The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild' (2022)
Directed by John C. Donkin
In 2002, 20th Century Fox released Blue Sky Studios’Ice Age, a memorable animated film in which a grumpy mammoth (Ray Romano), a dim-witted sloth (John Leguizamo) and a two-faced saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) return a human baby to its tribe. The film was a financial success, launching a franchise that continued to impress at the box office until 2016’sIce Age: Collision Course, the series' fifth entry, delivered underwhelming financial returns. When Disney purchased Fox andsubsequently closed down Blue Sky, the franchise’s future seemed uncertain.Then, in 2022, Disney releasedThe Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, its first spin-off.
Unfortunately,Buck Wildwas an absolutely horrible return for the franchise. The film follows opossums Crash (Vincent Tong) and Eddie (Aaron Harris) as they explore the Lost World, originallyintroduced inIce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, alongside the titular Buck Wild (Simon Pegg) and newly-introduced Zee (Justina Machado).Featuring none of the charm or fun found in previous entries,Buck Wildis a tough movie to get through. Crash, Eddy and Buck work well enough as side characters in previous films, but their extended spotlight here only serves to highlight their weaknesses as characters. Any attempts at humor arehorrendously unfunny, as the script is terrible and the original cast(barring Pegg)didn’t return, leaving the spin-off without performers like Romano and Leary to salvage weak material. These issues, and more, solidifyThe Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wildasa particularly awful release from Disney.
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild
2’Mars Needs Moms' (2011)
Directed by Simon Wells
Combining theunsettling animation style established by producerRobert Zemeckisin 2004’sThe Polar Expresswith a generic science fiction story, 2011’sMars Needs Momsis notorious for beinga massive box office disaster for Disney. In addition to its embarrassing financial failure, the film has becomewidely known as one of the studio’s worst releasesdue to its uncanny visuals, poor script, and unlikable characters.
Thematically,Mars Needs Momsis a fairly traditional family film focused on the importance of appreciating one’s parents. It’s an exceedingly run-of-the-mill message, but thatmight have been okay if the film had stronger dialogue and protagonists. Instead, viewers are left with Milo (played in motion-capture bySeth Greenand voiced bySeth Dusky), a child who is initially overly mean to his mother (Joan Cusack), while being obnoxious throughout, making him difficult to like in many scenes. There’s also Gribble (Dan Fogler), a grown man stuck in a state of arrested development after losing his mother to the Martians when he was around Milo’s age.His immature behavior is significant to his development as a character, but it’s overdone so much early on that Gribble is completely unlikableby the time he begins to change. The unappealing visuals and annoying characters makeMars Needs Momsa pain to sit through, nearly cementing it as Disney’s worst film to date.
Mars Needs Moms
1’The Hunchback of Notre Dame II' (2002)
Directed by Bradley Raymond
The Hunchback of Notre Damemay not be one ofDisney’s better-received Renaissance works, but it is a genuinely unique release from the studio. The film’s integration of darker subject matter, including religious extremism and discrimination, made it a stand-out at the time (and even today), but it was also notable for being one of the few Disney films to conclude without giving its protagonist a romantic partner, focusing instead on the joy Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) experiences when he is finally accepted by society. Its direct-to-video sequel, 2002’sThe Hunchback of Notre Dame II, attempts to undo this ending by giving Quasimodo a love interest named Madellaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt). The ensuing love story isthe single worst film that Disney has ever produced.
While none of Disney’s sequels have felt particularly inspired,Hunchback IIis the worst of the lot. For one, it isthe worst looking direct-to-video sequelthat the studio ever released, clearly displaying just how little effort went into it.The script is horrible, with the romance between Quasimodo and Madellaine serving as one of the least endearing and believable relationships in a Disney movie. But worst of all is the music, with songs like “Fa la la la Fallen in Love” standing assome ofthe most ear-grating songs in the studio’s history. The original film is definitely worth revisiting for those who haven’t seen it in a while, butThe Hunchback of Notre Dame IIshould be avoided at all costs, as it is absolutely awful from start to finish.
