Top 10 Historically Inaccurate Details in Disney Movies
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Date: 2023-11-21
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Comments and reviews: 30
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She was taken to England and later married John Rolfe? Speaking of historical inaccuracies, thirty seconds of research shows she married John Rolfe in 1614, and they went to England in 1616. Thirty seconds. She was taken captive in an attempt to get the return of captured colonists and stolen weapons from her father during the First Anglo-Powhatan War. Her father didn't fully hold up his end of the bargain and she chose to stay with the colonists afterwards, saying he valued the weapons more than her. The same as some colonists chose to live among the Indians, some Indians chose to live among the new settlers. Some people can't accept she chose to stay with the settlers, chose Christianity, chose the name Rebecca, and chose to marry John Rolfe.
I really wish she wrote a book about her experiences, because people keep making up claims to push a one-note victim narrative that's unquestioningly accepted by people who want that to be the truth, perpetually muddying the waters. They just want to cry about that poor little Indian girl, and vilify everyone who arrived by boat, regardless of the facts.
Read about the real Governor Ratcliffe and consider how the movie depicted him; he was so eager to keep good relations with the Indians he overtraded, creating supply shortages for his own men. His party was ambushed and captured while making a trading expedition, he was tied to a stake and skinned alive while being slowly burnt. Even the people who know the movie's largely fiction assume the historical Ratcliffe was some kind of villain because it fits their desired narrative.
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She was taken to England and later married John Rolfe? Speaking of historical inaccuracies, thirty seconds of research shows she married John Rolfe in 1614, and they went to England in 1616. Thirty seconds. She was taken captive in an attempt to get the return of captured colonists and stolen weapons from her father during the First Anglo-Powhatan War. Her father didn't fully hold up his end of the bargain and she chose to stay with the colonists afterwards, saying he valued the weapons more than her. The same as some colonists chose to live among the Indians, some Indians chose to live among the new settlers. Some people can't accept she chose to stay with the settlers, chose Christianity, chose the name Rebecca, and chose to marry John Rolfe.
I really wish she wrote a book about her experiences, because people keep making up claims to push a one-note victim narrative that's unquestioningly accepted by people who want that to be the truth, perpetually muddying the waters. They just want to cry about that poor little Indian girl, and vilify everyone who arrived by boat, regardless of the facts.
Read about the real Governor Ratcliffe and consider how the movie depicted him; he was so eager to keep good relations with the Indians he overtraded, creating supply shortages for his own men. His party was ambushed and captured while making a trading expedition, he was tied to a stake and skinned alive while being slowly burnt. Even the people who know the movie's largely fiction assume the historical Ratcliffe was some kind of villain because it fits their desired narrative.
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AtarahDerek
Excuse you, madam, but how do YOU know Robin Hood is inaccurate to the history of the Zootopia-verse? Hmmmmmmmmmmm?
As for PatF.
1. Eli LaBouff practically runs New Orleans in this fictionalized version of it, and he canonically has a low tolerance for racism, given his daughter's best friend is a black girl.
2. The two bankers DID reject Tiana's offer because she was black, female and poor. But they knew full well they had to be subtle about it if they didn't want to lose LaBouff's business.
3. Naveen was a prince of a foreign nation whose laws obviously DO allow interracial marriage. Hence why Charlotte, a very WHITE girl (you'll notice that Naveen, while not black, is also very much NOT white, was more than happy to try and woo him.
4. The REAL historical inaccuracy dealing with racism is the fact that the restaurant Tiana worked at wasn't segregated. The LaBouffs should've been the only white people in that place, and that they would've done out of sheer audacity, reveling in the fact that they have screw your rules money.
Now, if the Tiana series makes our little shipper hearts happy by at least teasing Elidora, THAT will demand a confrontation with laws against interracial marriage eventually, I'm sure. And I'm all for it because I am absolutely sailing Elidora.
Tangled takes place in or shortly before 1836. We know this because it exists in the same setting as Frozen, which takes place in 1839. So yes, Raps had matches.
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Excuse you, madam, but how do YOU know Robin Hood is inaccurate to the history of the Zootopia-verse? Hmmmmmmmmmmm?
As for PatF.
