Disney world isn't just princesses and fairy tales; it's also personal stories, the rise of an empire, and some pretty cool facts stemming from it all. And if you're as huge of a fan as we are, you'll find these Disney facts thoroughly entertaining and enlightening, too.
Rest assured that these facts about Disney will leave no stone unturned as we go from the very beginnings of the animation studio to the present times. From such interesting pieces of information as the studio's very first logo to specific drawing techniques to some statistics (the fun kind, of course), these fun Disney facts will surely give something new even to the most dedicated fans. For instance, did you know that Disney owns a cruise ship line or that the legendary spaghetti scene from The Lady and The Tramp almost didn't happen? Can you imagine the world without it? Neither can we! So, you get the gist - the stories about Disney are endless, and so are the Disney world facts. But, all the better for us - more stuff to oooh and ahhh about!
You know what to do here, right? Scroll on down below to reveal our selection of interesting facts and give the ones that raised your astonished eyebrow a vote so they’ll find their place on the top of our list. Once that is all well and done, share these facts about Walt Disney and his magnificent creation with anyone who you think would find them useful.
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The Spaghetti Scene From Lady And The Tramp Almost Never Happened
In fact, Walt found it to be silly, thinking that no dog would ever share their food with another. Because of this, the scene almost got scrapped if not for animator Frank Thomas' persistence.
Which makes the later parody in The Simpsons where the two dogs realise they're eating the same strand of spaghetti and immediately start snarling at each other even funnier.
Merida Is The Second Disney Princess To Not Have An American Accent
The first princess without an American accent is Princess Aurora. She had a British accent.
The Name Of The Little Girl In Monsters, Inc. Is Mary
And she was voiced by an actual kid who was far too young to say things on cue, so they just followed her around with a recording device for a while and spliced it all together later.
Disney Animators Often Hide Other Classic Characters In The Background Of Certain Scenes
They call them "Easter Eggs". Flynn & Rapunzel are seen entering Arundel with the crowd as Anna is dancing & singing. Too many to count!!
All Screams In Monsters, Inc. Were Supplied By The Children Of The Animators
Asking a little kid to scream as loud as they can is basically on the same level as giving them a bag of sweets. XD
The Early Concept Of Inside Out Included Over 27 Different Emotions
Before the final five characters were settled upon in Inside Out, there were 27 emotions in the running! The roster included Pride, Greed, Irritation, Shame, Gloom, Love, Ennui, Hope and even Schadenfreude.
Disney Pixar’s Lamp Mascot Is Named Luxo Jr.
The hopping lamp in Spirited Away was a tribute to Luxo Jr! Apparently the guy behind it is a big Pixar fan.
The Movie Wall-E Was Originally Titled Trash Planet
Each Pixar Film Holds An Easter Egg That Features The Code A113
A113 (pronounced A-One-Thirteen) is the classroom number used by character animation students at the California Institute of the Arts. Many of its alumni (including Pixar staff) have used the number in their professional works. It is said to appear in some way, shape, or form in every Pixar film.
For 2 Years, Walt Disney Was The Only One Who Could Produce Colored Films
Disney purchased exclusive rights to technicolor for animation. Other companies like the Fleischer Brothers had to use a less vibrant color process such as cinecolor, a 2 color process. I don't remember what color process the Fleischer Studios used, but I do believe it was a 2 color process, whereas technicolor was a 3 color process so could do much more vibrant colors.
The Little Mermaid Features Over One Million Hand-Painted Bubbles
Merida Is The Only Disney Princess To Not Sing In Her Movie
This one confused me, because there is songs in Brave, (touch the sky being an example) but she isn't animated as actually singing them and now my mind feels betrayed xD
A Hyena Researcher Once Sued Disney
One biologist felt so strongly about the portrayal of hyenas in The Lion King, that they sued Disney studios for defamation of character!
"What, you want me to come out there looking like you? Cactus Butt?" :D
Voice Actors Of Mickey Mouse And Minnie Mouse Married In Real Life
The couple, though, kept their personal romance private. They did not want their marriage to color how Disney fans viewed Mickey and Minnie, who have never officially married. Once, radio host Paul Harvey asked them to share their romantic story with his “The Rest of the Story” listeners, Farmer recounts. They refused. That would have drawn the spotlight away from their characters.
Mickey Mouse Became The First Animated Character To Get A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Hidden Mickeys Can Be Found Throughout Disneyland
Zootopia Originally Intended To Revolve The Story Around Nick Wilde Instead Of Judy Hopps
Also Judy was originally going to be a jaded veteran cop, but they ultimately changed her into a naive, idealistic rookie.
