Ever since we’re kids and until now that we’re adults, Disney has always been a part of us. The stories we have learned so much from it during our childhood can never be forgotten. But all through these years, Disney hid secrets from all of us avid fans.
There are still things we don’t know about these tales we’ve watched and we here at Viralityfacts already revealed some, but Disney empire was so large that facts about it is endless. To elaborate some, here are truths about Disney movies we are not very well-known of.
1. The Beatles were originally planned to voice the characters of The Vultures for The Jungle Book. It was even the band’s manager who approached Disney about having The Beatles appear in the film. John Lennon protested vehemently against this idea, and in a mightier-than-thou comment, said that they should hire Elvis Presley instead. The Vultures were clearly modeled after The Beatles in their illustration.
2. Tony Hawk was studied to figure out how Tarzan would move swinging through vines and sliding through trees in the movie Tarzan. They made one scene where Tarzan even slides down trees on a surfboard. This actually caused complaints from audiences, who said that his athleticism was exaggerated and would send the wrong message to young boys. Sorry, Tony, I guess you’re too athletic for young boys.
3. When picking out the names for the Dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, there were fifty that the team came up with in total. Some of these names included: Silly, Gabby, Baldy, Wheezy, Jumpy, and Awful (this one was described as stealing, drinking, and always dirty and who feels powerless against evil).
4. Walt Disney originally didn’t want to include that uber romantic spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp, which is now one of its most iconic moments! Also, in earlier scripts, Tramp was called Homer, then Rags, and then Bozo. I’m glad they decided on Tramp.
5. Tangled is the most expensive movie that Disney has made. It was originally thought of as somewhat of a sequel to Enchanted, but the executive producer rejected the idea because he wanted something more fantastical. But when The Princess and the Frog made less than it was expected to, they revisited the idea. Since it was suspected that the “princess” story line detracted young boys from seeing it, they restructured Tangled to give Flynn Rider more of a role. Some trailers even put more emphasis on his character.
6. 101 Dalmatians was such a huge success that after its release, everyone was buying and breeding Dalmatians because parents thought they would be a good pet for their kids. Dalmatians are not always kid friendly, and because people don’t think things through properly, a lot of Dalmatians ended up in animal shelters. Also, early 1990s merchandise had to be quickly pulled because it had the incorrect spelling, “Dalmation,” on the packaging. Can you imagine being the person who made THAT mistake?! Yowza!
7. The original script for Alice in Wonderland was written by Aldous Huxley, but Walt Disney nixed that because he thought it was too intellectual for the audience. He opted for a much more animated, whimsical, and comedic take. Even Louis Caroll’s famous Jabberwocky was originally included, but was taken out because Walt thought it was too frightening.
8. “Prince Charming” is the only Disney prince who is not given a name. This only adds to the absurdity that Cinderella marries a stranger, since she doesn’t even know his name!
9. Although Peter Pan has been incredibly successful and become a loved film, Walt Disney was actually dissatisfied with it. He thought that Pan was too cold and not likable.
10. Mulan was based off of a real Chinese legend. In the legend, the woman had a dragon companion. Disney didn’t want to scare children with a portrayal of a dragon, so they shrunk Mushu. This is referenced in the movie when Mushu says, “I’m travel-sized for your convenience. If I were my REAL size, your cow here would die of fright.”
11. In the song “Be Prepared,” the hyenas march past Scar while he is above them on a rock. This scene was actually modeled after footage of Nazis marching past Hitler on a podium.
12. The Lion King was originally titled The King Of The Jungle, but after realizing that lions do not live in the jungle, they changed that. The concept for the story was told as “Bambi in Africa meets Hamlet.” A writer took to calling it Bamlet for a while.
13. Sherri Stoner is the woman whom Ariel and Belle were modeled after. Ariel often bites her lower lip like Sherri, and Belle brushes away hair from her face throughout the movie, which they also gleaned from Sherri.
14. Bambi has only 1000 words of dialogue in the whole film. Dumbo didn’t speak at all in his namesake film. Aurora from Sleeping Beauty only actually appears in the film for 18 minutes, and only has 18 lines of dialogue (which don’t actually start until 19 minutes into the movie).
15. There were originally supposed to be seven fairies in Sleeping Beauty, rather than three. Also, Walt Disney suggested that the three fairies should look the same, but an animator said that it wouldn’t be exciting.
16. Scar is the only lion that always has his claws out. Jeremy Iron was the voice of Scar, and animators were so impressed by his performance that they actually put some of his features into Scar’s face.
(h/t): Diply