99 Fun Facts About Disney Cartoon

What was the first full-length animated feature film released by Walt Disney Productions?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs briefly became the highest-grossing sound film ever made; its special Oscar came as one full-size statuette and seven miniature ones.

Which comedian voiced the Genie in Disney's 1992 'Aladdin'?

Robin Williams had the part written for him: directors Musker and Clements won him over with a test reel of the Genie animated to one of his old stand-up routines.

Which Disney princess has a pet chameleon named Pascal?

Rapunzel's chameleon Pascal never speaks in Tangled, yet he lands the final blow: he trips the villain with a length of cut hair and she tumbles from the tower.

Who is the 'Shadow Man' villain of Disney's The Princess and the Frog?

Dr. Facilier turns Prince Naveen into a frog with a talisman of the prince's blood; Keith David voices him, and his 'Friends on the Other Side' eventually drag him off.

In The Emperor's New Groove, Yzma's potion, meant to poison Emperor Kuzco, accidentally turns him into what?

Llama is the result because Kronk grabbed the wrong vial; the Incan-inspired film's villain Yzma was voiced by Eartha Kitt.

Who is Simba's father and the wise king of the Pride Lands in Disney's 'The Lion King'?

Mufasa dies saving Simba from a wildebeest stampede set up by his own brother; the charging herd was built in a computer, then shaded to match the hand-drawn animals.

What type of sea creature is Sebastian, King Triton's advisor, in 'The Little Mermaid'?

Crab: Sebastian began as an English butler named Clarence until songwriter Howard Ashman proposed making him Jamaican and reshaping the film's music to match.

In Toy Story, the pull-string cowboy doll's voice box warns of which animal in his boot?

A snake: 'There's a snake in my boot!' is one of the doll's pull-string lines, and on the talking toys sold in shops the voice usually belongs to Tom Hanks's brother Jim.

Which 'Alice in Wonderland' character can vanish at will?

The Cheshire Cat's grin was not Lewis Carroll's idea: people were said to 'grin like a Cheshire cat' in print generations before his 1865 book, and nobody is sure why.

Disney's 1989 animated film 'The Little Mermaid' is loosely based on a fairy tale by which famous author?

Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 tale ends far less happily: the prince marries someone else, and the mermaid throws herself into the sea and dissolves into foam.

Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in 1928 after losing the rights to which earlier character to Universal?

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was a hit until distributor Charles Mintz hired away Disney's animators and kept the character; Disney got him back in 2006 by trading sportscaster Al Michaels to NBC.

In which synchronized-sound short did Mickey Mouse make his official debut?

Steamboat Willie (November 1928) was the third Mickey short made but the first released; the silent Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho were shelved until sound could be added after its success.

Pinto Colvig, the original voice of Goofy, also supplied the barks of which Disney dog?

Pluto's barks and Goofy's voice both came from Pinto Colvig, a former circus clown; when he fell out with the studio and left in the late 1930s, it reused his old recordings and hired stand-ins until he came back.

What was Goofy called in his early-1930s cartoons and comic strips, before the name Goofy stuck?

Dippy Dawg began as a bearded heckler in the audience of 1932's Mickey's Revue, crunching peanuts and laughing so loudly that the studio built a new regular around the laugh.

With which Oscar-winning song does Sebastian urge Ariel to forget the human world?

'Under the Sea' won the 1989 Oscar for Best Original Song, yet the plea itself fails: Ariel slips away before Sebastian has even finished singing.

In Disney's 1967 'The Jungle Book', what kind of animal is Baloo?

Bear: Baloo was only an episodic part until Phil Harris, told to stop playing a bear and just be himself, ad-libbed so freely that the role grew into one of the film's leads.

According to studio legend, which name did Walt Disney pick for Mickey Mouse before his wife Lillian objected?

Mortimer struck Lillian as too pretentious, the story goes, and she suggested Mickey; in 1936 the studio gave the cast-off name to Mortimer Mouse, a smooth rival for Minnie's affections.

In 'Fantasia', Mickey Mouse is apprenticed to which sorcerer?

Yen Sid is 'Disney' spelled backwards; The Sorcerer's Apprentice began as a Silly Symphony short meant to revive Mickey, whose popularity had slipped behind Donald and Goofy.

What is the name of the magical kingdom where the events of Disney's 'Frozen' take place?

Arendelle was drawn after a research trip to Norway: the art director wanted its fjords, wooden architecture and rosemaling folk art at the centre of the kingdom's look.

What type of animal is Thumper, Bambi's energetic friend?

