15 Disney Sidekicks Who Did More Harm Than Good

    Let's all agree that Tinker Bell was not that great in Peter Pan.

    Jamie Spain
    by Jamie Spain

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the times they felt Disney sidekicks did a pretty worthless job of helping their main character, and I could not agree more. Here are some of the results:

    1. Phil from Hercules

    Phil from "Hercules."
    Disney

    "Phil consistently bothers me. The first thing we see him doing is stalking a bunch of nymphs and chasing after them as they fearfully flee. If this movie wasn't a cartoon, that first impression would feel pretty creepy. He also reluctantly helps Hercules for purely selfish reasons."

    —hiitsnicetomeetyou

    2. Gus in Cinderella

    Gus Gus holding corn kernels in "Cinderella."
    Disney

    "Gus Gus in Cinderella is constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gets trapped and tricked to the detriment of Cinderella and the other mice, who are so forgiving and helpful. I love him as a character, but he was in way over his head."

    —l4b8a7d01f

    3. Victor and Hugo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

    Victor and Hugo the gargoyles in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
    Disney

    "The male gargoyles, Victor and Hugo, in The Hunchback of Notre Dame make fun of Quasi’s looks, give him questionable advice, and hit on the goat. They don’t contribute at all to the plot."

    —Yaaasgawd

    4. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty

    Disney

    "Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had one job: to keep Aurora from pricking her finger on her 16th birthday. They kept her successfully hidden for 15 years and 364 days and then took her back to the palace ON her birthday where Maleficent can easily find her, and then left her all alone so she could be tricked into pricking her finger."

    —amandag4fe9e4ba0

    5. Olaf from Frozen

    Olaf meets Anna and Kristoff in "Frozen."
    Disney

    "Olaf is not a good sidekick. I know he’s really just supposed to provide comic relief and kids love him, but he adds nothing to the plot of Frozen or Frozen II. His songs in both movies completely take me out of the experience of the movie."

    —eivor1612

    6. Pua from Moana

    Pua on a boat in "Moana."
    Disney

    "What was Pua's purpose in Moana? He didn't go on the voyage, and Moana almost died on the reef trying to swim after him when he fell off the boat during 'How Far I'll Go.' Pua wasn't even there for most of the film."

    —colleend9

    7. Mushu from Mulan

    Mushu and Cricket in "Mulan."
    Disney

    "Mushu shot off fireworks that alerted the Huns to the approach of Li Shang's soldiers. That was definitely one of the top reasons why he was such a horrible sidekick."

    —CapeCodLvr

    8. Tinker Bell from Peter Pan

    Tinker Bell in "Peter Pan."
    Disney

    "Tinker Bell tricked the Lost Boys into trying to shoot down Wendy. It was definitely her worst moment."

    —just_a_human

    9. Meeko and Flit from Pocahontas

    Flit and Meeko falling over a water fall in "Pocahontas."
    Disney

    "Meeko and Flit in Pocahontas were mostly useless, and their banter was only there for comedy purposes. I feel like they could have been so much better if they were helping to drive the plot like Mushu in Mulan II."

    —cbreeze5409

    10. Bagheera in The Jungle Book

    Bagheera in "The Jungle Book."
    Disney

    "Bagheera swore to return Mowgli to the village in The Jungle Book, but he gives up on him and abandons him all the time. I know Mowgli doesn’t want to go and complains constantly, but he is a kid! Bagheera needs to show some backbone."

    —Hannanora-P

    11. Piglet from Winnie the Pooh

    Piglet from "Winnie the Pooh."
    Disney

    "As much as everyone loves Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, there is no denying that he is an awful sidekick. He is always such a Debbie Downer and seems to often be the damsel in distress. He is not the top choice for a sidekick, but everyone loves him anyways."

    —Ashley Pandullo

    12. Flounder from The Little Mermaid

    Flounder in "The Littler Mermaid."
    Disney

    "Flounder was kind of a useless sidekick. I love him, but what was he supposed to do while Ariel was on land? He just hangs out in the ocean while his best friend runs off to marry a man she doesn’t even know."

    —turtleee

    13. LeFou from Beauty and the Beast

    LeFou dancing and singing in "Beauty in the Beast."
    Disney

    "LeFou's character in the live-action Beauty and the Beast does not fit in with the film's theme at all. Maybe I’m just not a Josh Gad fan, but his presence seemed to pull me out of the film."

    —BethanyMB

    14. Abu from Aladdin

    Abu in "Aladdin" in the Cave of Wonders.
    Disney

    "Abu was moody and just got in the way most of the time. He was the reason they almost died in the Cave of Wonders because he couldn’t follow directions and keep his hands to himself!"

    —haleyw4ae66dcb9

    15. And finally, Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio

    Disney

    "Pinocchio was extremely naive and inexperienced, so he is very trusting toward characters who give him terrible advice. When Pinocchio told Jiminy that he heard something that conflicted with Jiminy's advice, Jiminy just said, 'Fine! Do whatever you want. See if I care!' All of Pinocchio's troubles could've been avoided if Jiminy had done a proper job of being a conscience."

    —anacarol_sousa

    Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.