20 Hidden Messages In Disney Movies That Went Over Our Heads
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Disney has a habit of hiding things in their movies that they assume people won’t find. Luckily, some eagle-eyed fans took notice!
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Since 1937 and the release of the world’s first Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the company has been entertaining both children and adults alike with their fantastical tales and classic takes on some of the most compelling, exciting and genius stories to ever grace the world. You’d be hard-pressed to find a person willing to admit they’d never seen a single Disney movie, or even enjoyed one, as there’s usually a film out there under the Disney umbrella for everybody.
But has the joy all been part of a higher plan? Are there subliminal messages working their way from Disney into the minds of our children? We highly doubt it, but it’s fun to speculate, look back and discover some of the hidden messages woven throughout Disney movies of the past that filmmakers probably thought we’d never even notice!
Whether it’s in the golden oldies or more of the modern-day Disney releases, those pesky animators and special effects teams have been cooking up a storm behind-the-scenes, popping subtle references to other Disney films or adding underlying narrative to complicate storylines further. We’ve taken a look at 20 of the most obscure, exciting and mind-blowing hidden messages in Disney movies and brought them to you guys, so you don’t have to go back and start looking for them yourselves! Here are some of our favorites from the past few decades; we hope you find them as enjoyable as us!
20 Written In The Stars
As one of the oldest messages fans spotted in classic Disney flick The Lion King, this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment sees our hero Simba flop to the ground, causing a huge amount of dust to go swirling into the night sky. At first glance, it’s as innocent as any of the other scenes in the movie.
When slowed down and paused within a couple of certain frames, it appears as if the dust is forming some letters.
The prominence of this apparent discovery led to thousands of people going online and hitting social media to complain that Disney were trying to send subliminal messaging about this to youngsters. Disney even officially stood up and denied the claims, with one of the film’s animators later explaining that the letters in the sky were actually a nod to the special effects department.
19 Is That What I Think It Is?
This one goes way back, as an original home video version of 1977 animated picture The Rescuers had to be recalled by Disney when consumers started to notice questionable imagery in the background of one particular scene. As the movie’s heroes rode through the city, photographic real-life imagery of a woman could be seen in the window of a building in the background, in two separate frames. Again, it’s not something the majority of people would notice without it being pointed out to them, but it was categorically unacceptable for Disney and they pulled all sales of the offending video, replacing it with a version where the pictures were edited out.
Whether this was a ploy to sell more videos, or someone in the special effects department was being naughty, we’re sure there were a lot of red-faced parents when they saw what they’d been showing their kids!
18 Witch Carvings
One of Disney Pixar’s more modern successes comes in the form of Brave, which brought the first ever red-haired, Scottish heroine to the big screen and allowed her to prove to everybody she was just as tough as anyone who had come before her. In this particular scene, audiences were taken into the house of an elderly witch who enjoyed carving things both into and out of wood.
Those who are major Disney fans of course found a few Easter Eggs amongst the objects.
This includes the Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story, and a carving of Sully from Monsters Inc. The latter led some people to believe that the witch in the film was actually Boo from the Monsters Inc. franchise, but whether or not that was what filmmakers had in mind when they brought Julie Walters on board to voice the witch has never been officially revealed.
17 “He’d Make A Very Handsome Throw Rug”
Another brilliant Easter Egg came in Hercules, with an incredible throw back to The Lion King and a certain line uttered by Zazu in reference to the film’s antagonist, Scar. “He’d make a very handsome throw rug!” the bird told the late Mufasa, and it would turn out that this would end up being the fate for the villainous lion, who was attacked by the hyenas he once called his allies at the end of The Lion King.
Not quite as subtle as some of the other entries on this list, but putting the fact that he is a literal throw rug in Hercules together with Zazu’s original line isn’t something everybody immediately does! We can’t help but feel a little sorry for Scar after this one…
16 A Concert Like No Other
One of the most memorable sequences from The Little Mermaid is when ruler King Triton hosts a brilliant concert, complete with musical performances and special guests. Though it takes place under the sea, that didn’t stop some of Disney’s most iconic characters from making an appearance.
Donald Duck and Goofy go underwater to make some unforgettable memories.
So what’s the hidden message here? That the pair can both breathe underwater without aid, of course! That could make for some very interesting adventures for the pair in the future, but for now, it’s an idea that Disney haven’t capitalized on. Unless the two beings circled are actually in disguise as Donald and Goofy… Or perhaps the Triton concert is the ample opportunity for cosplay!
15 Super Cars
Following the huge success of the first Cars movie, Disney’s Pixar got to work on a sequel, and weren’t shy with their Easter Eggs and references to other properties within the Pixar universe. One of those took place in Radiator Springs, and as viewers saw Mater drive past the Drive-in movie theater, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the movie on offer was called The Incredimobiles; an intelligent quip and obvious reference to fan-favourite Pixar picture, The Incredibles.
