50 Fun Facts About Disney Animals

Bruce, the fish-abstaining shark in Pixar's Finding Nemo, is named after the mechanical shark from which 1975 film?

Jaws used an animatronic shark that its crew nicknamed Bruce, after Steven Spielberg's lawyer Bruce Ramer. Pixar's Bruce runs a support group for sharks trying to give up eating fish.

The four shaggy-haired vultures who befriend Mowgli in Disney's The Jungle Book were drawn to resemble which band?

The Beatles were meant to voice the birds and sing their song, but John Lennon refused to work on animated films and the plan was dropped. The haircuts and accents stayed.

On Pleasure Island in Disney's Pinocchio, boys who misbehave are transformed into which animals and sold as labour?

Donkeys are what Lampwick and the other runaways become before the Coachman ships them off. Pinocchio flees in time and keeps only the ears and a tail.

Which of Disney's Lion King characters has a name that is simply the Swahili word for 'lion'?

Simba is Swahili for lion, and the film borrowed more of the language: the name of the wise old Rafiki means friend.

In Disney's Zootopia, which slow-moving animals staff the Department of Mammal Vehicles, to Judy Hopps's dismay?

Sloths run every counter, led by Flash, billed as the fastest of them. Kristen Bell voiced his co-worker Priscilla.

Sebastian, King Triton's court composer in Disney's The Little Mermaid, is what kind of crustacean?

Crab or not, Sebastian began as a stuffy English butler named Clarence. Lyricist Howard Ashman proposed making him Jamaican and changing the film's musical style to match.

In Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, a botched poisoning turns the selfish Emperor Kuzco into which animal?

A llama is what Kuzco becomes when Kronk grabs the wrong vial from Yzma's secret laboratory. Yzma later gets a dose of her own potions and is turned into a cat.

Which Disney dog debuted as a nameless bloodhound chasing an escaped Mickey Mouse in the 1930 cartoon The Chain Gang?

Pluto is officially a mixed-breed, despite that bloodhound debut. Some Disney animators believed his name was picked to cash in on the newly named ninth planet.

In Disney's Peter Pan, which animal swallowed a ticking clock and relentlessly stalks Captain Hook?

The crocodile got its taste for the captain when Peter Pan cut off Hook's hand and fed it to the beast. The ticking always warns Hook that it is near.

In Disney's Mary Poppins, which animated birds wait on Mary and Bert at a tea table, then dance with Bert?

Penguins serve the tea, and songwriter Richard Sherman voiced one of them. The actors were filmed against a screen lit by sodium vapor lamps so they could be combined with the animation.

In Disney's The Lion King, fast-talking Timon, voiced by Nathan Lane, is what kind of animal?

A meerkat in the wild walks on all fours and only stands on its hind legs, while Timon strolls about upright. One of the film's animators pointed out that a real warthog would eat a meerkat.

In Disney's Bambi, which young rabbit, voiced by four-year-old Peter Behn, befriends the newborn prince of the forest?

Thumper is named for his habit of thumping his left hind foot. His four-year-old voice actor was so lively that what began as a minor part grew into a star turn.

In Disney's Lady and the Tramp, the pampered Lady, a Christmas gift from Jim Dear to Darling, is which breed?

A Cocker Spaniel in a hatbox opens the film, a scene inspired by the Chow Chow puppy Walt Disney once gave his wife Lillian in the same way.

In Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which dog is the father of the fifteen puppies stolen by Cruella de Vil?

Pongo, voiced by Rod Taylor, also adopts the eighty-four other puppies he rescues, which is how the family reaches the number in the title.

In Disney's Frozen, what kind of animal is Sven, the loyal companion of the ice harvester Kristoff?

A reindeer named Sage was brought into the studio so the animators could study how it moved. Sven never speaks: Frank Welker supplied his grunts and snorts, uncredited.

In Disney's Tangled, what kind of animal is Pascal, the silent pet who keeps Rapunzel company in her tower?

A chameleon who never says a word, Pascal gets the last move against Mother Gothel: he uses Rapunzel's hair to send her tumbling from the tower.

In Disney's Pocahontas, what kind of animal is Meeko, who starts out feuding with the governor's pug Percy?

