9 Disney Movies With Upsetting And Dark Moments

If you think of Technicolor marvel Fantasia, you'll likely recall the high-spirited magic of the Sorcerer's Apprentice scene, instantly humming the soundtrack and remembering Mickey's iconic blue starry hat. If not, then you probably had the tonal shift to Night on Bald Mountain etched onto your retinas forever as a child.

Fantasia was an attempt to animate classical music, and Disney do just that with Rimsky-Korsakov's dark, virulent orchestral piece. Where Fantasia opens with dancing mushrooms and hippos dancing ballet, it ends with this last climactic piece. We watch as the huge, malevolent demon Chernabog conjures up all sorts of hellish beasties such as feminine dancing flames, skeletons, tortured humans, and even naked harpies that were censored with additional layers of animation.

Night on Bald Mountain may now only appear a disparate collection of demonic imagery that might not force you behind the sofa with fear, but the macabre imagery is a perfect match to the rising, tense music. As far as Disney movies go, the Night on Bald Mountain segment of Fantasia was a vast departure from the relatively trite animation of its earlier parts, and this diverse range of content arguably made Fantasia all the more memorable.