1. Eli LaBouff practically runs New Orleans in this fictionalized version of it, and he canonically has a low tolerance for racism, given his daughter's best friend is a black girl.
2. The two bankers DID reject Tiana's offer because she was black, female and poor. But they knew full well they had to be subtle about it if they didn't want to lose LaBouff's business.
3. Naveen was a prince of a foreign nation whose laws obviously DO allow interracial marriage. Hence why Charlotte, a very WHITE girl (you'll notice that Naveen, while not black, is also very much NOT white, was more than happy to try and woo him.
4. The REAL historical inaccuracy dealing with racism is the fact that the restaurant Tiana worked at wasn't segregated. The LaBouffs should've been the only white people in that place, and that they would've done out of sheer audacity, reveling in the fact that they have screw your rules money.
Now, if the Tiana series makes our little shipper hearts happy by at least teasing Elidora, THAT will demand a confrontation with laws against interracial marriage eventually, I'm sure. And I'm all for it because I am absolutely sailing Elidora.
Tangled takes place in or shortly before 1836. We know this because it exists in the same setting as Frozen, which takes place in 1839. So yes, Raps had matches.
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Joseph
Well, depending on Navim's actual race, there might not have been any real problem. The British actress, Merle Oberon, for instance, had a mixed ethnic background (South Asian/Maori on her mother's side--her birth mother AND the grandmother who raised her as her own daughter--and English on her father's side) and, to avoid stigma, she made up a backstory of being born in Tasmania. But her mixed-race heritage nearly cost her her film career. She'd dated a retired English actor who promised to introduce her to the director, Rex Ingram, but he quit dating her once he saw her mixed-race mother/grandmother.
The film shows Navim as relatively dark-skinned compared to the obviously white/Caucasian characters and there was a fair amount of racial prejudice directed at people of North African, Arabian, Persian, North Indian (the Punjab, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh) and East Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Malay, etc) when they were encountered in the US (aside from the Chinese--who were mostly found on the US West Coast--the other groups wouldn't really be too numerous until the early to mid 20th century.
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Well, depending on Navim's actual race, there might not have been any real problem. The British actress, Merle Oberon, for instance, had a mixed ethnic background (South Asian/Maori on her mother's side--her birth mother AND the grandmother who raised her as her own daughter--and English on her father's side) and, to avoid stigma, she made up a backstory of being born in Tasmania. But her mixed-race heritage nearly cost her her film career. She'd dated a retired English actor who promised to introduce her to the director, Rex Ingram, but he quit dating her once he saw her mixed-race mother/grandmother.
The film shows Navim as relatively dark-skinned compared to the obviously white/Caucasian characters and there was a fair amount of racial prejudice directed at people of North African, Arabian, Persian, North Indian (the Punjab, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh) and East Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Malay, etc) when they were encountered in the US (aside from the Chinese--who were mostly found on the US West Coast--the other groups wouldn't really be too numerous until the early to mid 20th century.
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Furienna
I'm not really bothered by these inaccuracies since this is cartoons, and we all know that the original stories often aren't very family-friendly anyway.
Lots of people have pointed out that The Princess & The Frog should be given more credit.
There's a reference to racism in the movie (it was even shown in this video, even if they were more subtle about it than Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre-Dame were.
And I dont think that Naveen would have been considered white even if he had been an American.
But I must admit that one historical inaccuracy in an otherwise good Disney movie annoys me even though it wasn't even mentioned in this video.
And it's how both Elsa and Kristoff in Frozen objects to Anna's engagement to Hans on the grounds that they had only just met each other.
I'm sorry, but princes and princesses in the past normally didn't have more than a short courtship at best before they got engaged.
As a matter of fact, all of the older Disney Princess romances which are ridiculed by many cynics today are actually realistic in that regard.
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I'm not really bothered by these inaccuracies since this is cartoons, and we all know that the original stories often aren't very family-friendly anyway.
Lots of people have pointed out that The Princess & The Frog should be given more credit.
There's a reference to racism in the movie (it was even shown in this video, even if they were more subtle about it than Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre-Dame were.
And I dont think that Naveen would have been considered white even if he had been an American.
