Fans have some exciting new Disney movies to look forward to in 2023 including Wish and Elemental. While these movies hope to become the latest classics from the legendary studio, fans can still look at some favorite Disney movies, both new and old, and find things they would change, including the endings.
There are multiple threads on Reddit sharing alternate endings Redditors created to replace the original endings with something they feel is better. Whether the chosen ending was too happy or too upsetting, Disney fans had plenty of alternative endings that they felt would have worked better.
What If Esmeralda & Quasimodo Were Siblings? - The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996)
In 1996 Disney released a rather dark movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Viewers followed a young bell ringer named Quasimodo who lived in the bell tower of Paris’s Notre Dame. With gargoyles as his friends, Quasi hid from society because of a hump on his back. But things changed for him when he met a gypsy named Esmeralda.
In the end, Quasi loved Esmeralda but she was already in love with Phoebus. This rejection hurt Redditor NowhereMan136 and they wished for a different ending. “I kinda wanted it to be Esmerelda and Quasimodo were long-lost brother and sister. That would make them not ending up together make much more sense and still have Quasimodo find a family that loves him.”
Joe Could Have Found Purpose In The Afterlife - Soul (2020)
Given that Soul deals with the afterlife, it is not surprising fans consider it one of the saddest Pixar movies. However, it ends on a happy note as Joe is given the opportunity to return to his body on Earth and have a second chance at life.
Redditor Henchman4Hire suggests it should have ended with Joe remaining in the afterlife as a teacher as using everything "he'd learned in the movie and apply it to shepherding all of the future souls." It's hard to deny the emotional impact that ending could have had, tying into the satisfaction Joe realizes he has for teaching.
The Madrigals Learned They Never Needed Their Gifts - Encanto (2021)
At the end of Disney’s Encanto, the gifted Madrigals got their powers back and Mirabel realized that she was just as powerful and magical as her family members without special gifts. However, many viewers felt that the ending was lackluster or could have been better.
Goji103192 suggested that instead of the Madrigals getting their powers back, they become one with their community. “Instead of the magic being restored, they learn to live without their gifts…” This new ending would show the importance of community and that, like Mirabel, they were still valuable without gifts.
Ariel Should Have Been Honest With A Note - The Little Mermaid (1989)
All Ariel wanted in The Little Mermaid was to be a human. In the end, Ariel’s efforts were rewarded when she was gifted legs and married Prince Eric. This meant she would no longer be a mermaid. PinkPixy wished Ariel realized life on land wasn’t what it seemed and she chose the ocean instead. Over the years, it didn't age well that Ariel dropped her entire life for a man.
They told Reddit, “Because Eric loved Ariel so much, he followed her into the water too! He also was able to change into a merman magically!” It would have been refreshing to see Eric give up his comforts for a new life with Ariel.
A Modern Take On Cinderella's Independence - Cinderella (1950)
Cinderella is a movie that saved Disney but it also had one of the more controversial endings in a Disney movie because it showed her as helpless without a man. It wasn’t until the prince found out that Cinderella was the woman of his dreams that she was rescued from her dark reality. Cinderella waiting around for the prince was not one of her best traits.
In a more modern take, BellRD thought that Cinderella should have sued her stepfamily for all the money she never received. “Cinderella writes her union rep and sues for back pay and lost wages. Once her minimum wage and standard of living are increased, she no longer feels the need to attend a ball but instead starts her own house-and-office cleaning company,” the Redditor wrote. Seeing Cinderella thrive on her own would have been remarkable for Disney in the ‘50s.
Ensuring The Lesson Isn't Lost - Frankenweenie (2012)
Tim Burton's Frankenweenie is a surprisingly dark Disney movie feeling like a stop-motion horror movie at times. This Frankenstein homage follows a young boy who resurrects his beloved dead dog. After the undead hound shows bravery, the townspeople work together to resurrect him yet again, allowing the boy and his boy to continue their friendship.
Redditor LordCeader felt the whole movie was "made pointless in a single scene in the last 5 minutes" and the dog should have stayed dead. Certainly, the original ending is more crowd-pleasing but the message of the perils of meddling with science and nature is lost with the happy conclusion.
Beast Gave The Rights To Castle Over To Belle - Beauty And The Beast (1991)
Beauty and the Beast had one of the better Disney endings because not only did Belle and the Beast end up together but the curse was broken — freeing all of the people who were trapped as household objects. It’s suggested that Belle (one of the more likable Disney princesses) and the Beast lived happily ever after once the curse was broken, but HappinessTakesTime had a more emotional alternate ending.
