The 10 Most Memorable Disney Scenes

Disney Month continues and I have another post to celebrate all things Disney for its 100th birthday. And what better way to do so than to count down some of Disney's most memorable scenes ever?

Disney films are as remembered as they are for many reasons and most of our biggest and most cherished childhood memories come from watching those films. Disney is somehow able to make movies that we can never forget and some of the scenes they create stand as among the most iconic pieces of cinema in the history of film.

This list will be strictly my opinion. I'm not counting down what are objectively the most memorable scenes in all of Disney, these are what I personally consider to be the 10 Most Memorable Disney Scenes. After all, memorability is subjective. And believe me, this list wasn't easy to make because there are SO many memorable scenes in just about any Disney film out there! To make it easier and so we don't have any films hogging the spotlight, I'm only picking ONE scene per film on the list. If I didn't then The Lion King would take all ten spots. XD

For this list, once again this is STRICTLY related to the main animated movie canon. I'm not including scenes from Pixar or other properties Disney owns as we'd be here all year if I did. Once again, Pixar would be more deserving of their own list if I was to do one.

So without further ado, let us count down 10 of the most memorable Disney scenes of all time...

Number 10: The Wizard's Duel from The Sword in the Stone

This scene is considered among the greatest achievements in animation history and is used as an example of animation at its finest. I'm inclined to agree as this scene has animation creativity and artistry that few other movies have matched, and it's a big part in why this is so memorable.

The Sword in the Stone itself is mostly OK as a film with some funny scenes, neat interactions with Wart and Merlin and the animation plays around nicely with Merlin's magical abilities but the plot's rather episodic nature and abrupt ending do hold it back somewhat. However, the Wizard's Duel is when the film is at it's best for me. Merlin and Mim fight each other while constantly shape-shifting into various different animals and they make the most of their abilities by going between big and small animals and either using their animal features to fight with or sneak around one another. To make it clear on who's fighting, Merlin and Mim maintain their respective colours of blue and pink (or purple) even in their animal forms. They even keep some of their traits like Merlin's glasses and facial hair or Mim's poofy hairstyle for the animal forms. It only further emphasizes that this is a magical duel between two magical individuals.

And what also makes the scene so fun and memorable is how much comedy they incorporate into this fight. Seriously, I was laughing my ass off at so much of the slapstick violence and humour they pulled off in this fight with one particularly funny scene for me being when Mim (as a snake) chases mouse Merlin down a hole but Merlin puts a rock over the hole so she bashes her head against it. Priceless! XD And the battle is also memorable for the way Merlin wins. He cleverly turns himself into a germ so he can give Mim a disease and make her too sick to battle. One has to ask why he didn't just do that and win the duel in five seconds flat but hey, we wouldn't have had this fun fight otherwise and I wouldn't trade this scene for anything.

The Wizard's Duel. This is a duel that will go down in Disney history as one of the greatest of its library...

Number 9: The opening to Oliver and Company

One of Disney's more underrated movies in my eyes, this film has such a strong opening that is impossible to forget once you've seen it.

Oliver and Company is a Disney twist (no pun intended) on the classic Oliver Twist novel by Charles Dickens and they show right off the bat how much of a twist it is on the story with Oliver being a kitten rather than a human and the setting is then-modern day New York City rather than Victorian era London. The opening treats us to lovely sketched drawings of the Big Apple as the camera slowly pans towards them and then we're shown Oliver's situation where he and several other kittens are being offered for sale. One-by-one the kittens are chosen but Oliver is left behind with no one choosing him and he's soon left to fend for himself when a rainstorm nearly washes him away.

The scene is such a memorable and strong opening for making to feel a lot of emotions at once. You're wowed by the sights of New York City, you're awed by the sight of the kittens, you feel hopeful that Oliver will find a home, you feel sad for him when he's left behind and nearly washed away and you feel scared for him when he gets confronted by some stray dogs. That's a lot of different feels all at once and this is just the opening scene to the movie! The opening lasts about four minutes and yet it tells this emotional story so sufficiently and tightly to set the mood for the movie and Oliver's eventual journey we'll follow him on. All this plus Huey Lewis's "Once Upon A Time In New York City" roaring in the background makes this an opening for the ages and one of Disney's most memorable openers for any of their movies.