Disneyland Banned His Theme Park Employees From Growing Facial Hair
This was one the Disney's aesthetic - 'a fresh, clean, and approachable' look, ensuring that every guest feels comfortable with the entire cast. This way, Walt wanted to emphasize the importance of the show and not the individual.
Belle’s Blue Dress Is Meant To Symbolize Her Role As An Outsider
The color blue gives a bit of power to a character - the color of yearning and wishes, resembling the sky. So, although it symbolizes an outsider, the color is also a mean to empower these on-screen ladies!
The Girl Who Voiced Boo In Monsters Inc Had Difficulty Staying Still For Her Lines
Pixar’s First Human-Only Feature Film Was The Incredibles
Pocahontas Is The Only Disney Princess Based On A Real Life Person
VERY loosely, it should be said. The real person was twelve, for one thing.
The Little Mermaid Was The Last Disney Film To Use A Traditional Animation Process
And everything that came after it was done using a digital method of animation known as the Disnay Computer Animation Production System, or CAPS for short. First movie to be made using CAPS was 1990s The Rescuers Down Under.
You Can Send Certain Disney Characters An Invitation To Your Wedding
Disney’s top couple is known for sending a postcard and a “Just Married” pin from one of the theme parks. Cinderella and Prince Charming are also reported to send a similar keepsake.
The Snowman Olaf Was Originally Going To Be Elsa’s Sidekick
Olaf is one of the greatest parts of Frozen, but the original version of Disney's iconic snowman, where he was mean, would have made him a much less beloved character. Olaf started the animated feature as a typical Disney sidekick, brought to life by Elsa's magic. Josh Gad's performance as Olaf and a major deviation from the original plan, which had Frozen writer and director Jennifer Lee ready to kill the character off, resulted in a delightful companion that truly made the movie magical.
The Vultures Found In The Jungle Book Were Supposed To Be Voiced By The Beatles
In fact I think they tried to get the Beatles to voice them but it didn't work out for whatever reason. So they got the voice actors they went with instead to do their best impersonations of the Fab Five.
Monsters, Inc. Was Originally Centered Around A Grown Man Haunted By His Drawings
Many Disney Films Do Not Feature A Mother Due To Walt Disney Losing His Mother
As Of 2019, Princess Aurora Is The Only Real Blonde Disney Princess
Aurora is the only true blond princess. Rapunzel was blonde but later got brown hair. Cinderella had more strawberry blonde hair.
Over 100 Garments Were Made For The Film The Incredibles
12 unique garments and 6 different body types were created for all the male background figures. Adding variations in patterns and colors totaled 72 uniquely costumed male characters! When it comes to the women, they made 20 unique garments and 7 body types. Changing some variations, they came up with 64 uniquely costumed characters.
The First Disney Film Produced After Walt Disney’s Death Was The Aristocats
The Film Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Received A Special Academy Award
There Are 10,297 Balloons In Disney Pixar’s Movie Up
Disney World Buys The Second-Most Explosives In The United States
Disney’s Chernabog Is Considered To Be The Best Representation Of Pure Evil
The Image Of The Beast From Beauty And The Beast Was Inspired By Several Animals
It's a mixture of many and known to be inspired by wild boars, goats, and mandrills.
Mickey Mouse Was Named By The Wife Of Walt Disney
Disney’s Mulan Is Based On The Legend Of A Real Female Warrior In China With The Same Name
Isn't it a folklore legend? There's like 30 different variants of the story from what I know
Toy Story 2 Was Almost Entirely Deleted
Toy Story 2, after months and months of tedious work, got almost deleted from the company's servers after an erroneous command. Luckily, though, this was discovered right on time to retrieve the movie!
It helped that a pregnant employee had copies of the files so she could work from home. We did a case study about it when I was studying for my Master's degree.
The Movie Cars Was Paul Newman’s Last Film That He Had Worked On
Disney Made A Special Animation Software Just For Merida’s Hair In Brave
"Merida has curly, long, and expressive hair," May said. "It's important, and a reflection of her character." And to create such stunning locks, Pixar animators used never-before-released tools!
As Of 2012, A Total Of Three Babies Have Been Born At Disneyland
There Are Exactly 6,469,952 Black Spots In The Film 101 Dalmatians
What psychotic loon actually took the time to count them all is what I want to know.
Lilo And Stitch Is The First Feature-Length Animated Film Set In Hawaii
Dumbo Almost Made The Cover Of Time Magazine In 1941
TIME editors, hoping to release an uplifting issue for the Christmas season, commissioned artists from The Walt Disney Studios to draw a black-and-white portrait of the elephant for the cover. The accompanying story was scheduled to run on December 29 and would anoint Dumbo the “Mammal-of-the-Year.”
But on December 7, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack propelled the United States into World War II and sent TIME editors scrambling to rewrite their December 15 issue.
