When it comes to in jokes and Easter eggs
no one does it better than the House of Mouse. Disney movies are full of really
cool hidden secrets that keep fans talking for years. Here are just a few
that you may have missed.
JUNGLE BOOK'S BEATLES
In 1967, Disney released its take on the Rudyard Kipling classic The Jungle Book. With its swinging songs, it
stars jazz musicians Phil Harris and Louis Prima as Baloo and King Louie
respectively, but it also almost had some rock'n'roll, if the filmmakers had their
way that is. As you may have noticed, the four vultures who sing "That's What
Friends Are For" have familiar English accents and mop tops. That's because they
were modeled after the Fab Four, The Beatles. But according to one of the
movie's composers, The Beatles declined the invitation to appear in the movie. Maybe
The Rolling Stones would have done it.
GENIE'S END...AT THE BEGINNING
In 1992's Aladin, audiences meet a short, wacky peddler who introduces the story they're about to see,
and then he's never seen again. Or is he?
Over the years, fans theorized that the peddler is actually the genie, but after he's been set free
by the end of the movie. Uh, spoilers.
The evidence? They both have four fingers on their hands, they both have the same
curly beards, and they're both voiced by Robin Williams. But after years of
silence on the theory, Aladin's co-directors, Ron Clements and John Musker, confirmed that in
2015 that, yes, the peddler and the genie are one in the same. In this case, fans
wishes finally came true.
SIMBA'S PARENTS
Everyone knows that James Earl Jones provided the booming voice for Mufassa, Simba's father, in 1994's The Lion King.
Jones is also well known for his role as King Jaffe Joffer, father of Eddie Murphy's prince Akeem, in
1988's Coming To America. What most fans probably don't know however, is that King
Joffer's royal wife, Queen Aoleon, was played by actress Madge Sinclair, and Sinclair
also provided the voice for Simba's mother, Sarabi. Clearly Jones and Sinclair
were a perfect royal match.
HERCULES' HAUNTING MUSES
Disney movies are so filled with references that some of them can slip by in a flash.
One such example comes in 1997's Hercules, which features a
quintet of the singing muses who move the story along. During Meg's song,
"I Won't Say I'm In Love," the muses take the form of five stone busts, and they're
arranged exactly like five similar stone busts, known as the Grim Grinning Ghosts
from Disney's Haunted Mansion ride.
THE BEST WAY TO TAME A LION
Lots of Disney characters make brief, unexpected cameos in other characters' films, but usually in
the form of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in the background, but not always. In the
original Greek myth, Hercules is tasked with fighting and slaying the Nemean
Lion, a fearsome beast that no mortal can kill. While we don't see
Hercules fighting the lion in the animated movie, we definitely see that fight's
loser, the villainous Scar from The Lion King. Too bad Mufasa never thought of that.
BIG HERO 6'S BIG, HEROIC CAMEO
Even though Big Hero 6 was a smash hit in 2014,
a lot of Disney fans might not know that it was actually the first
Disney animated film to feature Marvel Comics characters. Big Hero 6 was
originally a comic book that debuted in 1998, but what's really interesting is
the cameo featuring the most legendary Marvel character of them all, Stan Lee.
In the movie's post credits scene, Fred and his dad bond over their, uh, mutual love
of wearing their underpants four days in a row. You know, as one does.
True Marvel zombies can't miss the fact that Fred's dad is voiced by and modeled
after Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Iron Man, and
countless others. Even though he's been in nearly every Marvel movie since X-Men
in 2000, this is probably the one that feels the most super.
WRECK-IT RALPH'S GRAFFITI ARTISTS
There's no shortage of cameos from famous video game characters
throughout 2012's Wreck-It Ralph. From King Koopa, to Zangief, to Sonic the
Hedgehog, gamers were treated to tons of appearances from heroes and villains who
would otherwise probably never get to share a screen together. But more than that,
the world of Wreck-It Ralph has some even deeper cuts that only the most
dedicated fans can spot. When Fix-It Felix and Sergeant Calhoun prepare to enter Sugar
Rush, graffiti referencing famous games and in jokes line the walls.There's "Aerith lives,"
referencing Final Fantasy 7, there's a nod to the infamous Leroy Jenkins, as
well as a tag saying "Sheng Long was here,"
referencing Street Fighter 2's most important non-character. And, of course,
no gaming references would be complete without "all your base are belong to us."
Seems that the street artists in the world of games love a good meme as much as we do.
THE ALL-POWERFUL KONAMI CODE
Out of all of Wreck-It Ralph's many references, there's one that truly stands out among them all.
When the villainous King Candy starts to enter the secret vault to hack Sugar Rush's code, he pulls out a napkin
with mysterious instructions written on it:
Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start. If you know what that is,
congratulations, you played Nintendo games in the '80s. That sequence of
commands is known as the Konami Code, and it first appeared as a way to get power
ups and extra lives in the NES games Gradius and Contra back in 1986, both made
by Japanese developer Konami. The code has since taken on mythical status among
fans, and it's found its way into plenty of other games, and even websites.
BACK TO SCHOOL
If you keep your eyes sharp, you'll notice a recurring combination of letters and numbers,
A113, that keeps appearing in lots of Disney's movies. It shows up in Meet the Robinsons, The Princess and the Frog, The Brave Little
Toaster, and Lilo and Stitch, just to name a few.
It also happens to appear in every single Pixar movie. Why? Well, that's just
the classroom number for the first year graphic design and character animation
class at the California Institute of Arts, where many of the animators who've worked at
Disney and Pixar started out. The code even makes appearances in non-Disney
properties, like episodes of Family Guy and The Simpsons. So aspiring animators
take note: if you want to get a job in showbiz, now you know exactly where to
send your application.
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