Most of us have seen Disney classics like The Lion King, Beauty And The Beast, and The Little Mermaid more times in our lives than we could count. With many of those movies we grew up with, they’d then return to screens as a Christmas special, or we’d put them on for our own kids in a bid to share that sweet sense of nostalgia. We turned into adults, but our love for Disney stayed.
So, for Disney aficionados like us, we have a special treat. Get your popcorn ready, ‘cause thanks to the wonderful corner of Reddit r/MovieDetails, we have a precious collection of hidden gems and tiny details spotted in Disney movies.
Let’s give a big round of applause for the Redditors gifted with an exceptionally sharp eye for details that were able to fish out all the interesting things we don't really notice. Have something that’s not on this list? Share the little details you've spotted in the comment section below, so we can all have the pleasure of turning into Disney-fueled detectives.
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In Disney's Mulan (1998) - Mulan is told "A girl can bring her family great honor in one way...by striking a good match." Both of Mulan's victories over the Huns involved lighting explosives.
In Aladdin, Genie wears a Hawaiian shirt and Goofy hat near the end of the film as a tribute to Robin Willams’ outfit in the 1989 short “Back To Neverland” that was filmed for Disney’s MGM Studios.
Every actor in every movie should wear this outfit in the last scene..
Previously, Bored Panda spoke to Redditor Niiue, one of the moderators of the wonderful Movie Details community, about the hidden details in movies and whether directors place them in the hope that the audience will find them.
"Most details are definitely there for the audience to find, but I think a lot of it also just comes down to creative people wanting to have fun with their projects. Speaking from experience here (though I work on video games, not movies), it really is a lot of fun to add little Easter eggs and whatnot just for the hell of it," Niiue said.
The Incredibles (2004) features a cameo by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two legendary Disney animators who worked on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
In Moana, a villager foreshadows the chicken's unsuccessful attempt to consume Maui.
Could be, could also be that it later eats the heart, or it could just be a joke.
We were also interested to know which production houses and directors are most adept at hiding Easter eggs in their movies. According to the moderator, some production houses and directors are more into hiding Easter eggs in their movies than others. "Besides the obvious choices like Pixar, I think Edgar Wright is another example of someone great at hiding details in his movies,” Niiue said and continued the list: “Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim, and Hot Fuzz are the first ones that come to mind in this regard. You'll find that his movies tend to get featured on this subreddit a lot, which I think reflects his skill as a director."
In Disney's 'Aladdin', the Genie sings "Well, Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherazade had a thousand tales." Scheherazade actually had One thousand and one Arabian tales, but one of them was the tale of Aladdin.
Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" (2002) used watercolor backgrounds, exclusively. The studio had some financial failures and was doing ambitious things elsewhere, so they left the filmmakers to their own devices, off at the Florida studio. The only other watercolor films are Dumbo and Snow White.
Chicha from The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) is the first pregnant female character to appear in a Disney animated feature film, according to the DVD commentary. She’s also one of the first mother characters in a Disney film not to be killed off or villainized.
The moderator of the Movie Details subreddit also shared their personal favorite hidden movie details. "Personally, I liked the way Scott Pilgrim had a recurring number motif tied to the Evil Exes. In the scenes before each fight, there are numerous references to the corresponding Evil Ex; for instance, right before the fight with Lucas Lee, the main characters pass by two crossing signs with an X design, a reference to Lucas being the second Evil Ex.”
“These kinds of references even continue after the Evil Ex in question is introduced, such as Lucas Lee saying (twice) that it will take 'two minutes to kick [Scott's] ass' and later fighting Scott accompanied by his stunt doubles.”
Whenever Maui changes into an animal on Moana, the hook shows up somewhere on his body.
At the end of “Frozen”, Disney included a statement about Kristoff’s belief that all men eat their own boogers.
In Disney’s “The Lion King” The line “What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?” was improvised by Timon’s voice actor Nathan Lane. The director liked the line so much, he decided to make a scene for it.
Created in 2017, the Movie Details community is relatively new, but it has a whopping 2.3 million members who could easily call themselves detectives of cinematography. From Easter eggs to incredible hints, tiny details, and scenes, they fish everything out and bring it into plain sight. Often, their findings change and add depth to the perspective of the whole film.
