Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
  1. Games
  2. RPG

Grisly Disney

Features
By GamesRadarChrisAntista published 25 September 2009

Think Disney can't play hardcore? Think again

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter


WARNING: ARTICLE CONTAINS SENSATIONALIZED IMAGES USED COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT (Enjoy!)

Okay, not really. The truth is that the animated shorts that gave life to Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were meant to appeal to everybody. They premiered in theaters long before there was even such a thing as an R rating. Sure, it bowled the little ones over with some colorful song and dance, but you also had jokes about alcohol, tobacco, guns, death and taxes. Something for the kids, something for the adults. You could go as far as to call Disney the Pixar of its day!


Above: This Disney movie has a higher onscreen body count than Commando, Gladiator and Total Recall

People forget that some of these cartoons originated SEVENTY YEARS AGO. As the times changed, certain Disney aspects became… less timeless. As each new generation experienced them, we can assume new parents got a little more tired of explaining to their kids why they shouldn’t set bears on fire, buy war bonds, and never, ever wear blackface. Offending scenes were trimmed, entire films got locked in the vault, and eventually their original appeal became all but a memory.

So, if today’s yoga addicted, SUV-driving adults want to toss out several decades worth of violence, murder and mayhem because they can’t handle it, that’s fine – but we’re certain you gamers can take it.

Today we look at death by hanging as monstrous and barbaric, but back then the purveyors of fun at Disney saw its comedic potential! Just look at how many times it’s happened to Donald:

Hockey Champ | 1939

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Dumbbell of the Yukon | 1946


Above: Hey, wait! Donald’s only thinking about hanging a baby bear. That doesn’t count!

Wait for it…


Above: WHAT?!

Whoops, sorry… here it is:


Above: There we go!

Tarzan | 1999

But for a truly gruesome hanging, you need look no further than one of Disney’s more recent films: Tarzan, an animated film packed with grisly imagery… Did we just call a ten year old movie recent?


Above: WAAAAH! Baby Death!

Say what you will about the company being a bunch of callous pussies, at least Disney didn’t shy away from Edgar Rice Burroughs’s source material.


Above: Parenting FAIL?

Oh, but the hanging! Tarzan’s hanging scene stands as one of the more horrifying deaths ever depicted in a modern G-rated movie. The film ends with a climatic brawl between the titular ape man and Clayton, Slayer of Beasts. While caught in some vines, Clayton begins to slash blindly at Tarzan with a machete. Carelessly disregarding any thought to his own safety, Clayton inadvertently weaves himself an organic cat’s cradle… for his neck. Oh, goodness

Alice in Wonderland | 1951

Man, there’s a lot going on in this film. So, when Disney took a break from animating musical numbers around obsessive compulsive psychopaths, hookah smoking, magic mushroom consumption, and other family friendly imagery brought to you by the mind of a pedophile, they spun a cautionary tale of indulgence and curiosity known as The Walrus and the Carpenter. Although, most would remember it as a comedic depiction of eating babies.


Above: Ain’t they cute?!

The cigar smoking Walrus lures the bonnet shelled scamps away from their ocean bed dwelling grandmother with sing-songy promises of a world unseen. Tra la la.


Above: D’awwwww

Of course, one shouldn’t set a course for youthful adventure on an empty stomach, so the Carpenter whips together a swanky dining establishment. All seems promising… Until the kids find out what’s on the menu.

Is all hope lost for the adorable oyster babies?! Surely, some hero will swoop in and rescue the younglings in the nick of time?! There are kids in the theater!


Above: Oh…

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
CATEGORIES
Nintendo PlayStation Xbox Platforms
PRODUCTS
Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories Disney Sing It Kingdom Hearts
GamesRadarChrisAntista
GamesRadarChrisAntista
I LIKE TO MAKE THE GAMESRAIDER!!!!!!!1
Latest in RPG
Starfield screenshot showing the new Anchor Point location
RPGs How your feedback helped shape Starfield's biggest updates: "We're always checking in," says Bethesda
 
 
A screenshot of the Adoring Fan seen in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
The Elder Scrolls Todd Howard says Oblivion leaks didn't help Bethesda or players: "Everyone is gonna have a different version"
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
RPGs Clair Obscur's lead writer "never even considered" a true, happy ending for the hit RPG
 
 
Baldur's Gate 3 Wyll
Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 writer admits "I wish I could have done more" with the RPG's least-appreciated party member
 
 
The Wasteland's Lone Wanderer walks into the distance with Dogmeat in Fallout 3
Fallout Fallout 3's GOTY Edition was a bit of a misfire, says Bethesda vet, but "we've gotten better" ahead of the Starfield DLC
 
 
Lords Of The Fallen
RPGs Lords of the Fallen breaks even after 2.5 years, selling 2.5 million copies as the Soulslike RPG's sequel is underway
 
 
Latest in Features
Starfield screenshot showing the new Anchor Point location
RPGs How your feedback helped shape Starfield's biggest updates: "We're always checking in," says Bethesda
 
 
Invincible VS screenshot showing Dupli-Kate using her abilities
Fighting Games Invincible VS director wants players to feel like "a f**king superhero," so expect matches that are a "knock-down, drag-out fight until the death"
 
 
A close-up of Grace talking with someone through glass in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem's Grace actor did "a lot of research" into panic disorders, which makes playing the game with a real-life anxiety condition the scariest the series has ever been
 
 
A painted Legio Custodes miniature on a wooden surface
Tabletop Gaming The new Warhammer Custodes look amazing, but my god, I wish they were easier to build
 
 
Star Wars Galactic Racer big preview
Racing Games "Our tracks are not procedurally-generated": Why replayability is at the heart of Star Wars: Galactic Racer
 
 
Star Wars Galactic Racer big preview
Racing Games Star Wars: Galactic Racer looks every bit the Burnout: Takedown revival I've been waiting 20 years to play
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Ella Purnell as Lucy in Fallout season 2
    1
    Fallout season 3 will incorporate "a few things from the game that we've wanted to do since season one," says showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet
  2. 2
    Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release schedule: when is episode 1 on Disney Plus?
  3. 3
    "We try to lean in on the things where our idea of what Starfield should be aligns with the feedback that's coming in from folks who get the game": How community feedback helped Bethesda shape Starfield's biggest updates
  4. 4
    Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart writer had to sit down with his Lae'zel counterpart to make sure that their joint romance would actually make sense: "That allowed us to reframe their initial clash"
  5. 5
    Project Hail Mary has convinced me to start getting excited for Star Wars: Starfighter

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...