Rabbit: Thumper was a minor part until the animators heard four-year-old Peter Behn read him, then enlarged the role so much that the film shifted towards its young animals.

Who wrote the lyrics to the Oscar-winning song 'A Whole New World'?

Tim Rice wrote the lyrics to Alan Menken's music after Howard Ashman's death; Brad Kane and Lea Salonga sang the duet, which won the Oscar, the Golden Globe and the Grammy for Song of the Year.

What is the name of Mulan's small, red dragon guardian?

Mushu, voiced by Eddie Murphy, was demoted from family guardian for failing to protect an ancestor; the animators kept him small so he would not overwhelm Mulan on screen.

In Disney's 1991 film, who is Belle's eccentric inventor father?

Maurice is Disney's reworking of the tale's father: in the old French fairy tale he is a rich merchant who loses his ships and his fortune, and the film turned him into a village tinkerer.

What is the name of Nemo's overprotective father in Disney Pixar's 'Finding Nemo'?

Marlin was first recorded by William H. Macy; with most of the dialogue done, the director decided the anxious father needed a lighter touch and recast Albert Brooks.

'Lady and the Tramp' (1955) was the first animated feature shot in which widescreen process?

Lady and the Tramp was the first animated feature in CinemaScope; because only some cinemas could project the wide image, Disney also issued a second version in the old Academy ratio.

What is the name of Andy's loyal toy cowboy in Disney Pixar's 'Toy Story' films?

Woody began as a ventriloquist's dummy, hence the name; the designers dropped the dummy features because they made him look 'sneaky and mean' and turned him into a cowboy doll.

Which Disney animated film is primarily set in ancient Polynesia?

Moana sails with the demigod Maui to return the heart of Te Fiti; Disney assembled an 'Oceanic Story Trust' of Pacific Islanders to advise on the film.

Which young linguist deciphers the journal that guides the expedition in Disney's 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire'?

Milo Thatch, voiced by Michael J. Fox, reads the Shepherd's Journal that guides the 1914 expedition, only for its commander to turn on him and steal the crystal that keeps Atlantis alive.

Which Disney film earned animation's first Academy Award nomination for Best Picture?

Beauty and the Beast was first shown unfinished, as a work in progress, at the 1991 New York Film Festival, and the audience still gave it a long standing ovation.

What is the primary setting for Disney's 'The Princess and the Frog'?

New Orleans also supplied the heroine: Tiana was inspired in part by Leah Chase, the city's celebrated restaurateur, whom the directors met on a research trip.

Which Disney villain is known for having a trio of bumbling hyenas as loyal henchmen?

Scar's hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed do his dirty work in The Lion King, and in the end it is they, not Simba, who kill him.

Which Disney animated film features a lovable inflatable robot named Baymax?

Big Hero 6's Baymax owes his huggable look to a research trip: at Carnegie Mellon the director saw an inflatable vinyl robot arm meant for healthcare and built the character around it.

Which actor voices the space ranger Buzz Lightyear in the 'Toy Story' films?

Tim Allen got the part after Billy Crystal turned it down, a choice Crystal regretted once he saw the film; Pixar later cast him as Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc.

Who composed the original songs for Disney's animated film 'Tarzan'?

Phil Collins sings most of the songs himself, as a narrator, because co-director Kevin Lima did not want Tarzan bursting into song; he also recorded them in French, Italian, German and Spanish for the dubs.

Which Disney princess is known for having a pet tiger named Rajah?

Jasmine's look came from a family photo: stuck on the design, animator Mark Henn based her on his younger sister's high-school graduation picture.

In Disney's 'Cinderella', mice are transformed to pull the pumpkin coach, so which animal becomes the coachman?

A horse: old Major becomes the coachman while four mice pull the coach in his place, and the bloodhound Bruno becomes the footman, all of it only until midnight.

Which magical object lets the demigod Maui shapeshift?

A fish hook is what Maui lost to the sea along with the stolen heart of Te Fiti; he has to win it back from the treasure-hoarding monster Tamatoa before he can shapeshift again.

In Disney's Chip 'n' Dale cartoons, what colour is Dale's nose, the quickest way to tell him from Chip?

Red: the chipmunks debuted unnamed in a 1943 short and looked alike, so Dale was given a big red nose and Chip a small black one, as in 'chocolate chip'.

Who is the manipulative and vain villain in Disney's 'Tangled'?

Mother Gothel has hoarded the healing magic for centuries, first in a golden flower, then in the stolen child's hair; once the hair is cut, she ages in moments and crumbles to dust.