Walt Disney's First Original Character Was A Rabbit
It was really cool seeing him brought back in that Wii game with the paintbrush mechanic whose name I've forgotten and am too lazy to look up.
The Personality Of Disney Villain, Hades Was Inspired By The Audition Of James Woods
Yeah but they got the story of Heracles all wrong. this fall Hercules was his Roman name Heracles was his real Greek name second of all Hera hated his f***ing guts because he was yet again another b*****d child of Zeus so she was the main antagonist Hades was just some random chill dude on the sidelines who got involved with one of his 12 labors and third of all every love the interest that He has ever had has accidentally killed them in a madness a*s set upon by him by Hera or was killed by her(accidental murder)
Until 2013, The Lion King Was The Highest And Best-Selling Home Movie Of All Time
The Voice Of Snow White, Adriana Caselotti Was Underpaid And Uncredited For Her Role
She also voiced the "Romeo" line in Wizard of Oz during the Tin Man's song.
Walt Disney Was A Big Fan Of Trains
The Color Of Elsa’s Ice Palace Changes Depending On Her Mood
Many Believe That Walt Disney Was Cryogenically Frozen To Be Revived At A Later Date
Anyone ever hear the theory that "Frozen" was named so that when people search for "Disney Frozen", it will show up instead of the story of Walt being frozen?
There Are Approximately 2.3 Million Individual Hairs On Sulley From Monsters Inc
Walt Disney Died From Lung Cancer In 1966
He famously had smoker's cough, and when his employees heard it they would give each other the secret warning "Man is in the forest!" so everyone would know the notoriously grumpy and tyrannical boss was coming. You even hear it said in "Saving Mr Banks", which the Disney corporation grudgingly allowed to show Walt smoking and drinking. They've been so touchy about it in the past that there are multiple photos of him mysteriously holding up two fingers... because the cigarette he was holding between them has been edited out.
In The Movie Cars, Mater’s Name Was Inspired By A Real Nascar Fan
Disney Was Founded On October 16, 1923
Mickey Mouse Has A Wardrobe Of Around 300 Outfits
Alligators Have Been Found Swimming In Disney World Frequently
The First Words Mickey Mouse Ever Spoke Were “Hot Dog!”
Disney World Has A Network Of Secret Tunnels Used By Staff
The Garbage Compactor, Wall-E Has A Real Name
And its full name is Waste Allocation Load Lifter. Fancy, right!
As for the giant towers of garbage cubes, apparently there was going to be a series of giant robots called Burn-E who were supposed to come and incinerate them.
The Spice Girls Were Originally Considered For The Roles Of The Muses In Hercules
Tiana Is The First Black Disney Princess
Disney Has A Special Event Called Disney After Hours
Once in a while, the parks stay open for three extra hours after the official closing time. That's when, if you have the tickets to Disney After Hours, you can visit the place sans queues!
Wall-E And The Robot R2-D2 Are Played By The Same Actor
Kenny Baker did the voice for R2D2, he died in 2016. His was not the voice for Wall-E
Snow White Is The Youngest Disney Princess
The Film Ratatouille Created A Trend For Pet Rats
I just hope the parents of the kids who now wanted a rat did their homework on how to care for them. You can't just stick a rat in a cage with a bowl of pellets and call it a day, and it's depressing how many people don't know that. If I sound bitter it's because I've adopted unwanted rats before and so many of them were neglected. Improper food, forced to live on bare wire flooring which damages their paws, no toys, no fellow rats to play with (which can literally drive them insane from loneliness)... the list goes on.
Over 1,500 Costumes Were Made For The Second Movie Of Disney’s Descendants
Mickey Mouse Only Has Four Fingers For A Specific Reason
It simply makes the hands easier to draw! And in the times of hand-drawn animation, having one less finger to draw on each character, could save a lot of time. And, in turn, money. Also, as Walt Disney put it, “Using five fingers would have made Mickey’s hands look like a bunch of bananas.”
Disney Princesses Found At Disney’s Theme Parks Must Fit A Specific Body Type
Employees Are Not Allowed To Break Character At Any Of The Disney Theme Parks
There Was No Disney Pixar Movie Released In 2014
The Actor Who Was The Voice Of Dashiel Parr From The Incredibles Was Made To Run Laps Around The Studio
The Horses That Are Found On Disneyland’s Main Street Have Rubber-Soled Shoes
The Most Popular Souvenirs Bought At Disney Parks Are The Famous Mickey Mouse Ears
Disney Once Used Real Skeletons For The Pirates Of The Caribbean Attraction
Disney World Is One Of The Cleanest Theme Parks Found In The United States
I have a friend who does janitorial work there and she absolutely LOVES it. It's nuts! I think they must treat them pretty well. She posts all the time with great stories. (I think it's more of a HER thing than a Disney thing, but...)
