Top 10 Sexually Inappropriate Moments in Disney Films

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There’s a long tradition of Disney animators and story creators sneaking sexual messages or imagery into their animation. Legend says it goes back to the days of the Disney shorts, when artists were upset that they were not given on-screen credits. Since then, even though artists get due credit, it’s still a tradition for overworked employees to sneak what they can into films. Enthusiasts scour each new film to look for every subliminal message or barely-there image that can be construed as sexual. Although some of the findings are questionable, the excitement over any new message is palpable. Here are the top 10 moments of subliminal sex messages in Disney films.

10. Aladdin’s Wish for Naked Teens

Although this has largely been debunked, it persists as a secret sex message in the popular mind. The moment is a line spoken by Aladdin when disguised as Prince Ali. Aladdin flies up to Jasmine’s balcony on his magic carpet, and he apparently whispers “Good teenagers, take off your clothes.” The rumor began shortly after the film’s release on home video in 1993. According to the script, Aladdin is saying “C’mon… good kitty,” which fits the scene, as he is trying to shoo away Jasmine’s tiger. As Aladdin is speaking his line, a second voice seems to whisper, “take off your clothes.” The second voice doesn’t seem to come from any character in the scene, and the tone of the voice is different from Aladdin’s. Some think it’s a mistake of editing, that some piece of dialogue that was supposed to be cut was accidentally included in the soundtrack. Still, even though most people think this probably isn’t an actual part of the soundtrack, the rumor gained footing, as more and more people claimed to hear the whispered line. Whether it’s an editing mistake or someone actually sneaking a secret line into the soundtrack, we may never know for sure.

9. Belle’s “Handy” Love for Beast

During one scene in Beauty and the Beast, Belle and the Beast are sitting by a fire. More specifically, the Beast is sitting on a chair, with his back slightly to the audience, so all the viewers can see his shoulder. Belle is kneeling on the floor and has her hands somewhere around his lap. Because of the angle, her hands and his lap are obscured. While they talk, Belle’s hand is moving back and forth on the Beast’s lap, which some see as mimicking the motion of a hand job. This is one rumor that has not gotten much traction, though clips of the scene can be seen on YouTube. The movement is subtle and quick, and millions of unsuspecting viewers could easily watch the scene and nothing twice about it. However, there doesn’t seem to be any logical reason for her hand moving in that manner, and the placement raises suspicions. Did an animator slip in a Belle-to-Beast hand job that was so quick and subtle that most people never saw it?

8. Mufasa and the Naked Lady

The video cover of The Lion King showed a large, ghostly looking Mufasa that easily takes up the top half of the cover image. Some have noticed that the way Mufasa is drawn, the center of his face bears the the image of a half naked woman with her back turned to us. Mufasa’s dark snout is the underwear, the curves down to the mouth form the buttocks, the bridge of his nose is the back of the woman, and the lighter coloring up over the eyes are the woman’s arms. People have even noticed that Mufasa’s mane curves down at the top and looks like the woman’s hair. Whether this was intention is highly debatable, as the image is quite clearly a cartoon drawing of a lion’s face, but once you see the half-naked woman, you’ll never get it out of your mind. Very few people have mentioned this, which means it likely isn’t widely known or accepted.

7. Pocahontas’s World of Sex

In terms of sheer numbers, Pocahontas may be the most serious offender. Numerous people have pointed out that the word “sex” can be seen hidden in the animation. Nearly every instance has the word hidden in splashing water or rising smoke. Occasionally, the word appears backward. In every instance, though, the letters are morphed and distorted enough that they are easily overlooked. No one has an exact count of how often the word “sex” appears in the setting, but estimates have it at no less than one dozen. Some are very difficult to see, even when pointed out, which makes one think that it might just be accidental. Others, once highlighted, become obvious. How much was intentional and how much was incidental is unknown. But clearly, Pocohantas was a sexy world.

6. Ariel’s Happy Minister

The first of two images form The Little Mermaid on this list, the “happy” minister is another that is widely disputed, but still finds plenty of supporters. In the first wedding scene in which Ursula attempts to marry the Prince, the minister appears to be sporting quite an erection. Disney disputed the rumor, saying it was the minister’s knee, which is more clearly visible in other frames in the scene. Although Disney’s explanation seems likely, the angle and position of the bulging knee cap is a classic sexually inappropriate moment. Only one knee is visible, and since we see the minister’s profile, it looks like we have an extra reason for the big smile on his face. This scene, along with a few others, was actually enough for a Christian group based in Virginia to call for a boycott of Disney.