This scene showed that once upon a time in New York City, we got one hell of a memorable opener...

Number 8: The death of Bambi's mother

As if I was ever going to leave this scene off the list. It's the scene that made a million viewers cry after all.

Bambi is one of the most adorable movies ever created and yet it contains one of the most heart-breaking scenes in cinema history. To this day, people are STILL saying they cry at this scene! While I've never cried at it myself (I don't cry at movies), I can easily see why so many do and why it stuck with generations of viewers after they saw it. The build-up is absolutely fantastic with the scene starting out pleasantly enough. Bambi's mother finds some food for Bambi after a tough winter season made food hard to find but as Bambi starts to eat, his mother can't help but feel that something's wrong...she tenses up and then, for seemingly no reason, she tells Bambi to run. What follows is a tense scene where the two run through the snow covered fields as Bambi's mother screams to him "DON'T LOOK BACK! KEEP RUNNING!" And then...

BAM!

A gunshot. We don't see what happened but we hear it. Bambi makes it to the thicket and excitedly declares they made it...but his mother doesn't show up. Bambi then goes back out into the snow forest and calls for his mother. All he finds is the Great Prince of the Forest, who laments to him the terrible news...

"Your mother can't be with you anymore."

Cue the tears of the audience. :'(

What makes this moment even more gut-wrenching is the fact this is the first time in the movie we even hear the Great Prince speak! His first words in the entire movie were to say that Bambi's mother is dead! Not the ideal first words you'd want to hear from your father. As is, the scene is so memorable for the intense build-up, the impactful gunshot and the absolutely heart-breaking outcome. It's a scene that has stayed with us for generations and as Disney nears 100 years, this scene still makes people cry even now.

The death of Bambi's mother. She may not be able to be with Bambi anymore, but she'll be with the viewers forever for this emotionally gut-wrenching scene...

Number 7: The opening to Tarzan

What do you get if you cross an opening prologue told with beautiful animation and a fantastic Phil Collins song roaring in the background? Answer: This amazingly unforgettable moment.

Much like Oliver and Company, this movie has one hell of a strong opening that manages to tell its own little mini-story in just over three minutes. And they pack A LOT into this opening that makes for one strong first impression of the movie we're getting ourselves in for! I mean the movie LITERALLY opens up with Tarzan's family escaping a burning boat! That's one hell of an effective opener! And while we have Tarzan and his family trying to make the most of their island situation, we're also shown the gorilla troop and their peaceful jungle lives together with Kala and Kerchak playing with their baby. The scenes even get some neat transitions from one to the other such as Tarzan's father's face fading into Kerchak's face for his next scene or when Kala throws her baby into the air and instead, Tarzan comes back down into his mother's arms. We then see the parents building a treehouse but things take a turn for the worst when Sabor's face is suddenly juxtaposed over the image of the treehouse, a grim piece of foreshadowing for what fate bewstows the two. And then we see Sabor stalking Kala and Kerchak's child and as the parents race to the rescue...it's too late. Sabor catches their baby and makes off with out, leaving the rest to our imagination.

Kerchak's expression just says it all...

So over the span of three minutes we have an intense escape from a burning boat, a touching scene of two different families showing love to their children, two parents working together to make living accommodations and infant murder at the jaws of a leopard! Talk about an emotional roller coaster ride! And yet the scene caps off with a moment of hope and curiosity as Kala hears the cries of a baby and reaches the treehouse where Tarzan's family were. And the rest of the movie follows from there. All this plus Phil Collins's "Two Worlds" acting as a musical way of telling this story is what makes this opening such a standout for me. If there's a lesson on how to have your movie open in such a strong, effective way, then this is it.

The opening to Tarzan. In just three minutes, they gave us an epic opener that showed two worlds coming together to make one family...

Number 6: The Archery Tournament from Robin Hood and the Motorcycle Chase from The Aristocats

These scenes to me stand as two of the funniest scenes in Disney history, hence they're on this list together. Why this is a tie is down to the same reason: they're the most memorably funny Disney scenes for me.