Walt Disney Kept Live Animals On The Set Of Some Of His Productions
Hell, when they were making the Lion King, real lions were brought into the studio! And during the making of Ratatouille they had a cage full of live rats plus a rat expert to take care of them and give advice. (Other than the exaggerated eyes and noses and the de-emphasised "creepy" tails, the rats in Ratatouille are quite realistic).
Thelma Howard, Walt Disney’s Housekeeper Was Given Disney Shares As Holiday Bonuses
Walt Disney Dropped Out Of School When He Was 16
So he does it and he becomes famous... but when I do it I become a failure? /s
The Disney Company Owns A Line Of Cruise Ships
A Unified Theory Connecting All Pixar Films Is One Of The Most Popular Disney Theories Among Fans
The point of this theory is to have fun and exercise your imagination while simultaneously finding interesting connections between these fantastic movies.
In 2007, A Teenager Died On A Roller Coaster In Disneyland Paris
The Disney World Resort Measures As Big As San Francisco
Around 2 Million Pounds Worth Of Turkey Legs Is Sold At Disneyland Each Year
It Took Six Years To Make Sleeping Beauty
I'm always amazed at the brilliant jewel tone colors that were used in Sleeping Beauty, which makes the movie extra special to me.
Disney Acquired The Star Wars Franchise In 2012
The Company Was Originally Known As Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio Until 1926
In Aladdin, Genie’s Lines Were Recorded In 20 Different Ways
Disney World Welcomes An Average Of 50,000 Visitors Per Day
Disney Princesses Who Do Not Wear Gloves Were Born Into Royalty
Rapunzel’s Hair Measures Around 70 Feet Long
Animators Modeled The Character’s Teeth In The Incredibles Based On People
Syndrome looks like that kid in school we all knew but can't remember his name.
Ariel’s Perfect Proportions Are Based On A Real Model Named Sherri Stoner
What is the function of that bellybutton on a mermaid? Because surely....
Mulan Is The Only Disney Princess Who Is Not A Real Princess
The Official Name Of Disney Is Now The Walt Disney Company Which Was Made Permanent In 1986
Disney World Is One Of The Most Photographed Locations In The United States
Disneyland Has A Secret Basketball Court Hidden Inside The Matterhorn Roller Coaster
Each Year, Disneyland Finds Thousands Of Missing Items Around The Park
The Little Blue Alien, Stitch Was Originally Not Able To Talk
Woody From The Toy Story Franchise Has A Last Name
Woody's actual full name is "Woody Pride." And here we thought it was Harrelson...
Disney Has Strict Rules For All Of Its Cast Members
Mickey Mouse Was Created In 1928 By Walt Disney And Ub Iwerks
Disney’s First Real Original Film In Terms Of Storyline Was The Movie The Lion King
The first Disney animated film that isn't based on an already-existing story is "The Lion King." It is based on half of the tales from classical mythology, to put it another way. It tells the story of lion baby Simba's birth, upbringing, and eventual maturation into a man. The "The Circle of Life" opening sequence, which is a stirring combination of music and animation to portray all the animals of the African veld assembling to laud their future king, announces the birth of the cub.
Well, not really. The storyline is basically Hamlet. They even have Timon and Pumbaa as standins for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Disney’s Descendants 2 Was Said To Be Inspired By West Side Story And Hamilton
Barbie Was Only Added To The Toy Story World After The Success Of The First Movie
The first movie featured a "Combat Carl" because they couldn't get permission to include a GI Joe.
Visitors Can Come To See The Walt Disney Concert Hall For Free
Disney Acquired Marvel Entertainment In 2009
Walt Disney’s Motto Is “Dream, Believe, Dare, Do”
The Disney Channel Original Movies Are Typically Filmed Within Three Months Or Less
Employees At Disneyland Are Referred To By Their First Names
Disneyland’s Main Street Takes Inspiration From 1910 America
Would be nice if it were a photo of, oh I dunno... Main Street??? LOL
Several Families Annually Want To Spread The Ashes Of Their Loved Ones On The Haunted Mansion Attraction At Disneyland
The Disney Boardwalk Resort Hotel Ranks As An Aaa Four-Diamond Award-Winning Hotel
As Of 2019, Disney Has A Revenue Of $69.570 Billion Dollars
Only Disney Cast Members Can Access Disney Hub
Only employees of every company can access the employee portal at the company.
Walt Disney Has Won Numerous Academy Awards For His Work
"Der Fuehrer's Face" won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 15th Academy Awards. It was the only Donald Duck film to receive the honor, although eight other films were also nominated.