In Disney's 'Dumbo', what do the crows give Timothy to convince Dumbo that he can fly?

A magic feather is only a trick for his nerves: when Dumbo drops it in mid-flight, Timothy admits it was never magic, and the elephant flies on anyway.

In Disney's 'Tangled', what is the name of the kingdom the lost princess was born in?

Corona's soldiers dug up a healing golden flower to save their gravely ill, pregnant queen, which is how its magic passed into her newborn daughter's hair.

Who provides the voice of Elsa in Disney's 2013 'Frozen'?

Idina Menzel's 'Let It Go' changed the plot: Elsa was written as a villain until the song made her so sympathetic that the directors rewrote her as a misunderstood heroine.

What is the name of the Darling children's dog in Disney's 'Peter Pan'?

Nana is a Newfoundland in Barrie's original story, modelled on his own dog Luath; in the film the children's father chains her outside on the very night Peter Pan flies in.

Which actor voiced the scheming villain of Disney's 1994 'The Lion King'?

Jeremy Irons shaped the villain twice over: the animator studied his films to copy his face and tics, and the script borrowed a line from his role in Reversal of Fortune.

What kind of animal is Abu, the street urchin's light-fingered sidekick in Disney's 1992 'Aladdin'?

Monkey: Frank Welker supplied Abu's chatter, and the animators filmed real monkeys at a zoo to study how he should move.

Which Disney-Pixar film features the no-nonsense fashion designer Edna Mode?

The Incredibles' Edna is voiced by the film's own director, Brad Bird, who took the part himself after several actresses he tried could not match her peculiar accent.

Maleficent curses the infant Aurora to prick her finger on what before sunset on her sixteenth birthday?

A spinning wheel's spindle is the curse, softened by the fairy Merryweather from death to sleep; King Stefan has every spinning wheel in the kingdom burned, to no avail.

Which Disney Pixar film tells the story of a robot tasked with cleaning up a desolate Earth?

WALL-E barely speaks: his beeps and whirrs were performed by Ben Burtt, the sound designer who gave R2-D2 his voice, and the film's early scenes run almost without dialogue.

Big Hero 6's fictional home city blends Tokyo with which real American city?

San Francisco is the base: the director called San Fransokyo 'an alternate version' of it, and he found the story by chance while scrolling through a database of Marvel comics.

Which duo teaches the young Simba the song 'Hakuna Matata' in 'The Lion King'?

Timon and Pumbaa's motto is real Swahili: the filmmakers say they picked it up from a tour guide on safari in Kenya, and the song replaced a cut number called 'Warthog Rhapsody'.

Which 1932 Silly Symphony was the first commercial film made in three-strip Technicolor?

Flowers and Trees was already under way in black and white when Walt scrapped the footage at great cost and restarted in three-strip Technicolor; it won the first Oscar for a cartoon short.

Disney's 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?' became an anthem of which era?

The Great Depression made a hit of the 1933 tune from Three Little Pigs, written by Frank Churchill: weary audiences heard their own hard times in the wolf at the door.

Donald Duck debuted in which 1934 Silly Symphony, as a neighbour too lazy to help plant corn?

The Wise Little Hen has Donald and Peter Pig fake belly aches whenever there is work to do; when her corn feast is ready, the hen gets even by serving them castor oil instead.

In 1930's 'The Picnic', Pluto appeared as Minnie's dog under what name?

Rover was dropped, animator Ben Sharpsteen recalled, for being too common; 'Pluto' came months after the planet was named, though he could not remember whether that was the reason.

Which wartime Donald Duck short won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film?

Der Fuehrer's Face was to be called 'Donald Duck in Nutziland' until Spike Jones's record of its theme song, out before the cartoon, became such a hit that the short took the song's title.

Which villain is the oldest continuing Disney character, debuting in 1925?

Pete predates Mickey by three years, first appearing in 1925's 'Alice Solves the Puzzle' as a hulking brute, and went on to menace Oswald and then Mickey.

What is the name of Geppetto's pet goldfish in 'Pinocchio' (1940)?

Cleo is a Disney invention: neither she nor Geppetto's kitten appears in the original Italian story, and the kitten proved popular enough to get a cartoon series of his own.

Which pioneering stereo sound system did Disney devise for its 1940 concert feature of animated classical music?

Fantasound, the multi-channel system Disney built with RCA, was installed in only a handful of theaters; the cost of the gear helped keep Fantasia from turning a profit for years.

Which conductor led the classical pieces in 'Fantasia' (1940)?