Again, this is another opportunity for an exciting franchise extension in the future. Who wouldn’t want to see the story, or something similar, from The Incredibles brought to the world of Cars? A crossover is something we could see working, though the execution would have to be perfect to stop from tarnishing the reputation both properties have built up!
14 Just A Check-Up For Buzz
Who knew that toys needed regular check-ups at the dentist as well as humans? In one of the most traumatic scenes in Finding Nemo (Darla is THE single most terrifying ‘villain’ in a Pixar movie, no exceptions), Toy Story fans were quickly able to spot their favorite space explorer Buzz Lightyear in the waiting room’s toy chest, scattered amongst a selection of other play things.
We’ll never know if Buzz got lost and this was the one from Toy Story.
We have to hope it was another toy; perhaps one from the hundreds we saw in Al’s Toy Barn, back in Toy Story 2. The idea that THE Buzz got lost and separated from all of his closest friends isn’t one worth thinking about.
13 Light Reading
When visiting a book shop in Tangled, Flynn and Rapunzel don’t seem to notice that there are a number of tales that have been turned into Disney classics scattered around them. The Little Mermaid appears on top of a table, whilst Sleeping Beauty is in front of the window. There’s even a copy of Beauty and the Beast lying on the floor next to the pair, but they seem more pre-occupied with the book they’ve currently got their heads buried in.
Then again, if the copies of the books are from The Brothers Grimm, we’d suggest they stick to the candy-coated versions that Disney have brought into households across the globe! Their version of ‘The Little Mermaid’ in particular has an extremely tragic ending…
12 An Unhealthy Obsession
As a child, watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame wasn’t unlike watching most other Disney classics. There was an obvious villain in the form of Frollo and a trio of heroes made up of Quasimodo, Esmeralda and the handsome Phoebus. It was a simple story and although Quasi didn’t get the girl in the end, he wasn’t the only one who may have had unwarranted thoughts about the Parisian gypsy. In fact, Frollo was so confused by his feelings towards Esmerelda, that he deemed her an evil that should be snuffed out!
In a song titled Hellfire, Frollo sings about the tensions and underlying lust he has for the gypsy girl.
He struggles with his subconscious in one of the most notorious scenes that prove Frollo is perhaps THE single most complicated villain in Disney history.
11 A British Injection
Plans for 1967 release The Jungle Book were scuppered when The Beatles had to back out of voicing four characters that were very clearly, at least in the way they were drawn, based on the foursome. Due to their hectic schedule because of their immense popularity, the group couldn’t follow through on their plans to voice the Vultures, after their manager Brian Epstein approached Disney and asked them for a part for the band. Or, if some reports are to be believed, John Lennon vetoed the rest of the group’s decision to take part, telling Disney they’d be better off hiring Elvis Presley.
Instead of having the real thing, the final classic picture now includes mock Liverpudlian accents from actors J. Pat O’Malley, Digby Wolfe, Chat Stuart and Lord Tim Hudson. The filmmaker tried to get the band to voice the Vultures but was turned down. It looks like this one was just never meant to be.
10 MIKE WAZOWSKI!
The plethora of nods to Disney releases of the past continued in one of the company’s biggest modern-day hits, Frozen, but one that often goes unrecognized is that which takes place in the ‘Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post (and sauna)’. Anna walks inside looking to add some essentials to her collection for a trip, but is swiftly kicked out.
Audience members spotted a wooden figure resembling Mike Wazowski!
Could the wooden carvings be from the witch in Brave that we talked about a little earlier? We certainly wouldn’t put it past those sneaky Disney filmmakers! Many have thought the different stories from Disney were all interconnected and took place in a shared universe, and this is just another slice of evidence that helps in proving exactly that.
9 Tale As Old As Time
Back in 1999, directors Chris Buck and Kevin Lima brought the Tarzan story to life in a Walt Disney production like none we’d seen before. An all-star cast came together, including Rosie O’Donnell who voiced the gorilla above, Terk, and some brilliant music sequences were included, such as the one in the picture. Of course, what’s most exciting about that picture for big Disney fans is the inclusion of some of the most iconic characters in Disney’s history; Mrs. Potts and Chip from Beauty and the Beast; or at least the same set, as they don’t have any eyes here and look oddly peaceful! We imagine that if they were the same Mrs. Potts and Chip from the Disney classic, they’d be complaining about having their heads rattled with Terk’s spoons!
8 Is That What I Think It Is?
Sid’s scenes in Toy Story were some of the darkest to come from a Disney movie, and his freaky hybrid toy collection were a product of his obsession with pulling things apart and putting them together again, in completely random and unique order. Whilst some would say it was all part of his inventive nature and that should be celebrated in the young, knowing that the toys were living beings when kids were out of the room made him the villain of the film; especially so when he sent his toys off on fireworks to explode in the sky!