In The Lion King, the lions retract/extend their claws as needed (even in subtle moments) ... but Scar's claws are always out.
In Disney’s Princess and The Frog (2009),Tiana’s dad received the DSC (Distinguished Service Cross)—the US Army’s second highest award for valor. During WWI African-American soldiers often did not receive America’s highest recognition for bravery—the Medal of Honor.
In Aladdin, the Genie writes Aladdin’s order from right to left, which is how Arabic would be actually written.
In Disney's Princess and the frog, the wallpaper where Dr. Facilier's shadow is, turned to cross bones.
At the end of Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille (2007) Anton Ego is a little bit fatter. This is especially poignant since he states, "I don't like food, I love it... if I don't love it I don't swallow."
In Disney’s Tangled, after Mother Gothel says “I love you most” to Rapunzel instead of kissing her forehead Mother Gothel kisses Rapunzel’s hair, which is her source of youth.
Yep, and it happens throughout her song “Mother Knows Best” - like when she says her restrictions are “to keep you safe and sound, dear” she’s caressing and looking only at the hair.
In Disney’s Hercules (1997) the Fates tell Hades "In 18 years precisely the planets will align ever so nicely", but only show 6 planets. The Greeks were only aware of 5 planets (plus Earth) which they could see with the naked eye.
In Zootopia, Nick first answers "yes" when asked if he's ever been arrested, and then crosses over it.
In Disney's CINDERELLA and ALICE IN WONDERLAND, the same actress played the Fairy Godmother and the Red Queen in both the original animation and the live-action remake: Verna Felton voiced both women in the originals (1950, 1951), while Helena B. Carter played both women in the remakes (2010, 2015).
In Saving Mr Banks (2013), you can see the special Oscar that Walt Disney won for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
In Disney’s The Rescuers (1977), Orville the Albatross is seen using a runway and requires a running start before taking flight. This is because albatrosses in real life also require a running start due to their significant size and weight.
In Disney's Pinocchio (1940), Figaro has a little "sand box" next to his bed that is only visible in one shot.
The Jungle Book (1967) The Vultures were originally going to be voiced by The Beatles. The band manager met with Disney and they created the images but the idea was vetoed by John Lennon. Their look and Liverpool dialects stayed, but the song was switch to a barbershop quartet.
In Pinocchio (1940) When Jiminy Cricket opens a book to tell the story of Pinocchio at the beginning of the film, two other books which Disney would later go on to animate are on the shelf. Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan. (1953)
Maybe there's one library for all the movies Disney ever makes that starts with book opening. Mind blown.
In Zootopia, Nick's handkerchief was part of his Scout uniform from when he was a cub.
In The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana is going to her second job, the Magic Carpet from Aladin is the floor rug an old lady is shaking out.
In Lilo & Stitch (2002) Stitch’s adoption paper Nani signs is actually a thank you letter from the directors and producer to the people who helped create the film.
In Tangled, the lantern that Rapunzel lofts back into the sky is the one lit by the queen and king (her true parents). It was the only one with the royal symbol of the sun on it.
In 'The Little Mermaid', when Ariel rescues Eric from drowning and sings to him, she is backlit making her hair appear dark brown/black. It makes it even more conceivable that Eric believes the dark-haired human version Ursula was the one woman that rescued him.
Now that I’m thinking about this really for the first time, I’m guessing the main thing is it makes it more believable that everyone else in the palace believes that Ursula is the one who rescued him. Eric is just under a magic spell. However, I am betting in his days of trying to find the mystery girl, he gave descriptions of her to his staff for them to look for her too. His right hand man even says it appears this mystery woman exists after all, which could also imply she matches the description that Eric previously gave him.
In Hercules (1997) when Hercules first walks into Phil's cabin he hits his head on the mast of the Argo. In the original myth, Jason, the captain of the Argo, was killed when the mast hit his head.
But Hercules was one of the Argonauts. A young Hercules wouldn't be in the same time as a piece of the Argo's wreckage.
In The Lion King, (1994) Nala used her anti-pounce maneuver on Simba as a cub and a grown lioness. When he fights Scar at Pride Rock, Simba finally puts the maneuver to good use.