Leopold Stokowski met Walt at Chasen's restaurant, where Disney pitched The Sorcerer's Apprentice as a Mickey short; the project grew into a full concert feature.

'Bambi' (1942) is loosely based on a 1923 novel by which author?

Felix Salten's 'Bambi, a Life in the Woods' was first bought by MGM director Sidney Franklin for a live-action film; judging it unfilmable, he passed the rights to Disney.

In 'Bambi', what kind of animal is Flower?

A skunk gets the name when the young Bambi, still learning to talk, mistakes him for a flower; the skunk is so flattered that he keeps it.

In Disney's 'Cinderella', what is the name of the wicked stepmother's cat?

Lucifer the cat's yowls were supplied by June Foray; Bruno the household dog finally chases him out.

The score of 'Sleeping Beauty' (1959) was adapted from an 1889 ballet by which composer?

George Bruns adapted Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet; Eyvind Earle's tapestry-like backgrounds convinced Walt that Broadway-style songs would clash, so the ballet score won out.

Dodie Smith's 1956 novel about a family of dogs became which Disney animated film?

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) adapted Smith's book; she wrote to story man Bill Peet saying his drawings were better than the illustrations in her own novel.

What is the name of Merlin's talking pet owl in 'The Sword in the Stone'?

Archimedes, the grumpy owl, is made Wart's teacher when Merlin's talk of the future only confuses the boy; when Wart is turned into a sparrow, it is the owl who teaches him to fly.

Which jazz bandleader voiced the orangutan King Louie in 'The Jungle Book' (1967)?

Louis Prima won the part with a show: he and his band performed on a Las Vegas soundstage for the filmmakers, and their antics became the dance in 'I Wan'na Be Like You'.

In 'The Aristocats', what is the name of the butler who kidnaps Duchess and her kittens?

Edgar was already next in line for Madame's fortune after her cats; he kidnaps them only because he wrongly works out that they will outlive him.

In Disney's 'Robin Hood' (1973), what is the name of Prince John's snake aide?

Sir Hiss hypnotized King Richard into leaving for the Crusades, which is how the thumb-sucking Prince John got the throne.

In 'The Rescuers', the Rescue Aid Society meets inside which real-world building?

The United Nations basement houses the society's own assembly of delegates from many countries; when Miss Bianca takes the case, she picks its stammering janitor, Bernard, as her co-agent.

Which 1985 film was the first Disney animated feature to get a PG rating?

The Black Cauldron frightened children at test screenings, so new studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg had twelve minutes cut; it was still out-grossed by The Care Bears Movie.

Which horror legend voiced Professor Ratigan in 'The Great Mouse Detective'?

Vincent Price, half a century into his career, still agreed to audition, saying he would have been offended had anyone but Disney asked; Ratigan is a rat who hates being reminded of it.

Which singer voiced the dog Dodger in 'Oliver & Company' (1988)?

Billy Joel had refused film roles for years, sure the camera would be unkind to him; he took the cartoon part so his young daughter would have something of his to watch, and sang 'Why Should I Worry?' too.

Which song from 'Pocahontas' won the Academy Award for Best Original Song?

'Colors of the Wind' was the first song written for the film; its lyric drew on Native American poetry and on a famous letter credited to Chief Seattle that has since been debunked.

Who voiced Hades, ruler of the Underworld, in 'Hercules' (1997)?

James Woods came to Hades late: Jack Nicholson had turned the part down, and John Lithgow spent nine months on it before the directors released him and started again.

Who voiced Li Shang in the Chinese-language dubs of 'Mulan' (1998)?

Jackie Chan voiced Shang in both the Mandarin and Cantonese dubs, singing too; BD Wong voiced him in English with Donny Osmond handling the singing.

Stitch was created as which numbered experiment?

Stitch is Experiment 626, built by Jumba Jookiba; he crash-lands on Kauaʻi and gets passed off as a dog at the local shelter.

Which 2005 film was Disney Animation's first fully computer-animated feature?

Chicken Little (2005) was Disney Animation's first fully computer-animated feature, made after the hand-drawn staff were retrained in CGI; Zach Braff voiced the title character.

In 'Zootopia', which animals staff the Department of Mammal Vehicles?

Sloths staff the DMV, the unhurried Flash among them; the scene was put online as the film's second teaser trailer months before release.

In Encanto, which Madrigal grandchild is the only one who never received a magical gift?

Mirabel is the one who sees the family's magical house cracking, though nobody believes her at first; her sisters Isabela and Luisa got flowers and super-strength, and cousin Dolores super-hearing.