One of his favorites to keep around could be seen as the physical representation of a street walker.
Just look at those legs on display and the very literal hook coming from between them! A subtle thing to throw in Toy Story for sure, but one that couldn’t evade the entire audience’s attention.
7 Keeping It In The Family
Most kids won’t have a clue who Oedipus is, so this reference from Meg in Hercules will be one that flies over the heads of the majority of people watching the animated Disney classic, but when you look into the mythical Greek’s story, you discover a dark history, rich of content that would never usually make its way into a family Disney flick.
Though he’s seen as a hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus is a man who accidentally fulfilled the prophecy of killing his own father, before marrying his mother, bringing disaster not only to his family, but to his home town. As Meg says, her problems are nothing when compared to this Greek figure! Thankfully, she and Hercules got the happy ending they always deserved.
6 Make The World Move
In 1996, a sequel to Aladdin came in the form of Aladdin and the King of Thieves, but did as so many Disney sequels do and went straight to home release, rather than enjoying a wide cinematic debut. Based on many reviews of the film, that may not be the worst decision Disney made. It’s a film in which we see Aladdin and Princess Jasmine finally wed, but during the ceremony there’s an earthquake, leaving everybody a little shaken.
The Genie doesn’t let the opportunity for a joke go amiss.
He quips: “I thought the Earth wasn’t supposed to move until the honeymoon.” Something that flies over the heads of the majority of children who watch the movie, but innuendo that allows the older members of the viewing audience a little chuckle.
5 The Magical Dinosaurs
Set in a world where dinosaurs were never wiped out by a meteor and instead lived alongside humans, Disney Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur features an incredibly close-to-the-bone scene for anybody who’s good at picking up references. It’s a short sequence, but one that’s been the focus of a lot of attention following the movie’s release.
In it, Arlo and Spot eat what turn out to be fermented fruit, sending the pair on a psychedelic journey and confusing the young members of the viewing audience. Swapping heads, floating through space and enjoying themselves more than we see anywhere else in the picture, it was a scene that left everybody old enough to understand what was going on very confused. A PSA from Disney to not eat strange looking fruit? Not one that works, as they make the experience gone through by the pair look like a good time!
4 A Lesson For All
If you’re not convinced by the reference in The Good Dinosaur, then the multitude of scenes scattered throughout 1951 Disney release, Alice in Wonderland should have you convinced. Whether it’s the strange Cheshire Cat and its huge grin, or the smoking caterpillar that speaks in slow drawls and never really makes any finite sense, it’s obvious that the story being followed in this movie, based on Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, written back in 1865, is one that includes a series of suspicious scenes.
It starts with Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole, which many have interpreted as a certain kind of journey.
It included scenes where a walrus is smoking, as well as a dodo bird doing the same, and Alice enjoying a piece of the mushroom the caterpillar can be seen lounging on. There was too much included in this adventure to NOT be references to this.
3 Just Say It Backwards
Though it’s one of the most simple and obvious messages Disney has put into one of their messages, the fact that the wizard in Fantasia short film The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is called Yen Sid (Disney spelled backwards) goes over a lot of people’s heads! We don’t think the company were doing anything suspicious with this messaging, or that it was a ploy to subliminally plant the Disney name in our heads forevermore. They were just showing how clever they could be and setting the stage for all of the prior-mentioned references to their other properties.
According to those who made the movie, Yen Sid was modelled after Walt Disney, including some of his most prominent facial features that were recognized at the time by animators. Though he wasn’t ever named within the movie, official credits saw the sorcerer named as Yen Sid. The more you know!
2 Do All Men REALLY Do That?
The Walt Disney Company had some fun with their mega-hit Frozen back in 2013, putting a disclaimer at the end of the movie that said Kristoff’s opinion that “all men eat their own boogers” was simply his opinion. It’s not a fact, or a view shared by everybody who worked on the film!
Prodding fun at the easily offended, they covered all bases.
They stopped any ridiculous male viewers from launching an attack at them, aghast that they would ever be accused of picking their noses and sticking said boogers into their mouth! When there’s so much bad going on in the world, it’s things like this that really put a smile on the face of audiences! It even makes us want to stay through the credits of all Disney releases in the future to see if anything similar is done on a new release…
1 A Tragic Story
There are a whole wealth of Disney movies where the protagonist is somebody who lost their mother at a young age. Whether you’re watching Bambi, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, or Frozen, there’s a significant lack of matriarchal figures, and audiences think they’ve now discovered exactly why.
Many believe that this was done purposely, as part of Walt Disney’s guilt in regards to his own mother dying, Flora Call Disney. Though she lived for 70 years, the cause of her death was actually avoidable, in that she succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning in the house that Walt bought for her. A tragedy for everybody involved. It’s something that Walt is said to have never truly gotten over before his own death, 28 years later.
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