While watching a Disney movie, viewers may wonder why some animated characters seem so
familiar. Animation teams will often look to real-life famous faces to assist in etching
an unforgettable character. Here are 10 Disney Characters Inspired by Real-Life People You’d
Never Expect. If you enjoy our list, don’t forget to hit the like button, and subscribe
to the channel to see more videos like this one.
Aladdin 1992’s Aladdin included two actors who inspired
characters in the film. Robin Williams is one of the actors and the most obvious one.
The animators were inspired by the comedian’s mannerisms, facial features and, boisterous
attitude to create the Genie. Since Williams voiced the character, it is not nearly as
surprising as who inspired the appearance of Aladdin. Initially animators envisioned
Michael J. Fox but realized he just didn’t have the same sex appeal. It was then Tom
Cruise who the animators used to base their titular character, Cruise being the biggest
movie star at the time may have been the reason Disney wanted to use his likeness for their
film. Along with his facial features, Aladdin also began taking on certain characteristics
of Cruise and the characters for which he was known, giving Aladdin just enough cockiness
and charm to win over children and adults alike.
Ariel, The Little Mermaid Actress, writer, and producer Sherri Stoner
was used as a reference for the animators when drawing Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
Stoner previously worked with Disney as a screenwriter for their animated shows including
Chip and Dale, Rescue Rangers. Filmmakers used her body movements and mannerisms to
visualize realistic flow for Ariel but animators used another actress to base Ariel’s face
on, Alyssa Milano. As a child and teen actress on the 1980’s sitcom Who’s the Boss? Milano’s
teen dream persona and stunning face was the ideal choice to create a Disney worthy princess.
Milano had no idea she was the inspiration while the film was being made but was told
when she hosted a special for the film on the Disney Channel upon the film’s release
in 1989.
Ursula, The Little Mermaid Ariel is not the only character to be based
on a famous performer. Ursula, the evil sea-witch who makes young Ariel an offer she can’t
refuse was modeled after Divine. The late actor, singer and drag queen was such a vibrant
character, Disney animators looked to the performer to create the wicked villain. Divine,
whose real name was Harris Glenn Milstead exploded onto the movie scene in in the 1970s
with John Waters’ film Pink Flamingos and continued working with the director until
1988 with Hairspray. Ursula has such a resemblance to the late Divine, it is almost surprising
that the family friendly company would choose to model a character after the star of Pink
Flamingos. Unfortunately, Divine never saw the final product, dying one year before the
film’s release.
Edna Mode, The Incredibles. The diminutive stylist of the superhero family,
The Incredibles, Edna Mode is a hilarious and wacky character, but while viewers may
assume she sprouted from the vivid imagination of Pixar animators, she is actually based
on real-life stylist Edith Head. The legendary costume designer who won eight Academy Awards
for films including All About Eve, Roman Holiday, and The Sting. Head had an equally small stature
as her animated facsimile, standing at just over five feet. Just as Edna sported memorable
coke-bottle glasses, Head originated the look. While those who were familiar with Edith Head
may have easily guessed Edna Mode was an obvious reference to Head, others may have assumed
Edna was just another comical Pixar creation.
Chernabog, Fantasia To create the demon Chernabog for 1940’s
Fantasia, animators wanted to use an equally menacing presence to provide inspiration for
a character who would terrify children for generations. To create a truly frightening
demon, Disney looked no further than Bela Lugosi, the actor known for his depiction
of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the 1931 film, Dracula. While Lugosi’s blood sucking villain,
for which he is best known, may have been chilling, not all of the animators were completely
set on Lugosi. After the actor completed his modeling session for Chernabog, the animators
went a step further and requested fellow animator Wilfred Jackson to model shirtless and act
some of the demon’s scenes. In the end, the character was inspired by two performers,
which may not have satisfied Lugosi’s much speculated ego.
The Evil Queen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs If the devastatingly impressive eyebrows of
the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs may seem familiar in another iconic
non-animated person, it is because animators used actress Joan Crawford as a template for
Snow White’s hateful stepmother. Along with her arched eyebrows, The Evil Queen also resembles
the legendary actress with deep-set dreamy eyes, a strong jawline and intimidating personality.
Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich were two more actresses who shared a resemblance to
Snow White’s nemesis, but most of what made The Evil Queen stemmed from the unyielding
force of nature that was Joan Crawford.
Peter Pan Peter Pan is the brainchild of novelist J.M.
Barrie. While his characteristics may have already been decided long before Disney took
on the character, his mannerisms and appearance were up to the animators to produce. Bobby
Driscoll was a child actor in the 1940’s who has the impressive distinction of becoming
the first actor Walt Disney put under contract. Along with starring in the now racially insensitive
film, Song of the South, he was also the bases for Peter Pan’s appearance in the 1953 film.
Driscoll had a tough life like many child actors, delving into heavy drug use. He died
of heart failure at the age of 31 in 1968. While Driscoll’s life and death were a tragedy,
his place in the Disney legacy remains untouched as the boy who never wanted to grow up.
Cruella De Vil, 101 Dalmatians Cruella De Vil is an enduring Disney villain,
with her oversized fur coat, roaring cackle, and penchant for puppy napping. The inspiration
for the cold-hearted Cruella was actress Tallulah Bankhead. Tallulah was a stage actress but
did work in film and television, with Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat being her most notable
credit. She was known for her outrageous temperament and glamorous style. Along with her mannerisms,
filmmakers used the actress’s general personality, though Bankhead was not an animal abuser,
her detached demeanor was ideal for the villain. Bankhead may have been the primary inspiration
for Cruella De Vil but she was not the actress who provided the character’s voice, that
job went to Betty Lou Gerson who did her own interpretation of Bankhead’s voice.
The Vultures, The Jungle Book For the 1967’s The Jungle Book, filmmakers
pulled from music icons to develop a jungle of hip musician animals. While King Louie
is strongly inspired by Louis Armstrong, Disney decided to go with Louis Prima to voice the
orangutan, partly to avoid any possible racism issues that may arise from hiring an African
American man to play a primate. Another notable inspiration in The Jungle Book is the vultures
who were heavily influenced by The Beatles. The mop tops and Liverpool accents are more
than just a coincidence. The Beatles were originally supposed to voice the four birds,
but with a busy fab-four schedule and John Lennon deciding against it, it didn’t work
out. What remains is a similar musical quartet of the vulture variety.
Belle, Beauty and the Beast For 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, Screenwriter
Linda Woolverton based Belle’s personality on Katharine Hepburn’s portrayal of Jo March
in the 1933 adaptation of Little Women. Hepburn’s strong and intelligent representation of a
classic literary character was exactly what Woolverton wanted to see in Belle. As for
Belle’s appearance, the animators were inspired by a handful of actresses including Jennie
Garth, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor, and even characters Dorothy Gale from
The Wizard of Oz and Maria Von Trapp from The Sound of Music. Belle’s voice actor,
Paige O’ Hara found Belle to be too perfect but animators continued to tweak the character
and used Sherri Stoner as a live action reference, the same performer who inspired the body movements
of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. In the case of Belle, a single actor or character was
not enough to create an unforgettable Disney princess.
What did you think of our list? Are there any animated characters based on real people
we forgot? Let us know in the comments. Don’t forget to share this video with friends and
subscribe to the Screen Rant channel.