Disney sure knows that animals are a man’s best friend, but what is so great is the sheer variety of personalities and roles available for animals - in fact, in some films the animals don’t interract with humans at all!
There are hundreds of animal characters in Disney films, but we at Yummypets have whittled it down to our fave 10!
10. Dumbo
Who can resist a flying elephant? Dumbo is a cutie and we all love a story of an underdog (or under-elephant, in this case) proving the haters wrong!
9. Crocodile (Tick Tock)
For a character with no lines whatsoever, this hungry croc sure does move the plot along! He sets up the story with his swallowing Captain Hook’s clock, chases Hook out of Skull Rock and proves to be the ultimate demise of the antagonist himself. But not only does he play a big part in the story, he’s also hilarious!
8. The Cheshire Cat
Ah, the mysterious Cheshire Kittycat, what would Alice have done without you and your enigmatic pointers? Our most cheerful cat is also the King of Philosophy (or King of Trolling):
Alice: I just wanted to ask you which way I ought to go
Cat: Well, that would depend where you want to get to...
So true.
7. Simba
We all love a hero, and watching Simba’s transformation from birth to mature adult has us emotionally limpetting his journey. I mean, who didn’t cry during that scene with Mufasa???
6. Lady
The opening sequence of Lady and the Tramp, where Darling first meets lady, is said to be inspired by Walt Disney’s presenting his wife Lily with a hatbox that contained a Chow puppy as a present. Lady is graceful, forgiving and persevering, a real role model to pups and pet parents alike.
5. Marie
The Aristocats, in my opinion, is one of the most criminally underrated Disney movies in the history of humanity. The story is simple yet endearing, the music is a reflection of the traditional values espoused by 1920’s France and the new incoming jazz musicians, and most of all, Marie’s little nuggets of wisdom: ‘Ladies do not start fights but they can finish them!’
4. Maximus
Another non-speaking character that nevertheless has bags of character, Maximus drives the plot of Tangled, creating both hilarity with his human expressions of discontent and adorableness with his propensity to act like a little puppy!
3. Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh and I are soulmates, because we both luuuuuuuurve honey. 'Nuff said.
2. Scar
I’m a sucker for a well-spoken bad guy, I admit it. But despite his stereotypically evil-looking appearance and the mandatory British accent (his brother’s is American, hellooooo), Scar does actually has a point. What does he promise the hyenas? It’s not gold, or riches, but food. His hostile takeover was done for the benefit of a species that wasn’t even his own. Granted, his coup d’état threw Africa’s entire ecosystem off balance, but at least he was doing it for the right reasons.
1. Mickey Mouse
No Mickey, no Disney.
(11.) Mushu
Technically, dragons aren’t real animals so he can’t really be included on this list, but he is my literal all time favourite Disney character and not putting his name down would have haunted me forever, and to top it all off I wouldn’t have been able to share with you my all-time favourite quote:
‘Ooh, I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover.’
What do you think of our list? Do you think anyone was missing? Let us know in the comments below!
