Quiz: How Quickly Can You Match the Disney Sidekick to the Hero?

While each Disney story tells its own unique story, set in a distinct and intriguing world with a variety of different characters, most of the movies follow a similar storyline. There’s, of course, a central hero or two who are presented with a predicament and need to set out on a journey in order to enact a plan—usually to help others. But who is there to help them? Their sidekicks! Take our trivia quiz to see how well you remember these integral side characters:

Were you able to get a perfect score? Some of these characters are much more popular than others. For instance, there’s no way you’d forget Tinkerbell from Peter Pan or Mushu from Mulan. In many Disney movies, the protagonist has multiple sidekicks supporting them through their journey. Those characters should consider themselves seriously lucky.

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And while the central hero of any movie is usually the most important character, most wouldn’t be able to get as far as they do without the help of their sidekick(s). There are psychological reasons viewers tend to root for the sidekick, who, at least in most Disney movies, also serves as a source of comedic relief during otherwise-intense stories.

As reported by Thalia R. Goldstein Ph.D., associate professor at George Mason University, for Psychology Today, people might love sidekicks so much for several reasons. For one, as we mentioned, viewers enjoy the humor these characters bring. The article notes that even villains have sidekicks, who are also usually very funny. These humorous characters are more quotable and, many times, even more interesting than the heroes.

Another reason, Goldstein hypothesizes, is that sidekicks’ journeys are typically much simpler and less high-pressure than the central heroes, which could be comforting for viewers. Additionally, it’s possible that younger audiences, specifically kids with disabilities, can relate more to the sidekick of a story because they exist outside of the main plot.

“Sidekicks could be more identifiable for children who are placed outside of the main action by adults,” writes Goldstein.

Sidekicks might not make the list of the most popular or most-searched Disney characters, but they’re not far behind. Without sidekicks, Disney movies would be less amusing, less relatable, and overall less lovable.

Want to keep testing your Disney knowledge? Keep up with Mental Floss’s quiz section as well as our Disney section.

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