As a company, Disney is old and successful. As a collection of media, Disney is possibly the most influential brand on the planet. Mickey Mouse himself is recognizable worldwide, and new Disney films are still top earners to this very day. And the company owes it all to its characters.
Everyone is more than familiar with the likes of Mickey, Aladdin and Elsa, but Disney has far more characters under their belt than they know what to do with. While new characters and new stories are always great, there are more than enough characters in Disney’s vault that are just begging to be used for new and interesting projects, such as a new movie, TV show, or even just an appearance in a Kingdom Hearts game.
8 Kuzco
The Emperor’s New Groove was one of the last 2D animated films Disney ever made, and at the time of its release it was a big success. It received a spin-off TV Show, as well as a sequel of sorts, but since then, the series has been silent.
Kuzco as a protagonist, didn’t start off likable, but he grew into a hilarious, entertaining character, and it’s a shame that he hasn’t been seen in anything for over a decade. Whether it be a new show, movie, or just a short appearance in Kingdom Hearts 4 possibly, the world could always use more Kuzco.
7 Oswald The Lucky Rabbit
Oswald has had an interesting history. In a way, he was the original Mickey Mouse, before legal disputes caused Walt Disney and some of his team to go off and create Mickey and the resulting Disney empire. After acquiring his rights, Disney has done a considerable amount with him like the Epic Mickey games.
However, Oswald has still always been treated as an Easter egg of sorts, even in the more recent Mickey Mouse shorts. It would be interesting to see him get some content separate from Mickey, and see what he has to offer as a solo character.
6 Horace Horsecollar
Horace is a rather odd character from Disney’s original shorts. He first appeared as Mickey Mouse’s horse, and would swap between being bipedal and quadrupedal. His appearances have been very situational over the years, sometimes being an actor, and sometimes a handyman of sorts.
Horace is in dire need of a more defined identity. There was a planned series starring him in the 90s, but it never came to fruition. It doesn’t need to be in the form of this kind of show, but it would be nice if one of Disney’s old hands could get more shine in the modern age.
5 Webby Vanderquack
Webby is primarily a character created for and featured in the Ducktales series, which focuses on Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and his nephews, Huey Dewey and Louie. Originally, she was a bit younger than the triplets, and more level-headed, with an affinity for animals.
In Ducktales (2017) however, Webby was revamped, not only with a new design, but a new, more adventurous and thrill seeking personality. In this incarnation she’s arguably the most fun character in the cast, and it would be a shame if she continued to be a Ducktales-only character.
4 Della Duck
Before the Ducktales reboot in 2017, it’s fair to say that most people didn’t even know Donald Duck had a sister. Her sons Huey, Dewey and Louie are fairly known characters, but Della herself rarely appears in Disney properties.
Ducktales (2017) completely remade Della like it did for Webby, giving her a new design, a more bombastic new personality, and backstory, and making her an important main character. This version of Della was a wonderful addition to the cast, and it’s high time Disney started including her in more material.
3 Clarabell Cow
Disney seems to have been consistent when it comes to giving their main trio love interests. Mickey Mouse has Minnie, and Donald has Daisy, but Goofy never got a consistent love interest. Originally, Clarabel was portrayed as romantically involved with him, but she has been mostly forgotten over the years.
Fans have even theorized that Clarabell is the mother of Goofy’s son Max, but no confirmation of this has ever been given. Whether it’s as Max’s mother or not though, Clarabell is overdue for a modern interpretation.
2 Max Goof
Shockingly, Goofy is one of the only mainstream Disney characters who has a canonical child. Max is best known for his starring roles in A Goofy Movie and Goof Troop, which focus on his and Goofy’s relationship.
Bizarrely though, outside these properties, Max has almost been treated like he didn’t exist. Kingdom Hearts doesn’t even mention him, despite Goofy being around for most of the series. Ducktales (2017) references him briefly, but it’s about time Max returned to the Disney stage in a more fleshed out capacity.
1 Tiana
The Disney princesses are a longstanding group of characters, all of whom got their start in their own feature films. For Tiana, that was 2009s The Princess and The Frog, where she was an entrepreneurial young woman dealing with a voodoo doctor, an arrogant prince, and greedy businessmen.
Tiana is easily the most industrious princess, and her status as a working class person makes her far more relatable than the others. She’s been seen in material that references the other princesses (like Ralph Breaks the Internet), but is still the only one lacking any supplemental content outside her original movie. Disney has announced an apparent Tiana TV series, but after already being pushed back once, the fate of the series is still unknown.