# Why are there no mainstream disabled Disney characters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281 "2015-12-03T02:22:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/1 "2015-12-03T02:22:47Z")
Since we’ve had characters of nearly every race and have long since stopped with the “girls are there to be rescued” stuff, so why haven’t there been any disabled characters? The only character with a disability of sorts is [Vanellope von Schweetz](http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Vanellope_von_Schweetz)from Wreck it Ralph whose “glitching” has been thought to be an ADHD/ADD type of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/2 "2015-12-03T02:39:01Z")
Seriously?! Because it’s _ **Disney!** _ The expression ‘Disney-like’ means everyone and everything is happy, attractive, satisfied, perfect, the good-guys always win etc. IOW saccharine-sweet, unrealistic, fairy tale-like utopia where everything always works out for everybody. I don’t have an example but I wouldn’t be surprised if some old Disney live-action show portrayed a disabled kid who somehow learned to walk in the end… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/3 "2015-12-03T02:43:05Z")
[The Disney Wiki](http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Characters_with_disabilities) has a list of “characters with disabilities,” though a lot of them seem to count “dumb” as a disability. Still, there have been a fair number of Disney characters with legitimate disabilities. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/4 "2015-12-03T02:44:14Z")
I would argue that MOST Disney characters are disabled/mutant FREAKS! Talking mice/dogs/ducks? Where they once human and mutated into animals? Or animals mutating into people? which is worse? Beast was certainly disabledly FUGLY. That was his whole story, dealing witrh his disability. Pinnochio? Freakshly huge nose when he lies. I’d call that a MAJOR disability. And again, his whole story is about overcoming it…I’d go on and on but I’m too lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/5 "2015-12-03T02:45:03Z")
The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/6 "2015-12-03T02:46:39Z")
And if Goofy and Pluto are both dogs, how come Pluto is Mickey’s pet, and Goofy is Mickey’s friend? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/7 "2015-12-03T02:48:44Z")
Relocating to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/8 "2015-12-03T02:53:06Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Aside from the hunch, Quasimodo in the book was deaf and only had one eye. I think they skipped that in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/9 "2015-12-03T03:00:41Z")
Eeyore was clinically depressed. > [@Ukelele Ike](#): > > Aside from the hunch, Quasimodo in the book was deaf and only had one eye. > > I think they skipped that in the movie. Well, it’s hard to belt out those showtunes when you’re deaf… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/10 "2015-12-03T03:01:42Z")
Donald had a speech impediment. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/11 "2015-12-03T03:03:39Z")
Minimum requirements for the action sequences. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/12 "2015-12-03T03:06:06Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Donald had a speech impediment. And Daffy Duck vowed never to work with him again. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/13 "2015-12-03T03:10:23Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Seriously?! > > Because it’s _ **Disney!** _ The expression ‘Disney-like’ means everyone and everything is happy, attractive, satisfied, perfect, the good-guys always win etc. IOW saccharine-sweet, unrealistic, fairy tale-like utopia where everything always works out for everybody. I don’t have an example but I wouldn’t be surprised if some old Disney live-action show portrayed a disabled kid who somehow learned to walk in the end… Yes, all those dead/vanished parents certainly paint a happy picture. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/14 "2015-12-03T03:56:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Still, there have been a fair number of Disney characters with legitimate disabilities. Nemo is disabled for a fish, having one of his front fins smaller than the other. Dory has Short Term Memory Loss. Of course the Seven Dwarfs were, well, dwarfs. Dopey was unable to speak as well as being intellectually challenged. Today he’d be considered developmentally delayed or perhaps even to have Down Syndrome. [This site](http://epilepsytalk.com/2014/06/21/did-you-know-snow-whites-dopey-had-epilepsy/) contends he has Angelman Syndrome. Besides that Sleepy had narcolepsy, Sneezy had incapacitating allergies, and Bashful had Avoidant Personality Disorder. Then there’s Quasimodo and the maimed Captain Hook, although they were not original to Disney. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/15 "2015-12-03T04:08:39Z")
It’s not clear just what Tiny Tim’s disability is, but it necessitates a crutch for walking. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/16 "2015-12-03T04:15:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s not clear just what Tiny Tim’s disability is, but it necessitates a crutch for walking. True, but he’s not a main character. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, however, are all metabolically-challenged. ---
**Author:** ![Abner\_Ravenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Abner\_Ravenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abner_Ravenwood)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/17 "2015-12-03T04:19:29Z")
Do Daredevil and the Winter Soldier count now that Marvel’s under the auspices of Disney? Same for Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and General Grievous. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/18 "2015-12-03T05:33:06Z")
I don’t want to speak for the OP but I assumed that what they’re thinking of is an animated feature film with the lead character in a wheelchair, or blind or deaf etc. It’s taken a long time but I _ **can** _ still see it happening at some point. It just complicates things, and Disney does not like to invite controversy. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/19 "2015-12-03T12:48:43Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I would argue that MOST Disney characters are disabled/mutant FREAKS! Talking mice/dogs/ducks? Where they once human and mutated into animals? Or animals mutating into people? which is worse? Beast was certainly disabledly FUGLY. That was his whole story, dealing witrh his disability. Pinnochio? Freakshly huge nose when he lies. I’d call that a MAJOR disability. And again, his whole story is about overcoming it…I’d go on and on but I’m too lazy. Coming soon: The Island of Disney Moreau! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281/20 "2015-12-03T12:55:38Z")
For what it’s worth, a lot of them seem to be missing fingers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-mainstream-disabled-disney-characters/739281.md?page=2)