In Mulan (1998), Mulan mentions 'Punctual' as one of the desirable qualities in a bride. This is a callback to Aladdin when the Genie accidentally tells him to say 'Punctual'.
In Lilo & Stitch (2002) Lilo believes Pudge the fish controls the weather. Her parents were killed in a car accident caused by treacherous rain and she feeds him sandwiches to appease him, in hopes another accident will not happen like the one that took her parents.
The blu-ray version of Disney’s Cinderella(1950) has been so scrubbed of grain that it removed some of the line work within some scenes.
In Disney’s “Tangled”, Rapunzel’s crib mobile shown in the beginning of the movie foreshadows scenes and characters we see throughout the rest of the film.
Sultan is the name of the dog that was transformed into a footstool in “Beauty and the Beast”. Another word for “footstool” is “ottoman”. The ruler of the Ottoman Empire was called a Sultan.
In Finding Dory (2016), Dory passes by a sunken Volkswagen Beetle at the bottom of the ocean. This is a nod to the old Disney movie Herbie Goes Bananas (1980), in which one of the VW bugs that played Herbie was thrown into the ocean during filming and never got retrieved.
Frozen (2013) features accurate Norse runes. Disney consulted with Jack Crawford, a leading international expert in Old Norse. Crawford made several minor plot changes and coached voice actor Robert Pine, who played the bishop in the coronation scene and delivered a speech in the Norse language.
In Zootopia, Duke Weaselton is selling knock-off DVD's. One of which is Meowana. A hidden Easter egg for Disneys next big movie release, Moana.
In "Zootopia" (2016), during the chase scene in Little Rodentia, they pass by a billboard for "Thigmo Taxis". In Biology, thigmotaxis is the movement towards or away from physical stimulus, and has been extensively studied in rodents.
In Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out" (2015), the playing cards that are shown in Riley's Imagination Land include her family, not the typical card faces. Her father is the king, her mother the queen, and herself the jack (with the "J" being changed to an "R" for "Riley").
In the movie Wreck It Ralph The high score on Fix-It Felix Jr. is 120501, a hidden reference to December, 05, 1901, Walt Disney's birthday.
In "Ralph Breaks The Internet" (2018) the woman on the "Sassy Housewife" online ad is Aunt Cass from Big Hero 6.
In 'The Little Mermaid' (1989) Ursula uses a butterfly (a symbol of transformation and mimicry) in the potion to transform herself into 'Vanessa' - which is a genus of butterfly.
In Disney's Tron, the main characters fly over a digital landscape, including this familiar rodent-shaped lake.
In Beauty and the Beast (1991), you can see little skulls in his eyes as he falls to his death.
Among the many references in the princesses' loungewear scene in Ralph Breaks the Internet, Ariel's cutlery candlestick (and a small part of her box of thingamabobs) can be spotted on the table behind Aurora.
Disney's 1940 animated film Fantasia shows the dinosaurs dying off as the result of an intense drought. The theory of mass extinction as the result of an astroid strike wasn't proposed until 1980.
Well, technically the dinosaurs in the Yucatan peninsula died from a REALLY intense drought.
In Disney’s “Princess and the Frog” (2009), when Dr. Facilier is showing Prince Naveen his future the money pile on the tarot card is in the shape of a lily pad.
Saving Mr Banks (2013) references Disney’s censorship of the smoking habits of Walt Disney. In real life, they airbrushed cigarettes out of his hands in many old photos, leaving him with an odd two-finger salute.
In Disney•Pixar’s Ratatouille (2007) Anton Ego’s typewriter resembles a skull and his office a coffin.
In Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991) Belle was willing to be locked up for the rest of her life with the beast to save her father, but unwilling to be stuck with Gaston for the rest of her life to save her father.
Charles Muntz, the villain in Pixar’s “Up,” is named after real life Disney villain Charles Mintz, who stole Walt Disney’s first creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Fun fact there are some references to Oswald in zootopia if you know where to look
In Disney/Pixar's Up(2009) Carl and Ellie are shown hammering nails and sawing wood on their wedding day. This is a once popular euphemism cleverly disguised as innocent enthusiasm to fix their dream home.
