Disneyis known for its iconic fairytale endings with a happily ever after, typically with the main couple getting married or the main character getting everything they dreamed of. They’re usually feel-good endings that leave you with a sense of hope and positivity.
They often include a reprisal of the movie’s main theme ora key song, which only serves to enhance the ending even further. A satisfying and well-written ending sees a good pay-off for everything the characters have been through and reinforces the movie’s main message. While most Disney movie endings are great, these are the best.
10The Little Mermaid
Part Of That World
At the end of The Little Mermaid, Triton realises thatAriel’s love for Eric is true, and that he must let her go and be her own person, even if he will miss her. He uses his trident to grant Ariel’s wish of becoming a human, giving her a sparkly dress to boot.
Ariel is finally able to marry Eric with her father’s blessing. The wedding ceremony takes place on a boat at sea, so Ariel’s family and friends can attend too. Ariel has a sweet moment with her father, when she tells him she loves him, showing that she doesn’t have to make a compromise between Eric and her family.
9A Goofy Movie
A Goofy Ending
When Goofy and Max return from the Powerline concert in LA, Max decides he needs to tell Roxanne the truth - that he didn’t know Powerline at all and he lied to make Roxanne like him. In a cute turn of events, Roxanne confesses that she always liked him, especially his goofy laugh.
As Goofy is fixing the car nearby, it explodes, sending him flying into the roof above Max and Roxanne. Max takes the opportunity to introduce Roxanne and Goofy to each other, ending the movie on a funny and sweet note. It’s not as grandiose as other Disney movie endings, but it fits the tone of the movie perfectly, and Max and Roxanne’s interactions are very sweet.
8Treasure Planet
Treasured Memories
Treasure Planet’s ending has a bittersweet farewell between Jim and Silver, with Silver leaving to continue his adventures and giving Jim Morph and some treasures to help rebuild his mother’s inn. Once the inn is rebuilt, everyone celebrates the reopening, and it’s revealed that Doppler and Amelia have had children together.
Jim returns home wearing an Interstellar Academy uniform, which causes everyone to celebrate even more. The movie ends with Jim looking up at the sky and seeing Silver in the clouds, showing that they’ll still think of each other even though they’re apart.
7Tangled
Time For A New Dream
At the end of Tangled, Rapunzel finally reunites with her parents after being trapped by Mother Gothel for years. She is reinstated as princess, and all the kingdom’s subjects love her.
Narrating the scene, Eugene (now going by his real name) reveals that he and Rapunzel married, as he teases her about their proposal. All the characters from the Snuggly Duckling pub get their dream too. It’s a perfectly fitting ending where Rapunzel and everyone she met on her adventure get to see their dreams fulfilled, and Eugene’s narration adds a touch of humour to keep everything lighthearted.
6The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Give Me One Day Out There
After Frollo is put to justice and the city is safe from his tyranny, Quasimodo accepts that his feelings for Esmeralda haven’t been returned and gives the couple his blessing. Esmeralda and Phoebus go to celebrate with the rest of Paris, but Quasimodo is wary about showing himself in public.
Esmeralda encourages Quasimodo to join the celebration, and to his surprise, he finally receives acceptance, as a little girl comes forward to hug him. It’s heartwarming to see Quasimodo be “out there” and finally experience the city properly outside of Notre Dame, like he always deserved.
5Meet The Robinsons
Keep Moving Forward
After returning to his own time, Lewis wakes up Goob during the baseball match to ensure he doesn’t become a villain in the future and returns to the science fair to try his invention, the Memory Scanner, again in front of the judges. This time, it works, and Lewis realises that the judge and her husbandare his adoptive parents, whom he met in the future.
Meet the Robinsons’ ending is touching and emotional. Seeing Lewis be adopted and getting to live out the future he has always wished for after having a difficult early life is fulfilling, and the song ‘Little Wonders’ playing during the montage elevates it further.
4Beauty And The Beast
Tale As Old As Time
Beauty and the Beast’s ending is a classic Disney fairytale ending that sees Belle undo the Beast’s curse with the power of true love. After being stabbed by Gaston, the Beast resigns to his death but is grateful to see Belle one last time. After Belle professes her love, the curse is broken and the prince regains his human form.
Their true love’s kiss restores the castle and its staff back into their true forms as well. The scene skips to Belle and the Beast dancing in a ballroom with the main song, Beauty and the Beast playing, mirroring their first-ever dance together before ending on a shot of a stained-glass window showing all the main characters. The swell of the music as it ends heightens the emotion of the scene, creating one of the most memorable and romantic Disney endings ever.
3The Princess And The Frog
A Hoppy Ending
The Princess and the Frog ends with Tiana and Naveen being wed by Mama Odie, content with being stuck as frogs if they can at least be together. Once married to Naveen, Tiana becomes a princess, transforming them both back to human form when they kiss.
Now human again, Tiana and Naveen hold another wedding ceremony with their loved ones, and begin married life by fulfilling Tiana’s dream of opening a restaurant. The song Down in New Orleans plays as everyone enjoys themselves in Tiana’s restaurant, watched over by Ray and Evangeline as stars in the sky. Not only does Tiana get the traditional fairytale ending, but she also gets to see her hard work come to fruition and realise the dream she’s had for years.
2Hercules
A Star Is Born
At the end of Hercules, Hercules rescues Meg’s soul by diving into the River Styx and revives her. Hercules and Meg, alongside Phil and Pegasus, are taken to Olympus, where Hercules receives the welcome he’s always dreamed of after proving himself to be a hero.
Instead of staying with the gods in Olympus, Hercules chooses a mortal life with Meg, saying he’s already found where he belongs. When they return to Greece, a constellation of Hercules appears in the sky, and a passerby exclaims, “That’s Phil’s boy!”, which makes Phil cry with pride. It’s a heartwarming ending that shows everyone can find a place to belong.
1The Lion King
The Circle Of Life
After Scar’s tyranny is brought to an end, Simba takes his rightful place as the king, hearing his father’s voice one more time, and roars from atop Pride Rock as the music begins to swell. The scene skips forward in time to when the Pride Lands have replenished, and the animals celebrate Simba and Nala’s newborn cub.
The Circle of Life plays, mirroring the very first scene when Simba was the newborn cub being shown by Rafiki. The song elevates the scene and highlights the central theme of the movie, tying it all up in a neat bow.
