Disney Animation has been a leader in family-friendly content for generations, and it’s no surprise that it has shaped our culture and our hearts. With heart-warming messages ("You will always be in my heart" – Tarzan) and life assessment quotes ("Remember who you are" – The Lion King) Disney has entertained us for years and it’s the quotes that stick with you that mean the most.
Think about when you hear a phrase in normal conversation and all of a sudden, your mind automatically brings forward a character and plays out the scene from a movie. You can’t help but to finish the quote. Enjoy these best Disney Animation movie quotes that unlock those childhood memories and bring a spark of excitement to your day.
10 "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." – Lilo & Stitch
In Lilo & Stitch, this phrase is stated multiple times to reiterate the theme of the film. Stitch found and chose his Ohana and learned the valuable lesson that your family is who sticks by your side no matter what and that you’ll never be alone.
Whether Lilo, Stitch, or Nani pops in your head when you hear this quote, it’s one of the most iconic phrases in animated cinema. This Hawaiian cultural saying is beautiful, encouraging, and allows for the building of true community.
9 "Best Day Ever!" - Tangled
In Tangled, after a few encounters with her mother and the charming bad boy Flynn Ryder, Rapunzel’s motivation to leave her tower reaches its peak, and she takes the plunge, riding her hair down to the soft grass below.
In her first several hilarious moments outside the tower, she bounces between utter glee to fearful regret. But one of the most memorable instances was when she yells out this quote while swinging on her hair around a tree.
If you know any young kids, chances are you’ll hear them scream this quote and in your mind you’ll see Rapunzel swinging around that tree!
8 "Second star to the right, and straight on ’til morning." — Peter Pan
In the 1953 classic film, Peter Pan, Peter, a boy from a London family’s stories appears in real life and whisks three siblings off to a magical land called Neverland where they encounter adventures, mysteries, pirates, and more. But before they can reach this dream-like destination they have to travel through the stars.
Have you ever looked up into the sky seen two stars twinkling and said this quote to yourself? Wished you were flying to that magical island in the sky? All it takes is faith, trust, and a little bit of… pixie dust.
7 "If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all." — Bambi
This memorable quote from the lovable bunny, Thumper, is one of the sweetest delivered lines of sound advice in Disney’s original film Bambi.
For all the parents out there, this quote resonates deeply as Thumper’s mother calls Thumper out after he speaks his mind. She promptly reminds Thumper about the lesson his father taught him earlier that morning. Thumper then sheepishly quotes him and almost every kid has heard this lesson from some authoritative figure at some point in their lives. Thanks for the wise life advice Disney!
6 "Some people are worth melting for." — Frozen
In the iconic film Frozen, Elsa and Anna have their fair share of moments, including mistakes, triumphs, and lessons learned. What makes Disney’s storytellers so brilliant is their use of sidekicks and in Frozen, Olaf is both ignorant and incredibly wise. In Anna’s darkest hour, when she is being frozen from the inside out from her sister’s ice blast and after her so-called true love abandoned her to die, Olaf swoops in to help her.
Olaf’s ironically heart-warming line comes in the middle of him encouraging Anna that love does exist, that “love is putting someone else’s needs before yours” and then as he’s literally melting by the fire, he says doesn’t think this moment is the right time. Brilliant comedic relief in the midst of such an emotional scene.
5 "Zangief, you are bad guy, but that does not mean you’re bad guy!" – Wreck It Ralph
While this quote may not be on the top of most lists, this one is one of the most quotable lines from Wreck It Ralph, and it is also a fantastic message on identity.
Ralph wants nothing more than to win a medal and be a hero just once. He wants to enjoy the victory and revel in the moment of glory. But, his programming says otherwise.
Ralph takes part in a support group called Bad Anon when Zangief speaks up and shares how he copes with the fact that he’s bad. He realized that even though he is a bad guy in his work, it does not make him a bad guy in his life. Take that what you will, but there’s definitely a lesson to be learned from the Russian street fighter Zangief.
4 "Pull the lever, Kronk! Wrong lever!" — The Emperor’s New Groove
In the 2000 comedy, The Emperor’s New Groove, Emperor Kuzco and his unlikely frienemy Pacha get stuck on an adventure together to return Kuzco to his human form after he was turned into a llama by the evil Yzma. While Kuzco himself has some pretty hilarious moments, the comedic duo of Yzma and her right-hand man, Kronk, take the cake.
While Yzma and Kronk are attempting to enter into their lair, Yzma has an intricate lever system to open the hatch that drops them inside. She happens to also have a trick lever for intruders that opens into a pool of crocodiles. Kronk accidentally pulls the wrong lever and Yzma delivers this iconic line.
3 "Sometimes your strengths lie beneath the surface." – Moana
The Polynesian princess, Moana, goes through a transformational journey in a quest to save her island and the world from Taka. What's so magical about her character arc is that she always had the potential and dream for bigger things. It was in her DNA to be a voyager, but she was never allowed to actually unlock it.
It took her grandma passing away to trigger her sense of survival and determination that sent her on her journey across the sea. She always had the strength in her. She just had to look into the depths of her soul to find it, just like when she plunged into the depths of Lalotai. The parallels of her external and internal battles are not lost. Oh, and, you’re welcome.
2 "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." – The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
Some Disney quotes have become as familiar as the motivational phrases on a cat poster. We can recite them in our hearts but may not always remember where they came from. You might be surprised to know that this inspiring quote came from the small, fluffy, honey-loving bear, Winnie the Pooh’s best friend Christopher Robin.
While Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh are sitting in a tree, Christopher is encouraging the scared Pooh who doesn’t know what to do and who he is without Christopher. He lifts him up with this mantra that he has him repeat.
1 "You were my new dream." – Tangled
In the climax of the modern telling of Rapunzel’s fairytale, Tangled, the charming Flynn Rider is stabbed by Mother Gothel. Rapunzel had lost her only friend in the entire world as she discovered the secret that her so-called mother had been lying to her for her whole life. Flynn opened her eyes to all the beautiful things the kingdom outside her tower had to offer. While it was full of ruffians and thugs, she learned they also were people who had lives and dreams just like Rapunzel herself.
We learn early on that Flynn is a thief and wants “enormous piles of money.” When he encounters Rapunzel, she softens his heart and by the end of the movie, with his dying breath, he admits that she has changed him and that she was in fact his new dream.