In my favorite Disney film, "Treasure Planet", you can see Stitch plushie in Jim Hawkins' room.
Disney puts references about their next movie in that movie. LILO and Stitch was the next movie
In Space Jam, Daffy suggests the The Ducks as the team name. Bugs replies "What kind of Mickey Mouse organization would name their team The Ducks?" Referencing the Disney film The Mighty Ducks.
In Disney's "Ratatouille" (2007), Linguini has to hide Remy before his second day of work. He offers to hide him in his pants, revealing his briefs covered in The Incredibles logo.
Bolt (2008). The address on Bolt’s tag is for the Disney Animation Building.
In “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Frollo offers captured Gypsies silver coins for the location of Esmeralda. He asks 3 times, raising the price by 10 each time. On the 3rd time, he offers nothing. He would have otherwise offered them 30 silver pieces, the same price that bought Judas.
This one seems like a stretch, but maybe it was intentional.
In Disney’s Coco, Miguel’s skeleton hands show little sign of use or age since he is a kid. However, Hector’s hands show wear and look potentially arthritic, since he was an adult when he died.
In Disney’s “The Lion King” Simba eats the bugs with his pinky up. This is a reference to his royal background and manors due to his father being the “king” of the jungle.
In Disney's Mulan (1998) Mushu flips the newspaper from left to right because traditional chinese text was written in columns going from right to left.
Jack Sparrow telling the bone bribing prisoners in 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' that the dog holding the cell keys is "never going to move" is an obvious but cheeky reference to the stationary audio-animatronic in the original Disneyland dark ride that hasn't moved since the attraction opened in 1967.
In Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) during the song “Out There” you can see Belle walking with her book just like in the “Belle” scene in Beauty and the Beast. Both movies take place in France.
The Muses in Hercules (1997) during "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" are depicted as busts that are arranged like the singing busts in Disney's Haunted Mansion Ride.
The french one was scary when i was 5yo (early 90's). It had a room that was an elevator(or the contrary the walls were moving?) and there was disguised staff who pushed people off the walls. A witch touched my mothers shoulder, saying "step aside the walls!" in her creepy witch voice. I shout at her "don't you dare to touch my mother! You!". "Tu touches pas à ma mère toi!". The witch felt so treatened that they removed that part of the attraction (or because it was not very safe...).
In Hunchback of Notre Dame, when Frollo turns to the hooded figures in "Hellfire", the light around him resembles a coffin.
In COCO (2017), the “Rivera Family of Shoemakers” started in 1921. The same year Walt Disney made his first animation.
In Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) the fish tank behind Prof. Whitmore contains Coelacanths which some describe as a living fossil.
In “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018), Oh My Disney is surrounded by cheap motels. This is exactly what happened to the real Disneyland shortly after its opening, leading Walt to purchase a large excess of land for his next project, Disney World.
Working on SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937), animator Ward Kimball nearly quit after his two main sequences (the dwarfs eating soup and building a bed for Snow White) were cut. Walt Disney convinced him to stay by giving him the character of Jiminy Cricket to animate in PINOCCHIO (1940).
In Disney’s Hercules (1997), Zeus tells Hercules that Pegasus has the brain of a bird. Pegasus then uses his feathers to emulate a peacock, which in Greek mythology was a sacred animal to Hera.
In Disney's "A Goofy Movie", The GoofFather, The Goofinator, and Pup Fiction too can be seen on the movie theater marquee.
"Say what again. I dare you, I double dare you mothergoofer - say what one more goofdarn time!"
![Honey Lemon's 'Purse' Have A Small Periodic Table Of Elements On It Which Makes Her Own 'Elephant's Toothpaste' Using Different Elements [big Hero 6]](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/little-details-in-disney-movies-6-606ed367b0f56__700.jpg "Honey Lemon's 'Purse' Have A Small Periodic Table Of Elements On It Which Makes Her Own 'Elephant's Toothpaste' Using Different Elements [big Hero 6]")
Honey Lemon's 'purse' have a small periodic table of elements on it which makes her own 'Elephant's toothpaste' using different elements [Big Hero 6].
