While Pinocchio remains one of Disney's most beloved animated movies, Guillermo del Toro brings a new take on the tale with his stop-motion version. With del Toro going for a darker tone with his approach, it wouldn't be surprising if he deviates from Disney's happy ending.
Though animated movies are often seen as delivering crowd-pleasing finales of happily ever after, some have left fans disappointed. Fans on Reddit have offered their frustrations with animated movies, from classics like Beauty and the Beast to modern hits like Frozen, that were ruined by bad endings.
The Aristocats (1970)
The Aristocats might not be as popular as some other Disney classics, but it does have a lot of fans who see it as an underrated gem. It follows a group of cats owned by a wealthy woman who are kidnapped by the greedy butler in hopes of gaining the woman's inheritance.
One Redditor is particularly annoyed that the woman decides to leave all her money "to a bunch of cats" in the end rather than the butler who served her for years. It's a different perspective on the movie that suggests the villain might have been the victim all along.
Frozen (2013)
One of the best Disney princesses is introduced in Frozen with Elsa. She is a young ruler who flees her kingdom when her magical ice power freezes everything. This leads to the final act where Elsa and her sister Anna reunite after a strained relationship.
Redditor lesdaemons insists the ending has a feeling of "sweeping all of the other problems under the rug in a quick two seconds." The relationships among the characters seem to be the priority while all the other events are almost forgotten by the end.
The Incredibles (2004)
Pixar entered the superhero genre with the acclaimed family adventure The Incredibles. It follows a family of superpowered people who hide their abilities from the world only to learn to embrace their exceptional ways as a villain attempts to wipe out all superheroes.
Redditor EarthExile takes issue with the supposed message of the movie being "effort and cleverness will never trump natural talent and blood." It is a fair conclusion to reach as the villain is an ordinary person striving to be a superhero who is thwarted by those who were born with special abilities.
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Though it didn't make much of a splash when it was first released, The Emperor's New Groove has earned a reputation as an underrated Disney entry. It follows an arrogant and selfish emperor who is transformed into a llama by his enemies and teams up with a simple farmer to transform himself back.
Redditor MasterTiberius enjoys aspects of the movie but admits "the ending was really rushed." It is a redemption story of the emperor and once that is achieved, the movie seems to waste no time in ending things, regardless of any loose ends.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
The first three Toy Story movies are hailed as some of Pixar's best. But with the satisfying conclusion of Toy Story 3, some saw it as a great movie that didn't need a sequel. Toy Story 4 finds Woody struggling to feel needed by the group's new kid Bonnie while also reuniting with his lost love, Bo Peep.
Redditor DJColdCutz_ complains that the ending "flies directly in the face of the message of the rest of the movie and really, the rest of the series." Woody told Buzz in the first movie that a toy's greatest purpose is being there for a child. To see him decide to leave Bonnie to be with Bo Peep feels like a rewriting of the character that not all fans accept.
Pocahontas (1995)
While there are plenty of forgotten Disney animated movies over the years, the 1990s was a golden era for the studio. Pocahontas is seen as one of those shining examples in the retelling of the story of a Native American hero who meets and falls in love with a white man who comes as part of a colonizing mission.
Redditor TT454 finds the end to be "so tepid and abrupt." The conflict between the colonizers and the Natives is settled quite amicably and without much issue. It suggests the problem with Disney attempting a family-friendly version of some much darker and complicated moments in history.
Sausage Party (2016)
Though animated movies are often seen as family-friendly fun, Sausage Party is certainly not something suitable for younger audiences. The R-rated comedy follows various food items in a grocery store that learn when they leave the store they will be eaten by humans.
Following the humorous uprising in the grocery store, Redditor Spyop13 suggests the filmmakers "just had no idea how to finish it" and made a surprising choice. Capping off the movie with an extended and graphic sex joke was guaranteed to be hilarious to some and pointless to others.
The LEGO Movie (2014)
Though many thought the idea of turning LEGO into a movie was a bad idea, The LEGO Movie surprised everyone by being a clever and hilarious adventure. It follows an average worker who is mistaken for a prophesied hero who can stop the evil lord from unleashing his weapon on the world.
Redditor SirHamhands finds it to be a "fantastic movie about a child's imagination" only to go in an unexpected direction. It is revealed the LEGO is being played by a young boy with a controlling father and that more melodramatic message took away from the fun for some fans.
Beauty And The Beast (1991)
Though there have been many retellings of this story, Beauty and the Beast remains not only one of Disney's most acclaimed movies but is also seen as one of the greatest animated movies ever made. The beautiful love story between Belle and the Beast offers such a magical journey for audiences.
Redditor WaywardChilton is disappointed with seeing the Beast "turn into a generic prince guy at the end" to live happily ever after with Belle. The transformation might be seen as a contradiction of the movie's message that beauty is within.
Frozen II (2019)
Despite their popularity, it seems that neither of the Frozen movies stuck the landing in the eyes of some fans. Frozen 2 finds Elsa preparing to take over as the ruler of their kingdom while venturing to an enchanted forest to learn the origins of her powers.
In the end, Elsa chooses Anna to rule while she remains in the enchanted forest leading Redditor Middle-Platypus6942 to ask "apparently she gets along with water horses more than her people?" With the first movie dedicated to bringing Elsa and Anna back together and Elsa finding her place in the kingdom, this ending somewhat undoes all that growth.