5. Rapunzel’s sexy weave

This moment was not in the film itself but in the promotional material and the video cover. In the image, Rapunzel has Flynn wrapped shoulder to knee in her hair, as if lassoing him. The way the hair overlaps itself, and the way the end curls out at the top, many have noticed that the hair seems to spell “sex.” Disney had other promotional images and largely moved on with those, but for the enthusiasts, Rapunzel’s “sex” hair was just too fun to let slide. Of course, as tends to happen with these messages, the letters are distorted, and some imagination is required. Once you see the “sex,” it’s hard to not see it, but it’s not so obvious that it sticks out on first glance. Besides, as some have said, Rapunzel’s eyes say “sex” more than her hair.

4. Simba’s Sexy Dust

One of the more popular subliminal sex messages is in The Lion King. The scene occurs when Simba is grown and palling around with Pumbaa and Timon. At one point, Simba walks to the edge of a cliff and plops on his belly, sending a cloud of dust swirling into the air. Some say the dust forms the letters S-E-X, while Disney says it actually spells out S-F-X, which stands for “special effects” and was slipped in as a sly credit. The story goes that a 4-year-old had been watching the movie with his head held at just the right angle, and he noticed the S-E-X in the sky. He informed his mother, who then called a religious group who called for a boycott of Disney (the same one who found The Little Mermaid objectionable). Clearly, there’s ample room to doubt this origin story. Nevertheless, the “sexy dust” rumor has taken on a life of its own. Seen in super slow motion, it certainly appears that the dust forms letters; however, it’s difficult to see if it actually is an F or an E in the middle.

3. Ariel’s Phallic Palace

The second moment from The Little Mermaid on this list is another moment from the film’s cover image. This one seems to be legit. Sharp observers noticed that the golden palace at the top of the cover image includes a clearly shaped penis. Apparently the drawing was not done by an actual member of the Disney team, but by a freelance artist. Some reports say that the artist knew about it, but other say the artist claimed it was accidental. It’s hard to imagine someone drawing a spire that so blatantly looks like a penis and being unaware of it. The legend that the drawing was done by a disgruntled employee seems to be false, but the notion that the artist didn’t realize what he was doing is a stretch. This is one of the more famous sexually inappropriate moments for Disney.

2. Jessica Rabbit’s Frontal Nudity

The sultry Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? makes quite a stir among viewers during a scene in which she appears to flash the audience while not wearing underwear. The moment occurs when she and Eddie Valiant are riding in a cartoon vehicle and they crash. The collision sends both of them flying through the air and spinning. Jessica, known for his slinky red dress, spins to the point that her dress flips open at the leg slit. For a few frames, her unclothed crotch is seen. Since this was drawn this way, there’s no way to reasonably call it an accident. Although it happens quickly, it’s indisputable that some animator drew a version of Jessica that bares her “garden of Eden” for all to see. The drawing even includes pubic hairs. Some claim that, since the area is darker in color, the resulting image might be more an indication of coloring error than artist intent. Either way, anyone who is capable of slowing down the film frame by frame will get quite a racy picture to their delight.

1. The Topless Lady of The Rescuers

The top sexually inappropriate moment in a Disney film comes from the 1977 film The Rescuers. About 38 minutes into the film, a clear-as-day picture of a topless woman is seen in the background on two nonconsecutive frames. It happens when Bianca and Bernard are flying in a sardine can strapped to Orville. As they’re flying, the topless woman is a photographic image inserted into the window of a building. In one frame, the picture is at the top of the scene, and in the other, it moves to the bottom. The photographs are identical.

Although most of the items in this list can be debated, this one cannot. It’s clear, and there’s no way it could be anything other than intentional. In fact, it was real enough that Disney could not explain it away and recalled 3.4 million copies of the video in 1999 in order to repair its family-friendly image.

The photograph is not visible on a normal viewing of the film, only when watching freeze-frame. Still, when slowing it down frame-by-frame, it’s very easy to spot. Once word spread that the topless woman was there, the controversy could not be slowed or stopped.