When it comes to creating the perfect Disney/Pixar story, it takes a village of primary characters, plot lines, and even side characters. When watching our favorite Disney animated and live action films, we expect and even look forward to the main characters arc; whether it’s guy meets girl and changes his childish ways, princess meets prince charming and sleeps until he finds her, or more the modern and personally most appealing version, girl doesn’t need guy and finds her inner strength and courage all on her own.
Side characters in many publications have long been overlooked and underrated, but that doesn’t mean that Disney has put any less time or attention to detail into the development of these heroes’ sidekicks. In fact, many of whom we would consider to be minor roles in our favorite films often steal the show! (you can’t tell me Disney hasn’t been trying to recreate Olaf ever since the success of Frozen – Forky is cool but didn’t quite cut it…) Not only do some of these guys and gals provide great comic relief, they go through personal growth journeys that rival those of their leading dudes and dudettes. Step aside heros and heroines and make room in the spotlight for four of my favorite side character journeys in Disney and Pixar films.
Mulan has help from so many folks to achieve her goal of bringing honor to her family and saving the life of her father that it’s hard to keep track. But nobody was more zealous and full of adventure than Mushu the dragon. While his efforts initially were a little more self serving, wanting nothing more than to please and ensure a place with his ancestors for all eternity, through helping Mulan he discovered a thing or two about himself. Like you don’t need to earn approval from anyone, and that respect comes from within and must start with you first and foremost. And helping a friend deceive an army and defeat the Huns gave Mushu just the jolt of self confidence he needed on his journey to inner peace.
The horse is always the hero in my book, to be completely honest. Flynn Ryder, (Eugene Fitz Hubert) is the bad guy turned hero who desperately relies on the police horse, Maximus, as a scapegoat due to his constant shenanigans with the law. Not overly thrilled with his current situation, Maximus agrees to help Ryder in his quest to own an island ‘surrounded by enormous piles of money’ (I’m sure there were oats and carrots galore offered in exchange to help the wanted felon). As the story progresses, we see a friendship blossom between the intimidating stallion and reckless thief, mostly fostered by the lost princess and Maximus’ love and respect for her. This noble steed may have started out merely a puppet to the captain of the guard, but ends his journey not only up several new friends but a legitimate member of the Royal Guard.
I love so much about both the animated and live action Beauty and the Beast, but what I love most about the latter is the additional character development of Gaston’s sidekick, Lefou. In the animated classic, BFF to Gaston was nothing more than a dimwitted devotee, stumbling over his words and taking anything Gaston dished out. Flash forward a few decades to the 2017 live action version of the film and from the beginning, Lefou, while still loyal to Gaston, displays intelligence and wit rather than vapid ignorance. As the story progresses, he realizes, for lack of a more eloquent way of saying it, that Gaston is a big jerk and has simply been using him the entirety of their friendship. In the end, Lefou unearths his empathetic nature, joining forces with the good guys (Belle, Beast and her teapot and furniture pals), quite literally leaving Gaston in the dirt.
We have all been guilty of burying our heads in the sand and simply waiting for the next order to beam through. Nothing captures this portrayal of aloof willful ignorance turned motivation quite like the best Pixar movie of all time, WALL-E. Captain B. McCrea has been keeping the Axiom smooth sailing for 30 plus years with his head down, not questioning his own livelihood or that of his crewmates. He has always been told there is no life on Earth and that his one and only job is to steer his vessel onward, on a quest to nowhere remaining docile and sedate. The Capn’ does a pretty fantastic job of this until he is presented with the idea that there might be life on the beloved planet he has never had the pleasure to call home, and feels an immovable call to action. During the course of this beautiful film, we see Captain B. McCrea went from stagnant to motivated. Sluggish to determined. Nonchalant to passionate. After much adversity, this nondescript sidekick turns the tables and literally becomes the hero mankind needs, (with the help of WALL-E and EVE of course!) by taking control of his life, ship and all those on board and leading them to the proverbial promised land.
If you’re anything like me, you have probably been watching a lot of Disney+ right now, and there’s nothing better than to revisit the classics for a good Disney withdrawal nostalgia day. One of the many amazing things about Disney is that not only do the main characters get a chance in the limelight, but the development and character arcs of seemingly minor sidekicks also get a chance to shine alongside their pals. Not all side characters are sidekicks of course, but they are still often seen as side bars to the development of the film itself. Next time you watch your favorite Disney or Pixar film, or even one you haven’t seen in ages, be sure to give the appropriate appreciation to the other other stars of the show, the not so main characters!
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