A raccoon won the sidekick job after a planned talking turkey, Redfeather, was dropped. That part had been intended for John Candy, who died in 1994.

Which pop star voiced the singer Gazelle in Disney's Zootopia and performed the film's song Try Everything?

Shakira also dubbed Gazelle for the Spanish-language releases in Spain and Latin America. Her song for the film was written by Sia and the duo Stargate.

Which comedian with a famously grating voice played Iago, Jafar's parrot, in Disney's 1992 Aladdin?

Gilbert Gottfried voiced Iago in every animated appearance until his death in 2022. Animator Will Finn even gave the bird Gottfried's half-closed eyes and ever-visible teeth.

Which Disney duck, created by Carl Barks for a 1947 comic, is the fabulously rich uncle of Donald Duck?

Scrooge McDuck was meant to be used only once, as a foil for Donald in the story Christmas on Bear Mountain, but became the signature creation of Barks's career.

In Disney's Cinderella, what is the name of Lady Tremaine's cat, who torments the mice Jaq and Gus?

Lucifer was modelled on animator Ward Kimball's own calico cat. Walt Disney had rejected every design until he visited Kimball's home and spotted the pet.

In Disney's Aladdin, what is the name of Princess Jasmine's protective pet tiger at the palace in Agrabah?

Rajah was voiced by Frank Welker, who also supplied Aladdin's pet monkey and even the rumbling Cave of Wonders in the same film.

Which Jungle Book villain, a tiger voiced by George Sanders in Disney's 1967 film, fears only fire and guns?

Shere Khan is finally driven off when Mowgli ties a burning branch to his tail while the vultures keep him busy.

King Louie, the swinging ape who wants the secret of fire in Disney's The Jungle Book, is what species?

An orangutan appears nowhere in Kipling's stories, because the apes are not native to India. Disney invented Louie for the film and cast bandleader Louis Prima to voice him.

In Pixar's Finding Nemo, what is the name of Nemo's overprotective father, voiced by Albert Brooks?

Marlin was first recorded by William H. Macy, but director Andrew Stanton felt the clownfish needed a lighter touch and recast the part.

Dory, the forgetful fish voiced by Ellen DeGeneres in Pixar's Finding Nemo, belongs to which species?

A blue tang, in full a regal blue tang, Dory later got a film of her own: Finding Dory follows her search for the parents she had forgotten.

Hank, the grumpy seven-limbed helper voiced by Ed O'Neill in Pixar's Finding Dory, is what kind of sea creature?

An octopus who has lost a tentacle, Hank is nicknamed a septopus. He dreads the open ocean and at first helps Dory only in exchange for her tag.

In Pixar's Up, what name does the young scout Russell give the giant colourful bird he befriends in South America?

Kevin is later revealed to be female, a mother calling out to her chicks. Russell's other new friend, Dug, is a Golden Retriever whose collar turns his thoughts into speech.

Which comedian voiced Shenzi, the sharp-tongued leader of the hyena trio, in Disney's The Lion King?

Whoopi Goldberg got the part after a planned Cheech & Chong reunion fell through: Tommy Chong was unavailable, so his hyena was rewritten as the female Shenzi.

In Disney's The Fox and the Hound, what is the name of the hound puppy who befriends the fox Tod?

Copper is voiced by Corey Feldman as a puppy and Kurt Russell as an adult, opposite Mickey Rooney as the grown Tod.

Zazu, the uptight royal adviser voiced by Rowan Atkinson in Disney's The Lion King, is what kind of bird?

A hornbill nearly lost his famous voice: Rowan Atkinson was at first uninterested, saying he had never liked voice work, until a fellow Mr. Bean writer talked him into it.

Walt Disney lost his 1927 cartoon star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to which studio, spurring him to invent Mickey Mouse?

Universal held the rabbit until 2006, when it handed him back to Disney in a trade that let sportscaster Al Michaels move to NBC's football coverage.

Walt Disney first planned which name for Mickey Mouse before his wife Lillian persuaded him to change it?

Mortimer Mouse reached the screen anyway: the name later went to a rival for Minnie's affections in the 1936 cartoon Mickey's Rival.