Who voiced the dragon Sisu in 'Raya and the Last Dragon'?

Awkwafina's Sisu breathes no fire: she and the film's other dragons were modelled on the naga, mythical serpent beings associated with water.

In 'DuckTales', Magica De Spell keeps trying to steal which of Scrooge's possessions?

His Number One Dime is the first coin Scrooge ever earned; Magica wants to melt it in a volcano's fire into an amulet with the Midas touch.

What is Darkwing Duck's civilian identity?

Drake Mallard is a play on Kent Allard, the true identity of the pulp hero The Shadow, whose cape, hat and showy entrances Darkwing sends up.

In 'Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers', what nationality is the mouse Monterey Jack?

Monterey Jack is an Australian adventurer mouse with an outback accent; his one weakness is cheese, which sends him into a trance-like 'cheese attack'.

In 'TaleSpin', what is the name of the cargo plane Baloo flies for Higher for Hire?

The Sea Duck's crew had an unlikely model: the creators based Baloo and his boss Rebecca Cunningham on Sam Malone and Rebecca Howe of the sitcom Cheers.

In 'Gargoyles', the stone guardians were transported from which medieval land?

Goliath's clan guarded Castle Wyvern in 10th-century Scotland; they wake after a thousand years of petrified sleep to guard modern-day New York City.

In 'Kim Possible', what kind of animal is Ron Stoppable's pet Rufus?

A naked mole rat was the only pet Ron could have: his father's allergies ruled out anything with hair, so he bought the bald Rufus, who now comes along on missions.

In 'Phineas and Ferb', what kind of animal is Perry, alias Agent P?

A platypus was chosen for its odd looks and because so few viewers knew anything about the animal, which left the writers free to make things up about Perry.

'The Lion King' draws its plot inspiration from which Shakespeare play?

Hamlet's shape is there: an uncle murders the king and the prince goes into exile before returning to reclaim the throne; the filmmakers also cited the Bible's Joseph and Moses.

Which 2012 Disney short ended the studio's four-decade Oscar drought for animated shorts?

Paperman's hybrid hand-drawn look came from an in-house tool called Meander that blends 2D lines with 3D; it was Disney's first animated-short Oscar since 1969's 'It's Tough to Be a Bird'.

Magica De Spell's glamorous look was modelled on Gina Lollobrigida and which other Italian film star?

Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida were the models because Magica's creator wanted a witch who was young and beautiful, not the usual old hag; he later named Morticia Addams as another inspiration.

Which cartoonist created Scrooge McDuck, the Beagle Boys and Gyro Gearloose?

Carl Barks created Scrooge in 1947 and worked anonymously for years; fans simply called him 'The Good Duck Artist'.

Clarence Nash discovered Donald Duck's voice while imitating which animal?

A goat: Nash found the voice as a boy in Oklahoma, mimicking his pet goat Mary; by one account he did the same billy-goat routine at his Disney audition and was told it was perfect for a talking duck.

Disney's core animators, Marc Davis among them, shared which nickname?

The Nine Old Men is what Walt called them in the 1950s, borrowing a label for the Supreme Court justices of Franklin Roosevelt's day; Davis later left animation to design Disneyland attractions.

Which Brazilian parrot, introduced in Disney's 1942 film 'Saludos Amigos', teaches Donald Duck the samba?

José Carioca grew out of Disney's 1941 goodwill tour of South America, which the US government underwrote under its Good Neighbor Policy; a carioca is a native of Rio de Janeiro.

The Atlantean language in 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' came from the creator of which language?

Klingon's inventor, Marc Okrand, devised a full Atlantean language for the film; the crew, pleased to be making an action film and not a musical, wore T-shirts reading 'Fewer songs, more explosions'.

In 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse', what does Mickey shout to summon the day's Mouseketools?

'Oh, Toodles!' brings out a flying Mickey-shaped helper with the day's tools; the show's 'Hot Dog!' song is a nod to the first words Mickey ever spoke on screen, in 1929.

What is Flynn Rider's real name in 'Tangled'?

Eugene Fitzherbert is the name he confesses when the pair are trapped in a flooding cave and expect to die; the glow of her magic hair then reveals a way out underwater.

Which Disney artist designed the characters for the 'It's a Small World' ride?

Mary Blair's paintings of children, shaped by her 1941 South American goodwill tour with Walt, fed directly into the attraction's look.

Who voiced the sea witch Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid' (1989)?

Pat Carroll voiced Ursula after Elaine Stritch was dropped from the part; the sea witch's design was famously inspired by the drag performer Divine.