Entertainment
15 Shocking Facts About Disney Movies That'll Change How You Watch Them
Growing up with Disney classics, you might think yourself a knowledgeable expert on the films. After all of those movie nights with your siblings and online quizzes asking which screenshot is from which movie, there's a good chance you've got a lot of useless Disney knowledge floating around in that brain of yours. But the truth is there are still shocking facts about your favorite Disney movies that will change the way you watch them forever.
Between Easter Eggs hidden throughout the films, the true meaning behind the characters' names, and some shocking results due to the popularity of a few films, Disney flicks are full of little secrets. Sure, you've all heard about the naughty priest in The Little Mermaid, and the clouds in The Lion King that allegedly spell out S-E-X (myth, by the way — the clouds spell out SFX, an insider's shoutout to the special effects team on the film), but do you know which Disney movies cost more to make than Avatar? Or why Disney stopped making animated princess films for more than 30 years? Or which flick sent kids to the hospital? If you're searching for a few shockers to add to your Disney repertoire, search no further. Read on for a handful of facts that'll change the way you view your favorite Disney flicks for life.
1Princess Crossover
In the scene from Enchanted, where Amy Adams drinks out of the fish tank — the receptionist (seen above) is played by Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
2Miss Mary Boo
In the Monsters Inc. scene where Boo has been coloring, one page says "Mary" over and over again. This is a sneaky reference to Mary Gibbs, the little girl who voiced the character of Boo.
3What is A113?
Have you ever noticed "A113" appears in almost every Disney and Pixar film? According to Huffington Post, A113 is the number of a classroom where many of the animators who work for Disney and Pixar took classes and began their careers in graphic design, at the California Institute of Arts.
4Tangled Cost More Than Avatar
What do Pirates of the Caribbean and Tangled have in common? They're the two most expensive movies Disney has made so far, according to Screen Rant. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides cost a whopping $378.5 million to make, and Tangled comes in at a close second, costing $260 million. That means they both cost more money to make than James Cameron's epic adventure, Avatar — which only cost $237 million.
5Disney's Namesake
Wall-E was named after someone pretty famous in the Disney world — Walt Disney himself. Disney's full name was Walter Elias Disney, hence Wall-E.
6Chilly Wordplay
You might think the naming of characters is random, but not in Frozen. When said fast and in succession, Hans, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven make Hans Christian Andersen, who authored The Snow Queen — i.e. the original story that the film was based on.
7Lost Nemo
After Finding Nemo came out in 2003, there were news reports that kids were flushing their fish down the toilet to set them free, like they saw in the movie because, "all drains lead to the ocean." Yikes.
8Woody Pride
An animator from the Toy Story movies let Woody's last name — Pride — out of the bag on Twitter, even though he's never been called by it in the actual movies.
930 Year Slumber
After Sleeping Beauty debuted in 1959, there was a 30-year gap between Disney princess movies. The next one to be released was The Little Mermaid in 1989. Why? Because Sleeping Beauty was a box-office bomb.
10Monsters Vs. Beauty
Supposedly, the song Boo sings in the bathroom scene of Monsters Inc. is "Tale as Old as Time" from Beauty and the Beast.
11Princess With Powers
Rapunzel was the first Disney princess to have supernatural powers. Next came Elsa from Frozen.
12Disney's Orphan Complex
101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Mulan are a few of the only animated Disney films where both parents are alive and well for the duration of the movie. E! spoke to Disney producer Don Hahn, who had a few theories on why, one of which was that Disney lost his own mother in the early '40s.
13Prince Tom Cruise
Aladdin’s appearance modeled after Tom Cruise, and according to Bustle, isn't the only Disney character modeled after a celebrity.
14Lilo In The Ring
The voice actress behind Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, Daveigh Chase, also played Samara in The Ring. Terrifying.
15The Princess And The Salmonella
According to Metro, more than 50 kids were hospitalized with salmonella after The Princess and the Frog was released. They all got sick after, you guessed it, kissing frogs.