Classic Disney was always very good at doing comedy and these two scenes are the animators and writers at their best in terms of comedy. Both scenes feature a lot of creative slapstick humour and fast-paced action that makes them so funny to watch. The Archery Tournament especially gets real crazy with Robin Hood and Little John fighting off Prince John's men and getting into all sorts of wacky scenarios. Little John gets taken for the ride when a bunch of rhinos get caught in a tent and just run around with no idea where they're going and mowing down anything in their way. Even the Sherriff of Nottingham gets caught up in the scuffle and the rhinos end up demolishing a tower in their mad stampede! But the funniest moment for me is when Lady Kluck takes down a bunch of rhino guards with just her speed and bare wings. Seriously, she's so badass and it looks so funny just watching her beat those rhinos as if they were nothing! XD

The motorcycle chase is no slouch in the comedy department either. As a kid, I would re-watch this scene over-and-over because it's so funny and even now I still think it's hilarious. Napoleon and Lafayette end up chasing Edgar on his motorbike and needless to say, the chase quickly gets wacky with the dogs chasing Edgar under a bridge, taking control of the bike, the sidecar gets broken off and wheels around after them, they go up a windmill, Napoleon gets run over by both motorcycle and sidecar and then the chase ends with the dogs ending up in a pile of mud while Edgar gets away but somehow manages to plough straight through the windmill with barely a scratch on him. Dude must have bones of adamantium I swear. XD

Scenes like these show that animators can make great comedians, more so than actual comedians, and they deserve all the applause they can get for their work here. The scenes are fast-paced, wacky, crazy and above all: HILARIOUS! And this is why they're so memorable to me. If you want a good laugh, then either of those scenes are just the scenes for you. ;)

Number 5: Mulan's Decision from Mulan

This scene kicks ASS! You know it, I know it, everyone knows it! It's the best scene in the movie for a myriad of reasons, and those reasons make it a scene we'll never forget!

This scene was the moment when Mulan suddenly went from good to excellent as this was a powerful moment not just for the story, but for Mulan's character development. After her father is asked to join the army, Mulan objects to this as her father is clearly past his prime and too old to right, but he adamantly insists he fight, not just for honour but for doing what's right. Mulan knows that she can't let him go ahead with this as he won't last more than five minutes on the battlefield in his current state. So in the end, she takes matters into her own hands, making what is arguably the BIGGEST decision of her life. Risking everything from getting killed in battle to being executed for breaking the law as women aren't allowed to fight (remember, ancient China was a VERY sexist time), she goes through with it anyway and takes her father's place in the army whilst pretending to be a man.

We see the whole transformation process as Mulan prays to the ancestors for luck, takes her father's scroll and leaves her comb as a parting gift for him, cuts her hair to appear more masculine, puts on his armour and takes his sword. Then she rides off on Khan the horse's back into the night as the rain falls. It's all delivered without a single line of dialogue or any song numbers. All we have are the visuals and Jerry Goldsmith's incredible score roaring in the background the whole time. It's a beautiful segment that is wordlessly told to us with incredible music backing it up and it says so much without needing to speak a word with how much this decision will change Mulan's life forever. If you want a scene that shows true courage, selflessness and willingness to do what's right, this is that scene.

Mulan's decision not only changed everything for herself, but it also gave us one incredible moment that Disney fans will remember forever...

Number 4: Elsa's Freedom from Frozen

Before you say anything, no, this scene isn't memorable just because it's the scene where Elsa sings "Let It Go". There's more reasons to it than that. =P

This is the scene that EVERYONE knows for it's the scene where Frozen's signature tune belts out and while the song itself is awesome, the scene accompanying it is even more so. It starts off with Elsa reaching the top of the mountains where she laments over how she tried so hard to keep her powers hidden, but now everyone knows. Going into self-imposed exile like so, she finally feels like she doesn't need to hide herself anymore and, as she says in the song, she's free. What follows is an absolutely jaw-dropping, gorgeously animated display of her powers as Elsa just cuts loose for the first time in years and finally is allowed to embrace who she is. And believe me, it's quite dazzling to watch Elsa in action with the neat choreography and the effects on her snow and ice abilities! We see her create Olaf, make a bridge that builds itself with every step she takes and then with a single stamp of her foot, she creates an entire ice palace for herself to use as her living quarters. And she even gives herself a make-over too where she changes her queenly attire into an icy dress that (presumably) is more to her comfort.