Instead of the Beast surviving his injuries, what if he died and left his fortune to Belle? The Redditor wrote that after Beast died and everyone turned back into humans, Belle found a surprise. “Belle is found by the servants…and she wakes up later in her room at the castle, with a note saying that the Beast has left the castle to her. With the servants' help, she turns it into a school, in his memory.”
Eugene's Sacrifice Should Have Been Permanent - Tangled (2010)
Throughout Tangled, Rapunzel proves herself a heroic Disney princess but in the end, it is her love interest Eugene who saves her. Instead of allowing her to heal him with her magic hair, Eugene cuts it off to free Rapunzel only for her tears to hold the same healing powers as well.
This is yet another Disney ending where some fans would have preferred a more definitive death. Redditor gonresthird felt Eugene's death "would teach about duty and sacrifice in a way that doesn't leave you with a false sense of reality." While lessons in animated movies are welcome, that is a harsh one to put on young audiences.
Chief Should Have Died After Getting Hit By A Train - The Fox And The Hound (1981)
Fox and the Hound was one of the more emotional animated Disney movies. Between the ending of a friendship and Widow Tweed abandoning Todd in the woods, Disney viewers shed a few tears during this movie.
Although Todd and Copper were former best friends, Copper was loyal to his mentor, Chief. When Chief got hit by a train while chasing Todd, SummerAndTinkles thought revenge would have been more intense for Copper if Chief died. They wrote, “Not only would Chief dying make the scene more believable, but Copper's revenge against Todd would be more justified. In the final film, I have a hard time understanding why Copper wants revenge, since Chief has nothing more than a broken leg, and thus he's going to be fine.”
Snow White Never Woke Up - Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
At the end of Snow White, Snow was awoken by her true love’s kiss by the handsome prince after being cursed by the Evil Witch. When she woke up, she walked off into the sunset with the prince. One Redditor thought it should have ended with Snow never waking up from death. Instead, the prince was always a figure of her imagination.
The Redditor listed some examples that proved the prince was just a “figment of her imagination” and ended with how the movie should have concluded: “The most obvious clue, when the Prince and Snow White are riding off together, they are going to a castle in the sky that seems to resemble Heaven.” This ending would have been big for Disney—since no other Disney princess has died before—but could have been an enlightened take.
Mei Never Needed The Red Panda - Turnign Red (2022)
The movie Turning Red introduced a young girl named Mei. When Mei reached puberty, she was stunned to find out that she turned into a giant red panda whenever she couldn’t control her emotions. She found out this was a family trait and that, if she wanted to, she could get rid of the curse to live without the panda.
Instead of getting rid of it, she kept the red panda persona and learned to live with it. LKGMedia wished it ended differently. Instead of Mei keeping the red panda’s energy, she “quickly enters through the mirror to have her spirit dispatched and sealed.” They continued in the comments section that Mei would have eventually “regretted” controlling her emotions and would prefer being a “normal” teenager.
This Should Have Been Encanto's Final Song - Encanto (2021)
ICTheAlchemist added another alternate ending to Encanto that could have worked better than the chosen ending. Bruno came back to the family after years of absence once he felt accepted by his family.
Bruno’s addition was quickly lost when the Madrigals worried about rebuilding Casita. Instead, this Redditor shared a video of a new version of the song “The Family Madrigal” that had Mirabel updating Bruno on what he had missed over the years. This song should have been what musical number that concluded the movie. It included new lyrics like “We’ll show you just how much has changed. Our family’s grown and it’s only getting better. No need to hide, you no longer have to be estranged…” This introduction to the Madrigal family tree would have been a lovely wrap-up.
Andy's Toys Should Have Met Their Fate Together - Toy Story 3 (2010)
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Though it didn't mark the end of the franchise, many found Toy Story 3 to be a more than satisfying conclusion. Its ending is particularly emotional with one of the saddest movie goodbyes, but some fans feel the movie could have gone further with one of its most infamous final sequences.
Redditor Mendelbaum suggests if the toys meet their fate together in the garbage incinerator "it would have been an awesome movie." Obviously, Disney would never end a movie with all the main characters being melted, but the sight of the toys holding hands and accepting their fate together was certainly a powerful moment.
Team Kristoff Vs. Team Hans - Frozen (2013)
The ending of Frozen was a twist when Hans ended up being the villain and not Anna’s true love. Shockingly, the only one who could break the curse and unfreeze Anna at the end of the movie was her sister’s love. Anna wound up surviving and living happily with Kristoff, but what if Hans wasn’t the bad guy?
Redditor Garfangle had a different ending for Anna. Instead of Hans being the villain, he remained the good-hearted man viewers met at the start. After surviving death, Anna realized that she was in love with both men and didn’t know who to choose. This ending could have led to various scenarios for the sequel, not to mention other spinoffs.