AND she memorized the periodic table, because she doesn't even look at the purse when she fights!
In Zootopia (2016), you can see a sign that says “Tujunga”. This is a nod to a leaky warehouse that Disney employees had to work in while the main studio was being renovated.
In Disney’s new Mulan(2020) remake, the actress who announced Mulan to the emperor at the end is Ming-Na Wen (uncredited in this mvoie), the actress who voices Mulan in the 1998 animated version.
The Mulan actress is not a good person: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Yifei#Controversy
In Enchanted (2007) the troll that chases Giselle at the beginning of the movie is wearing a loin cloth made up of the peasant dresses from previous Disney Princesses.
Bravo and Echo, the two military planes from the Disney movie Planes (2013), wear Goose and Iceman's helmets from Top Gun (1986).
In Lilo and Stitch (2002), Disney+ has an alternative edited version where Lilo is hiding behind a pizza box instead of a dryer to satisfy safety concerns about children hiding in dryers.
I know of two children who have died in my country from this (one was a washing machine the other a drier). I'm sure there's more I don't know about. But it clearly does happen
In Saving Mr. Banks (2013), as Walt addresses PL Travers in his office prior to the premiere of Marry Poppins in 1964, a map of Florida is seen showing the initial interest of land that would eventually become Disney World.
Disney bought as much land in Florida as he could on the downlow because it was cheap. As soon as they realized Disney was purchasing the land, the price went way up.
In The Santa Clause (1994), Tim Allen quickly grabs and tries on a tool belt, in reference to his TV show Home Improvement (1991-1999). Both produced by Walt Disney Studios.
In Crimson Peak (2015), the wallpaper in this scene is the same wallpaper used in the foyer of Disney’s 'Haunted Mansion' ride. Guillermo Del Toro included it as an “inside joke”.
Fire Casts a Transparent Shadow. In Disney's Hercules, Hades Head of Fire Does The Same!
In Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), when Mr. Fox achieves his “happiness”, the song “Love” plays. This was the same song used in Disney’s Robin Hood (1973), when two other fox characters achieved their happiness.
In "Ralph Breaks the Internet" when the Tron game glitches, a small floating item can be seen for a couple of seconds. This is the character "Bit" from the original 1982 Disney film "Tron".
![[the Jungle Book 2017] Mowgli Picks Up A Cowbell And Inspects It Before Meeting 'King Louie' Played By Christopher Walken](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/606ecbf2941d3_hwz9aXu__700.jpg "[the Jungle Book 2017] Mowgli Picks Up A Cowbell And Inspects It Before Meeting 'King Louie' Played By Christopher Walken")
[The Jungle Book 2017] Mowgli picks up a cowbell and inspects it before meeting 'King Louie' played by Christopher Walken.
In Disney's Cars; at the final race two vehicles can be seen spitting over the edge of the arena.
In Moana, Tamatoa refers to himself as a decapod, which is a crustacean that has 10 legs. You're probably wondering why he only appears to have 8 legs (okay, 7 and a half since Maui ripped off one of them). It's actually because he's a coconut crab. Coconut crabs have 10 legs, but the last pair is very small and hidden as they're only used for mating and tending to their eggs.
IDK if this counts but there is a nod to lion king being based on Shakespeare's hamlet in the song Hanku Mata. When Pumba is singing about changing his name Timon says "what's in a name". A line pulled from Shakespeares' Romeo and Juliet.
Dang! How do people find these details and their references? Tipping my hat to all y'all's good eye
In Moana, Tamatoa refers to himself as a decapod, which is a crustacean that has 10 legs. You're probably wondering why he only appears to have 8 legs (okay, 7 and a half since Maui ripped off one of them). It's actually because he's a coconut crab. Coconut crabs have 10 legs, but the last pair is very small and hidden as they're only used for mating and tending to their eggs.
IDK if this counts but there is a nod to lion king being based on Shakespeare's hamlet in the song Hanku Mata. When Pumba is singing about changing his name Timon says "what's in a name". A line pulled from Shakespeares' Romeo and Juliet.
Dang! How do people find these details and their references? Tipping my hat to all y'all's good eye