This scene feels like real catharsis for Elsa for she doesn't have to live in fear anymore and with no one around, she gets to truly express herself and not have to hide her powers. To her, it must've felt like being told to suppress a major part of herself and one can only wonder how damaging on her self-esteem that must've been. So for her to be able to have this moment of liberation and to unleash her true self is quite awe-inspiring and with "Let It Go" accompanying the scene, it's no wonder it became such a hit with audiences while making Frozen a big pop-culture juggernaut. How many viewers have been in Elsa's position where they've had to hide a part of themselves and once they're finally free to "let it go" so to speak, they feel so liberated and relieved? I imagine plenty of them, especially those in the LGBT community. This is a scene I imagine spoke to many of them especially. ^^

Elsa's freedom. She truly let it go in this scene and gave us an iconic, inspiring and memorable scene for us all to enjoy...

Number 3: The Ballroom Dance from Beauty and the Beast

It's practically LAW that a list like this should mention this scene at some point. Of course I was gonna put this one on the list. XD

It wouldn't surprise me if this scene alone was why Beauty and the Beast became the first ever animated movie to get a Best Picture nomination for as great as the entire movie is, this is the scene that everyone remembers and loves from it. And there's plenty of reasons why it's so memorable. While Mulan's decision is memorably epic, the Archery Tournament and Motorbike chase are memorably funny and Elsa's freedom is memorably inspiring, this scene I find to be memorably romantic. Disney always nails it with romantic scenes but this one I feel is the one that tops them all. The animation here is on top form with the 2-D characters blending in well with the early CGI background, the setting is atmospheric thanks to the lovely lighting, the camera work is spot on with the best shot being the beautiful pan down from the chandelier to the floor as Belle and the Beast waltz together and the music is soothing and touching to listen to. Topping it all off, we have Mrs. Potts singing the "Beauty and the Beast" song to accompany it. The late Angela Lansbury was on top form here with her soft, gentle vocals fitting the romantic atmosphere perfectly. She sounds like a kind grandmother singing romantic tunes to her grandchildren and it's quite wholesome to listen to. ^^

This scene is sweet and just wholesomely romantic to watch every time I put the movie on. Just seeing these two characters who at first didn't get on just getting up and dancing together like they're a long time couple is just...aww, I feel all warm and tingly just talking about it! It's also beautiful when you consider what this scene represents for the film: the big next step in their relationship. We can see now that Belle has grown to trust and feel so at ease around the Beast that she can dance with him like so and the Beast has grown so much out of his beast-phase that he is gentle and tame enough to waltz with Belle like so. You can see how much they've grown closer by this point and this is where it solidifies their relationship for me. At this point, they're beyond how they were at the start and have become the couple they were destined to be. So...so romantic. ^^

The ballroom dance. The tale as old as time gave us this scene that we'll always remember as the scene that solidified the romance between Beauty and the Beast...

Number 2: The Bear Fight from The Fox in the Hound

Was anyone other than me just scared witless when that damn bear showed up?! I know I was, hence why it's so memorable!

As far as Disney scenes go, this is the one that is the most memorably scary of the bunch. I know Disney can give you enough material to make a Top 10 list of scary moments but for this list, if I had to pick a scene for the scariest of them all, this would be it. Unlike most scary Disney moments, THIS is something that can actually happen in real life if you happen to live in a country where bears can be found in the wild, hence why this is scarier to me than say Pleasure Island from Pinocchio or Maleficent's scenes in Sleeping Beauty. But for why this scene is so memorable aside from being poop-your-pants scary is how intense and nerve-racking this climax gets. The build-up is ominous enough with Copper sniffing around for Tod only to hesitate as he clearly notices something's wrong. Amos catches up and prepares to shoot...and then it appears. The bear looms over him, almost blocking out the sunlight as you see in the image above. With a mighty roar, it comes in on the attack and Amos shooting it in the shoulder only makes it angrier. What was meant to be a revenge hunt to kill Tod becomes a fight for survival as Amos, Copper and Tod are confronted by the beat.