But I must admit that one historical inaccuracy in an otherwise good Disney movie annoys me even though it wasn't even mentioned in this video.
And it's how both Elsa and Kristoff in Frozen objects to Anna's engagement to Hans on the grounds that they had only just met each other.
I'm sorry, but princes and princesses in the past normally didn't have more than a short courtship at best before they got engaged.
As a matter of fact, all of the older Disney Princess romances which are ridiculed by many cynics today are actually realistic in that regard.
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LBT
Finally, Dinosaur 2000 gets more attention and it deserves to be in the Msmojo list and finally, Dinosaur 2000 gets more praise and more respect than what it got and it makes me happy.
I pretty much agree that lemurs and dinosaurs never coexist with each other.
Sure I do enjoy the movie and its one of my favorite animated Disney movies of all time but Ill admit that some parts of the movie could be very inaccurate.
Honestly, this has got to be the best MsMojo videos Ive ever seen and Im so happy that Dinosaur 2000 gets more of the positives and more love because of how great this movie really is.
If more MsMojo makes more of these Disney lists, Dinosaur 2000 totally deserves to be the one the list because the movie is great and its one of my favorites growing up and I still adore the movie.
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Finally, Dinosaur 2000 gets more attention and it deserves to be in the Msmojo list and finally, Dinosaur 2000 gets more praise and more respect than what it got and it makes me happy.
I pretty much agree that lemurs and dinosaurs never coexist with each other.
Sure I do enjoy the movie and its one of my favorite animated Disney movies of all time but Ill admit that some parts of the movie could be very inaccurate.
Honestly, this has got to be the best MsMojo videos Ive ever seen and Im so happy that Dinosaur 2000 gets more of the positives and more love because of how great this movie really is.
If more MsMojo makes more of these Disney lists, Dinosaur 2000 totally deserves to be the one the list because the movie is great and its one of my favorites growing up and I still adore the movie.
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Erica
Well, actually they did have that one scene where the two retaliate men said a woman of your background which Disney saying we know it happen back then and we do want to do this right without offending anyone and so that scene was written in and they didn't didn't get married in the USA, they got married in Prince's native country but their marriage would be seen as legit back then until 1967 of course. I don't think Disney wanted to offend anyone since they're volt does have some very risky images of racist characters and wanted to avoid that with all cost possible and so wrote one racist thing without offending anyone hopefully.
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Well, actually they did have that one scene where the two retaliate men said a woman of your background which Disney saying we know it happen back then and we do want to do this right without offending anyone and so that scene was written in and they didn't didn't get married in the USA, they got married in Prince's native country but their marriage would be seen as legit back then until 1967 of course. I don't think Disney wanted to offend anyone since they're volt does have some very risky images of racist characters and wanted to avoid that with all cost possible and so wrote one racist thing without offending anyone hopefully.
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forcewielder2000
An 11-year-old Pocahontas also would have not worn any clothes at that age, due to the customs of her people that children didn't get to wear any. Also, from many historical accounts Captain John Smith was reportedly short, ugly, and not very popular with the men under his command.
The movie version of Hercules also omits the detail that in Greek mythology Zeus and Hera were also brother and sister as well as husband and wife, and that Hera was actually the villain more than Hades was, due to her being ticked off over her husband's many infidelities.
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An 11-year-old Pocahontas also would have not worn any clothes at that age, due to the customs of her people that children didn't get to wear any. Also, from many historical accounts Captain John Smith was reportedly short, ugly, and not very popular with the men under his command.
The movie version of Hercules also omits the detail that in Greek mythology Zeus and Hera were also brother and sister as well as husband and wife, and that Hera was actually the villain more than Hades was, due to her being ticked off over her husband's many infidelities.
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Valeria
I think that Hades was putted as a villain in Hercules bc since he is the god of the underworld many people would think like he was kind of a devil when in reality according to mythology everyone goes to the underworld bc is the afterlife, the hell in greek mythology would be more like Thartarus. But the thing is that I dont think it would be easy to explain to kids or show them that Zeus was a cheater and seeing him as the All mighty in the movie would probably think that cheating was a good think, without counting the incest bc it was removed
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I think that Hades was putted as a villain in Hercules bc since he is the god of the underworld many people would think like he was kind of a devil when in reality according to mythology everyone goes to the underworld bc is the afterlife, the hell in greek mythology would be more like Thartarus. But the thing is that I dont think it would be easy to explain to kids or show them that Zeus was a cheater and seeing him as the All mighty in the movie would probably think that cheating was a good think, without counting the incest bc it was removed
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Dale
How about Hercules would be called Heracles, his Greek name. Hercules is his Roman name. Also Phil says he has a piece of the Argo, the Argonauts ship, when Heracles himself was an Argonaut as an older adult. Also since Rapunzel was present at Elsa's coronation, which was set in 1843, Tangled would be during the same time period. Lastly not only would an Iguanodon not see a lemur but also not a Carnotaurus as the Iguanodon was extinct well before the predatory dinosaur even existed.
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How about Hercules would be called Heracles, his Greek name. Hercules is his Roman name. Also Phil says he has a piece of the Argo, the Argonauts ship, when Heracles himself was an Argonaut as an older adult. Also since Rapunzel was present at Elsa's coronation, which was set in 1843, Tangled would be during the same time period. Lastly not only would an Iguanodon not see a lemur but also not a Carnotaurus as the Iguanodon was extinct well before the predatory dinosaur even existed.
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Compucles
Yes, the Princess and the Frog was unrealistically light on racism, but you then proceeded to highlight the biggest examples of racism that are in the film by depicting the segregated buses and then Tiana indeed being turned down for purchasing the restaurant due to her race (and gender. WTH!
Also, I'm pretty sure Naveen is meant to be a black man himself and an African prince. It was Naveen's original intention of marrying that rich white girl that wouldn't have worked.
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Yes, the Princess and the Frog was unrealistically light on racism, but you then proceeded to highlight the biggest examples of racism that are in the film by depicting the segregated buses and then Tiana indeed being turned down for purchasing the restaurant due to her race (and gender. WTH!
Also, I'm pretty sure Naveen is meant to be a black man himself and an African prince. It was Naveen's original intention of marrying that rich white girl that wouldn't have worked.
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Stephen
The Hunchback of Notre Dame should be on this list: Frollo was the Archdeacon. Esmerelda was in love with Phoebus but he was a man-hoe who wasn't in love with her. Quasimodo was in love with Esmerelda though but she wasn't with him. Esmerelda was burned at the stake and died at the end, and Quasimodo die holding her corpse in his arms in the catacombs. Yeah the book was so much darker than the Disneyfied version we got.
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame should be on this list: Frollo was the Archdeacon. Esmerelda was in love with Phoebus but he was a man-hoe who wasn't in love with her. Quasimodo was in love with Esmerelda though but she wasn't with him. Esmerelda was burned at the stake and died at the end, and Quasimodo die holding her corpse in his arms in the catacombs. Yeah the book was so much darker than the Disneyfied version we got.
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Family
I personally don't need any historical accuracy. I just want to enjoy the movie. :P
But I think I fell asleep during Dinosuar because it was so boring, lol. I don't remember it at all, but there was definitely a more realistic movie like this involving dinosaurs that I saw in theaters as a kid and woke up to it being almost - if not - over. That was the ONLY time I ever fell asleep in a theater, LOL.
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I personally don't need any historical accuracy. I just want to enjoy the movie. :P
But I think I fell asleep during Dinosuar because it was so boring, lol. I don't remember it at all, but there was definitely a more realistic movie like this involving dinosaurs that I saw in theaters as a kid and woke up to it being almost - if not - over. That was the ONLY time I ever fell asleep in a theater, LOL.
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Shane
Your argument on interracial marriage falls flat on account of the fact that both Tiana and Naveen are black. Sure Naveen was voiced by a Brazilian voice actor to get the suave and arrogance in his voice Disney was looking for but Naveen is black. But you do have a point in the fact that Naveen was originally going to be wed to Charlotte who is Caucasian but you Tiana and Naveen not Charlotte and Naveen.
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Your argument on interracial marriage falls flat on account of the fact that both Tiana and Naveen are black. Sure Naveen was voiced by a Brazilian voice actor to get the suave and arrogance in his voice Disney was looking for but Naveen is black. But you do have a point in the fact that Naveen was originally going to be wed to Charlotte who is Caucasian but you Tiana and Naveen not Charlotte and Naveen.
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AD
Wait. You're comparing accurate history with old FOLKLORE? Do you really not understand the word inaccurate or history? Robin Hood likely did not exist, Hercules definitely didn't, Snow White a fully fictional character, Tarzan was invented for pulp magazines by a known fiction writer, etc, etc. There are perhaps only two items of your 10+ list that even makes sense to comment on. Just wow.
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Wait. You're comparing accurate history with old FOLKLORE? Do you really not understand the word inaccurate or history? Robin Hood likely did not exist, Hercules definitely didn't, Snow White a fully fictional character, Tarzan was invented for pulp magazines by a known fiction writer, etc, etc. There are perhaps only two items of your 10+ list that even makes sense to comment on. Just wow.
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Nicole
Msmojo I normally agree with the bulk of your lists but Anastasia not even getting a mention is a ridiculous oversight. The whole concept based on a real life young person who was murdered. Disney instead went with the disproven legend that she survived and made an entire Disney movie about her journey to find her grandmother? Like seriously need to know how that was left off the list
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Msmojo I normally agree with the bulk of your lists but Anastasia not even getting a mention is a ridiculous oversight. The whole concept based on a real life young person who was murdered. Disney instead went with the disproven legend that she survived and made an entire Disney movie about her journey to find her grandmother? Like seriously need to know how that was left off the list
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Banai
Saying an old man wouldn't be alive because of life expectancy is nonsense. Life expectancy is the average age, not the maximum age. Given how many people died before reaching the age of 1, or how many women died from complications of childbirth, the average came down a lot. But other people had to live to be a lot older to balance out all those young deaths.
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Saying an old man wouldn't be alive because of life expectancy is nonsense. Life expectancy is the average age, not the maximum age. Given how many people died before reaching the age of 1, or how many women died from complications of childbirth, the average came down a lot. But other people had to live to be a lot older to balance out all those young deaths.
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Pilgrimspass
I disagree with Tarzan - we are never given an actual year for the timeline. So if Darwin is still alive it's obvious no more than 20ish years behind what you guys think the year is. I always got the vibe Tarzan was set in the 1870s/80s. Jane's father gives us the hint that it's obvious the early 1880s if he's mentioning Darwin and Queen Victoria.
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I disagree with Tarzan - we are never given an actual year for the timeline. So if Darwin is still alive it's obvious no more than 20ish years behind what you guys think the year is. I always got the vibe Tarzan was set in the 1870s/80s. Jane's father gives us the hint that it's obvious the early 1880s if he's mentioning Darwin and Queen Victoria.
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Dylan
For those thinking it would have been legal for Tiana to marry Naveen because he's also black, that may not be entirely true. Based on his Hindi first name and the way he speaks, Naveen is most likely intended as Indian or South Asian, and therefore his marriage to Tiana would have constituted an interracial marriage
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For those thinking it would have been legal for Tiana to marry Naveen because he's also black, that may not be entirely true. Based on his Hindi first name and the way he speaks, Naveen is most likely intended as Indian or South Asian, and therefore his marriage to Tiana would have constituted an interracial marriage
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sailorearth2007
I never read into accuracythese are just fun adaptations of stories and legends
Pocahontas is the only real person and the story as it was would not have been appropriate or gotten past the censorsat least she is the first native princess adding diversity to the lineup at the time
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I never read into accuracythese are just fun adaptations of stories and legends
Pocahontas is the only real person and the story as it was would not have been appropriate or gotten past the censorsat least she is the first native princess adding diversity to the lineup at the time
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Noah
I mean I know the princess and the frog takes place during the Jim Crow laws and that makes sense but the interracial marriage doesnt really make sense, I mean Naveen has the same skin color as Tiana, yes Naveen in royalty while Tiana is poor but lets over look that snit-bit of information.
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I mean I know the princess and the frog takes place during the Jim Crow laws and that makes sense but the interracial marriage doesnt really make sense, I mean Naveen has the same skin color as Tiana, yes Naveen in royalty while Tiana is poor but lets over look that snit-bit of information.
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semiretired86
Robin Hood is actually one of the more historically correct Disney movies it's set in King Richard Lionheatr's reign as king and Prince John became King as he's movie caracter and became one of the worst if the the worst english kings ig not the worst King ever apparently
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Robin Hood is actually one of the more historically correct Disney movies it's set in King Richard Lionheatr's reign as king and Prince John became King as he's movie caracter and became one of the worst if the the worst english kings ig not the worst King ever apparently
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Autum
I'm sorry, did you say American laws would've prevent Navean and Tiana's marriage?
Navean is freaking royalty of a totally different country.
American marriage laws don't mean Jack murd in this case.
What, would the police arrest the royal family? Gimme a brake
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I'm sorry, did you say American laws would've prevent Navean and Tiana's marriage?
Navean is freaking royalty of a totally different country.
American marriage laws don't mean Jack murd in this case.
What, would the police arrest the royal family? Gimme a brake
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Elsa
Tangled is set in the 1840s or 1820s. Matches wouldve been invented. I dont know where you got 1780s from but Ive never heard of that theory in my life. Its 1820/ 1840s and fits on the same timeline as Frozen, hence the Eugene and Rapunzel cameo in the first movie.
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Tangled is set in the 1840s or 1820s. Matches wouldve been invented. I dont know where you got 1780s from but Ive never heard of that theory in my life. Its 1820/ 1840s and fits on the same timeline as Frozen, hence the Eugene and Rapunzel cameo in the first movie.
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Follow
Do you maybe expect Pirates of the Caribbean to be historically accurate? Disney movies are movies, not National Geographic chronicles! Like, every single fairy tale, book or story they adapt for screen is completely different from the source material.
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Do you maybe expect Pirates of the Caribbean to be historically accurate? Disney movies are movies, not National Geographic chronicles! Like, every single fairy tale, book or story they adapt for screen is completely different from the source material.
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Compucles
Matches are merely the tip of the iceberg compared to everything Varian managed to pull off in the Tangled TV series. Although, Varian is meant to be something of a caricature of an eccentric scien-, um I mean, alchemist, so your mileage may vary.
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Matches are merely the tip of the iceberg compared to everything Varian managed to pull off in the Tangled TV series. Although, Varian is meant to be something of a caricature of an eccentric scien-, um I mean, alchemist, so your mileage may vary.
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TheAeroAvatar
Hilarious that people still won't shut up about Pocahontas being historically inaccurate when you know you're watching a bloody Disney movie. We don't condemn Hunchback for the fact that Quasimodo lives in that version, so what's the deal?
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Hilarious that people still won't shut up about Pocahontas being historically inaccurate when you know you're watching a bloody Disney movie. We don't condemn Hunchback for the fact that Quasimodo lives in that version, so what's the deal?
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Matt
I never cared for the historical inaccuracies in Pocahontas, I still love the movie way more than the recent animated Disney movies that recently came out! Disney did another race relations movie like Zootopia but it was with furries!
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I never cared for the historical inaccuracies in Pocahontas, I still love the movie way more than the recent animated Disney movies that recently came out! Disney did another race relations movie like Zootopia but it was with furries!
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Patricia
'Beauty and the Beast' was written in 1740, so the little town would have been quieter than most people think. Of course, that means that almost everything about this version is inaccurate, but it's still a good tale.
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'Beauty and the Beast' was written in 1740, so the little town would have been quieter than most people think. Of course, that means that almost everything about this version is inaccurate, but it's still a good tale.
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Brown-Eyed
I grew up in the Jamestown area and every time this movie starts, I keep wondering, where tf did the animators think a waterfall like that existed even back then in coastal Virginia? Did they even check a map?
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I grew up in the Jamestown area and every time this movie starts, I keep wondering, where tf did the animators think a waterfall like that existed even back then in coastal Virginia? Did they even check a map?
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Selina
The interracial, marriage problem couldve probably been avoided by them getting married in his country. Or, probably more realistically, in a really shady area, because India is even more racist at times.
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The interracial, marriage problem couldve probably been avoided by them getting married in his country. Or, probably more realistically, in a really shady area, because India is even more racist at times.
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