We all love to settle down with some popcorn and by entertained by singing fish and evil witches, don´t we?
Disney films have given pleasure to millions over the decades but what amazing Disney facts are you not yet aware of? Maybe these ones.
The Alternative Dwarfs
We all know and love those 7 dwarfs but how would you have liked them if they can been given crappy names like Burpy, Chesty, Tubby, Hickey, Deafy, Wheezy and Awful? These were the name Walt Disney was originally going to give them. In fact, they weren´t given names at all in the original Brothers Grimm tale and in other versions of Snow White they have been called all sorts of stupid names.
The Hidden Characters
The folks at Disney love to hide unexpected characters in their films. For example, in King Triton´s concert at the start of the Little Mermaid the audience includes Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy. In The Hunchback of Notre Dame song Out There you can see Belle, Pumbaa and even Aladdin´s magic carpet.
The Fewest Words Spoken by Characters
The only Disney main character to be completely word-less for the whole movie is Dumbo. Next in line is Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, who only had around 18 lines in the whole movie. On the other hand, the first Disney character to speak was Mickey Mouse and his enigmatic first words were “Hot dog”.
The Facial Hair Issue
While staff at Disneyland were barred from growing facial hair for a long time, it is even stranger to think that guests with facial hair were banned when it first opened. Any dude with long hair was also declared persona non grata.
The Disneyland Workers
A good number of Disneyland workers have gone to fame and fortune, while some even grew a beard as soon as they stopped working there. Among the future stars to work with Mickey and the gang were Steve Martin, Kevin Costner and Michelle Pfeiffer. Some rumours suggest that Robin Williams worked there as a tour guide.
More Hidden Stuff
So, did the dust kicked up in The Lion King really form the word “sex” in the sky? If you look really hard it does appear to be true. The official response from the people behind the film is that it says “SFX” as a sort of signature. Less debate is needed around the hidden nude image in The Rescuers. Disney admitted that a naked woman appears in the background as our intrepid heroes fly on a sardine tin. A recall of the video (yeah, this happened a while ago now that you mention it) was ordered.
Snow White Struggled for Work
The actress who voiced Snow White in the classic film was called Adriana Caselotti. She was paid just $970 for her work, although in today´s money that works out as a more impressive $16,000 or so. She was under contract to Disney but was blocked from taking on more work in order to avoid spoiling the illusion of Snow White. Her voice pops up briefly on The Wizard of Oz and It´s a Wonderful Life but you´ll struggle to find her featured on any other film.
Famous Last Words
Walt Disney left us with some of the most intriguing last words ever. Rather than speaking them he wrote them on a piece of paper. So what did he write that day in 1966 when he passed away? “Kurt Russell”. No one knows why he wrote the then child actor´s name down.