Not only does the bear look terrifying enough with its black fur, large size and red eyes (seriously, IT HAS RED EYES! That thing ain't no bear, it's some evil supernatural demon!) but throughout the fight, it's just COMPLETELY unstoppable! Anything our heroes do only seems to annoy it at most and it just gets angrier as they try to fight it. Even Amos's gun doesn't do much as he misfires and grazes its shoulder and then it gets smacked out of his hands as the bear attacks. That's why this scene is so damn heart-pounding! You're just scared witless for these characters and wondering how are they gonna stop this thing! The dramatic music also helps with selling the danger our heroes are in too. But the scene isn't just memorable for being scary, it's also memorable for showing the bonds of our heroes. Copper risks tooth and nail to protect his master, showing bravery and loyalty to the end and Tod does the same to save the lives of those that were trying to kill him moments ago. This shows the fight had a lot at stake here and also ended up being impactful in more ways than one for it finally fixed Tod and Copper's relationship and got Amos to back down and let him go in the end. Who knew a near-death experience at the hands of a bear would be all you needed to repair broken friendships? XD

Intense, exciting, thrilling and scary as all hell, this is one bear fight I would NOT want to get into! But's one fight I certainly will NEVER forget...

Number 1: The Wildebeest Stampede from The Lion King

My favourite scene from my favourite movie naturally had to make it here.

Honestly, it feels like I could just put the entire movie on the list because EVERY DAMN SCENE IN THE MOVIE IS MEMORABLE!!! But I can only pick one and this one it is. This scene has stuck with me since childhood and I've practically memorized it to the point I can recite it word-for-word, frame-by-frame and even sing the entire soundtrack during this scene. Yes I love this movie, can't you tell? =P

It's not just me that finds it so memorable either. The Wildebeest stampede is the moment when The Lion King went from great to excellent as everything changed and the movie was just like nothing we'd seen before because of this scene. The build-up is fantastic as we see Scar and the hyenas setting everything up for the plan and then all hell breaks loose once the wildebeest plunge into the gorge. Simba gives us a look of sheer terror as it settles in what's happening and as he runs for his life, we're shown just how big the danger is for Simba as this isn't just a few dozen wildebeest that are threatening to mow him down, this is a herd of HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS of wildebeest! Throughout the scene, it feels like they just keep on coming and you wonder when are they gonna end. The danger levels on increase as Mufasa comes in to save Simba, thus meaning it's not just Simba's life that's at stake, it's Mufasa's too. And all the while, Scar is watching from above waiting for the perfect moment to show his paws and send Mufasa to his death. It's intense and thrilling and we're constantly on edge as we hope to see Simba and Mufasa make it out alive. And it seems they might make it. But then Mufasa reaches Scar, begs for his help...and instead he meets only his demise. Scar grabs his paws and delivers the most chilling line of the scene...

"Long live the king..." (god, Jeremy Irons's delivery of that line still gives me the shivers!)

And then he throws Mufasa off the cliff into the stampede. With a single scream of "NO!", Simba sees his father plunge to his death and what follows afterwards is a scene that is arguably on par with the death of Bambi's mother. With Mufasa dead, Simba can only cry in despair and the audience can only cry for him as after all that, he didn't make it in the end.

This scene is so memorable for being an emotional roller-coaster ride with feelings of intensity and sadness while also being incredibly executed with its sensational animation that emphasizes the danger and makes this scene feel like a true life-or-death situation. Hans Zimmer's unmatched score is also a winner here and only makes the scene feel even more epic. It's also memorable for me in that I think this scene is what taught me about the concept of death at such an early age. I was probably about three or four when I first watched The Lion King and here I am, at that age, seeing a dead parent in a movie. Needless to say, it left a huge impact on me as a child and it's probably why this movie has stayed with me as long as it has. This hugely impactful, memorable, heart-breaking, exciting, scary scene solidified the movie's longevity for me and made sure I'd never forget it anytime soon.

Emotional, action-packed, frantic, fast-paced, intense, heart-breaking and changing everything forever for the movie going forward, it's no wonder that this scene for me is the most memorable Disney scene of all time...

And that's all I've got for this one. Hope you enjoyed my choices and I'd love to hear your own picks down below. What are your 10 Most Memorable Disney Scenes? Which Disney scenes stick in your memory and why? I'd love to hear all about it. ^^ Join me next week as we celebrate Disney's 100th Anniversary with a review on the movie that started it all...see you then media fans!

All images courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios