Simpsons & Pixar Legends
Homer Simpson made his theatrical debut in The Simpsons Movie (2007), which grossed over $536 million worldwide.
Woody from Toy Story was originally conceived as a ventriloquist’s dummy, not a cowboy doll.
Buzz Lightyear’s name was inspired by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon.
Shrek was originally voiced by Chris Farley, but after his death, Mike Myers re-recorded all lines with a Scottish accent.
In Finding Nemo, every single bubble was animated separately by Pixar’s effects team.
Marge Simpson’s iconic blue hair was inspired by creator Matt Groening’s mother’s beehive hairstyle.
WALL-E’s voice was created by sound designer Ben Burtt, who also made R2-D2’s beeps in Star Wars.
Sulley from Monsters, Inc. has over 2.3 million individually animated hairs.
Dory’s character was written specifically for Ellen DeGeneres after the writers heard her voice on her talk show.
Maggie Simpson has spoken only a handful of words in 30+ years, but her first full word was “Daddy,” voiced by Elizabeth Taylor.
Disney Princesses & Villains
Snow White was only 14 years old in the 1937 film, making her the youngest Disney princess.
Ursula from The Little Mermaid was modeled after a drag queen named Divine.
Ariel’s design was partially based on Alyssa Milano’s teenage look.
Elsa from Frozen was originally planned as a villain with blue skin and spiky hair.
Maleficent’s horns were inspired by medieval depictions of the devil.
Pocahontas was the first Disney princess based on a real historical figure.
Belle’s library scene in Beauty and the Beast was directly inspired by the Beast’s love for knowledge, mirroring Walt Disney’s own love of books.
Jafar’s twisted beard and cobra staff were modeled after stereotypical “sorcerer” illustrations in Arabian folklore.
Tiana from The Princess and the Frog was Disney’s first African-American princess.
Cruella de Vil’s half-black, half-white hair was meant to symbolize her split personality.
DreamWorks & Beyond
Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon was designed after a mix of a black panther, a cat, and a bat.
The Madagascar penguins became so popular they earned their own TV show and movie.
Po from Kung Fu Panda was voiced by Jack Black, who improvised much of the humor.
Donkey in Shrek is voiced by Eddie Murphy, who later regretted turning down Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron used minimal dialogue to focus on horse expressions.
Megamind’s giant head was inspired by retro alien designs from the 1950s.
The Croods’ character Guy was voiced by Ryan Reynolds, who gave him much of his sarcastic charm.
Puss in Boots’ wide-eyed look was modeled after classic anime characters.
DreamWorks’ logo boy originally was supposed to fish off the moon.
The Shrek franchise has won more Academy Awards than The Simpsons.
Classic Cartoon Icons
Mickey Mouse was the first animated character to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bugs Bunny’s famous catchphrase “What’s up, Doc?” was inspired by Tex Avery’s Texas upbringing.
Betty Boop was based on a flapper girl caricature from the Jazz Age.
Popeye’s spinach boost caused real-world spinach sales to skyrocket in the 1930s.
Tom and Jerry originally debuted as Jasper and Jinx.
Scooby-Doo’s full name is actually Scoobert Doo.
Fred Flintstone’s “Yabba Dabba Doo” was ad-libbed by Alan Reed, his voice actor.
Speedy Gonzales was once briefly banned by Cartoon Network for racial stereotypes but was later reinstated due to fan demand.
Felix the Cat was the first animated character to be merchandised on clocks, dolls, and watches.
The Road Runner’s “Meep Meep” was voiced with just two recorded beeps sped up.
Pixar Hidden Gems
The Pizza Planet truck has appeared in nearly every Pixar film since Toy Story.
A113, a classroom at CalArts, is hidden in almost all Pixar and Disney films.
Luxo Jr., Pixar’s lamp mascot, was the first character in a Pixar short.
Boo from Monsters, Inc. was voiced by a real toddler, making recording sessions chaotic but authentic.
Inside Out’s Bing Bong was inspired by imaginary friends of real Pixar employees.
The animators of Up studied hundreds of balloons to animate Carl’s house lift accurately.
Coco had over 500 unique skeleton characters, each hand-designed.
Cars’ Lightning McQueen was named after Pixar animator Glenn McQueen.
Ratatouille’s Remy’s fur was animated with 1.15 million hairs.
Turning Red’s Mei was the first Pixar protagonist with braces.
Anime & International Stars
Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro became Studio Ghibli’s mascot.
Spirited Away’s No-Face was inspired by traditional Japanese Noh masks.
Princess Mononoke’s Ashitaka was one of the first anime protagonists designed to appeal to both genders equally.
Grave of the Fireflies’ characters were based on an autobiographical novel.
Ponyo’s movements were modeled after the director’s daughter playing.
The Iron Giant’s voice was provided by Vin Diesel years before Fast & Furious.
Astro Boy was the first Japanese animated character to be popular in the West.
Porco Rosso was inspired by Italian World War I fighter pilots.
Akira’s Kaneda’s bike became a symbol of cyberpunk design worldwide.
Castle in the Sky’s robots inspired designs in later Star Wars cartoons.
Modern Disney Revival
Moana’s character was inspired by Polynesian navigators.
Maui’s tattoos in Moana were hand-drawn frame by frame.
Olaf in Frozen was created to embody childlike innocence and comedic relief.
Rapunzel’s hair in Tangled required new software to animate 70 feet of hair.
Flynn Rider’s smoldering look was voted on by female Disney employees.
Baymax from Big Hero 6 was designed after real-world inflatable robots.
Zootopia’s Judy Hopps originally was meant to be a sidekick, not the lead.
Nick Wilde’s hustler design was inspired by real street performers.
The sloth DMV scene in Zootopia was based on animator complaints about real DMV visits.
Raya’s dragon Sisu was partly based on Southeast Asian water serpents.
Villains of Animation
Scar’s design in The Lion King was based on Jeremy Irons’ actual facial expressions.
Hades in Hercules had over 20 different flame animations for his hair.
Syndrome in The Incredibles was inspired by a fan who once criticized Pixar.
Mother Gothel’s manipulation in Tangled was based on real psychological studies.
The Queen of Hearts’ oversized head was a parody of authority figures.
Dr. Facilier’s shadow in Princess and the Frog had its own independent animation team.
Shan Yu’s hawk in Mulan was animated to mirror his menace.
Randall in Monsters, Inc. walks like a lizard to emphasize sneakiness.
King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph was modeled after the Mad Hatter’s chaotic energy.
Ernesto de la Cruz in Coco was inspired by real golden-age Mexican movie stars.
Funny Sidekicks
Timon and Pumbaa were the first Disney sidekicks to get their own spin-off show.
Mushu from Mulan was voiced by Eddie Murphy before his Shrek role.
Genie in Aladdin had over 16 hours of Robin Williams’ improvised dialogue.
Dory was never supposed to be a lead until fan demand brought her back.
Olaf’s “In Summer” song was created as comic relief for Frozen’s darker moments.
Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove was voiced by Patrick Warburton, known for his unique delivery.
Sebastian the crab in The Little Mermaid was originally supposed to be English, not Jamaican.
Dug from Up was given a collar to explain his talking, making it scientifically plausible.
Heihei the rooster in Moana was almost cut for being “too stupid,” but test audiences loved him.
Pascal the chameleon in Tangled was designed to replace an earlier idea of a squirrel sidekick.
Cult Classics & Fan Favorites
Jack Skellington first appeared in Beetlejuice as a cameo before Nightmare Before Christmas.
Coraline’s movie used over 500 handmade dolls.
The Lego Movie’s Emmet was designed to be the “most average” Lego minifigure.
Spider-Verse’s Miles Morales animation mixed lower frame rates for stylization.
Iron Giant became a cult hit after bombing in theaters.
Lego Batman’s laugh was improvised by Will Arnett.
The Nightmare Before Christmas had over 100,000 individual frames shot.
Kubo’s origami creations were hand-folded by professional artists.
Rango won an Oscar despite being Nickelodeon’s first animated feature.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines used real family photos in the end credits.