Goofy first appeared in the 1932 Disney cartoon Mickey's Revue as an old man under which name?

Dippy Dawg, named by Disney artist Frank Webb, was an old man with a white beard and a puffy tail. He made six appearances under that name before becoming Goofy in Orphan's Benefit.

Which kitten from Disney's Pinocchio proved so popular that he later became Minnie Mouse's pet in cartoon shorts?

Figaro was invented by the Disney team, along with the goldfish Cleo, and appears nowhere in Carlo Collodi's original story.

In Disney's Dumbo, what is the baby elephant's real name before the other elephants saddle him with a cruel nickname?

Jumbo Jr. gets his proper name in the only line his mother speaks in the whole film. He arrives late, dropped off by a stork after the circus train has set out.

Which singer-songwriter voiced Dodger, the streetwise terrier who befriends a kitten in Disney's Oliver & Company?

Billy Joel auditioned for the part by telephone. His Dodger is a Jack Russell Terrier who leads a gang of dogs in a New York retelling of Oliver Twist.

Basil, the hero of Disney's The Great Mouse Detective, consciously models himself on which famous fictional sleuth?

Sherlock Holmes lives upstairs from Basil, and his voice in the film belongs to Basil Rathbone, lifted from a 1966 recording because the actor had died in 1967.

In Disney's The Aristocats, which of Duchess's three kittens is the only girl and has to be rescued from a river?

Marie is the middle kitten of the litter. The Aristocats was the last film project that Walt Disney personally approved before his death.

Phil Harris, the voice of Baloo, returned in Disney's The Aristocats as which stray who guides Duchess to Paris?

Thomas O'Malley struck critic Leonard Maltin as essentially Baloo again, dictated by the same voice. Harris completed the set as Little John in Disney's Robin Hood.

In Disney's 1973 Robin Hood, where every character is an animal, Friar Tuck is portrayed as which creature?

A badger was the second choice: designer Ken Anderson first planned the friar as a pig, then worried that the symbol might offend the Church.

Alan-a-Dale, the minstrel who narrates Disney's 1973 Robin Hood in Roger Miller's voice, is portrayed as which bird?

A rooster who sings as well as narrates: Roger Miller began composing the film's songs in 1969, four years before its release.

Orville, who flies two mice of the Rescue Aid Society to the bayou in Disney's The Rescuers, is what bird?

An albatross was animator Ollie Johnston's suggestion: he remembered nature footage of the birds' clumsy take-offs and landings. The first idea had been a catapulted pigeon.

Dante, the dog who follows Miguel in Pixar's Coco, belongs to which breed, named after an Aztec god?

The Xoloitzcuintle, Mexico's national dog, comes in hairless and coated types, and Pixar studied real ones to animate Dante. In the Land of the Dead he turns out to be a winged spirit guide.

In Disney's Sleeping Beauty, what name did the animators give Maleficent's pet raven, who is never named on screen?

Diablo was only ever the animators' name for the bird, used during production. The 2014 live-action Maleficent gave her raven a new name, Diaval, and a human form.

In Disney's Alice in Wonderland, what is the name of Alice's pet cat, whose meows came from Donald Duck's voice actor?

Dinah was voiced by Clarence Nash, who spoke for Donald Duck for 51 years. Eleven years earlier he had supplied the meows and yowls of Geppetto's kitten in Pinocchio.

Disney's Bambi was redrawn for American audiences; in Felix Salten's original novel, the hero is which species?

Roe deer are native to Europe, so Disney chose an American model instead. Artist Maurice Day argued for the white-tail as the kind most of the United States would recognise.

Which Winnie the Pooh character was invented by Disney and never appears in A. A. Milne's original stories?

Gopher was developed as an all-American replacement for Piglet, though in the end Disney kept both characters.

Ray, the Cajun bug in love with the Evening Star in Disney's The Princess and the Frog, is what insect?

A firefly, Ray believes the evening star is a lady of his own kind named Evangeline. After he dies protecting his friends, he reappears as a star beside her.

In Pixar's A Bug's Life, the gang that extorts food from the ant colony every summer is made up of which insects?

Grasshoppers bullying ants echo the story that inspired the film, Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper. Their leader, Hopper, has one great fear: birds.