60 Fun Facts About 2000s Disney

The Emperor's New Groove (2000) began development in 1994 as a musical epic with what working title?

Kingdom of the Sun was planned as a dramatic musical epic with songs by Sting; in 1998 Disney threw out most of the story and rebuilt the film as a comedy.

In The Emperor's New Groove, Yzma accidentally turns Emperor Kuzco into which animal?

Yzma's potion turns Kuzco into a llama because Kronk grabbed the wrong vial, so Eartha Kitt's villain ends up with a talking llama instead of a poisoned emperor.

Which actor voices Milo Thatch in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)?

Michael J. Fox voices Milo, a linguist, and Disney had a language built for him to read: Marc Okrand, who developed Star Trek's Klingon, devised Atlantean for the film.

Lilo & Stitch's soundtrack makes extensive use of which singer's music?

Elvis Presley's music runs right through the film, and the characters do more than listen: they praise him and even dress up as the King.

In Lilo & Stitch (2002), what experiment number is Stitch before Lilo adopts him as her 'dog'?

626 is Stitch's lab number; at first he only plays along as Lilo's 'dog' to use her as a shield against the aliens sent to recapture him.

Treasure Planet (2002), a sci-fi take on Robert Louis Stevenson, holds what unwelcome record?

Most expensive traditionally animated film ever, at $140 million, it took just $109.6 million, yet was still nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

Treasure Planet (2002) opened in regular cinemas and, on the same day, in which other format?

IMAX cinemas got Treasure Planet on opening day; in 2000, Disney's Fantasia 2000 had played only on IMAX screens for four months before its general release.

In Brother Bear (2003), Kenai is transformed into a bear as punishment for what?

Killing one out of revenge for his brother Sitka's death gets Kenai turned into a bear by the Great Spirits, so that he sees the world through another's eyes.

Home on the Range (2004) follows three dairy cows trying to capture which cattle rustler?

Alameda Slim steals whole herds without a fight: his yodelling sends the cattle into a trance, and they simply follow him away.

Chicken Little (2005) marked what milestone for Walt Disney Animation Studios?

Its first fully computer-animated feature also launched Disney Digital 3-D: about 100 cinemas were fitted with new projectors to show it.

What led to nearly 60% of Meet the Robinsons (2007) being scrapped and reworked?

Disney's acquisition of Pixar put John Lasseter in charge of Disney animation; he found the villain not scary enough, and ten months of rework followed.

Which two stars voiced the leads in Bolt (2008)?

John Travolta and Miley Cyrus voice Bolt and his owner Penny; the TV-star dog believes his superpowers are real until he is accidentally shipped across the country.

The Princess and the Frog (2009) is set in which American city?

New Orleans was John Lasseter's idea: the Disney animation chief loved the city, and the directors met locals there who inspired several of the characters.

Who voiced Tiana in The Princess and the Frog?

Anika Noni Rose left her mark on Tiana's design: the animators gave the princess her dimples and made her left-handed, just like Rose.

Which segment from the original 1940 Fantasia was carried over into Fantasia 2000?

The Sorcerer's Apprentice stayed as a link to Walt Disney's original plan: he wanted Fantasia re-released regularly, with new segments swapped in for old ones.

Disney's Dinosaur (2000) combined computer-generated characters with what?

Live-action location backgrounds, filmed from Venezuela to Australia, replaced an earlier plan: in the late 1980s Paul Verhoeven and Phil Tippett meant to make the film with stop-motion puppets.

In Monsters, Inc. (2001), the city of Monstropolis is powered by what?

Monstropolis runs on children's screams collected by scarers like Sulley; the twist is that the monsters end up making children laugh instead.

Finding Nemo was the first Pixar or Disney film to win what?

The Oscar for Best Animated Feature was only in its third year: Pixar's Monsters, Inc. had been nominated for the very first one without winning.

Who voiced Dory in Finding Nemo?

Ellen DeGeneres voices Dory, whose short-term memory loss wipes almost everything except the one thing that matters: the address 'P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney'.

Which character in The Incredibles (2004) is voiced by its own writer-director, Brad Bird?

Edna Mode got Brad Bird's voice by default: he offered the part to Lily Tomlin, who heard his test recording and told him to keep doing it himself.

Pixar's Cars (2006) held its world premiere at what fitting venue?

A motor speedway in North Carolina, Lowe's Motor Speedway, suited a film about a racing car whose voice cast includes racing driver Richard Petty as The King.

Lightning McQueen gets stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town along which highway?

Radiator Springs sits on Route 66, the highway bypassed by the interstate; the story grew out of John Lasseter's own cross-country road trip with his family.

Which comedian voiced Remy the rat in Ratatouille (2007)?

Patton Oswalt got the part after Brad Bird heard his comedy routine ranting about a steakhouse chain's adverts and wanted that same passion for food in Remy.

In WALL-E (2008), humanity was evacuated to space by which megacorporation?

Buy n Large meant the trip to last five years while robots cleaned up Earth; 700 years later, humanity is still out in space.

Up (2009) was the first Pixar film to do what?

To be presented in 3D paid off for Pixar: fewer than half of Up's North American cinemas showed that version, yet those showings took more than half of its opening-weekend box office.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) was based on what?

A Disney theme park attraction inspired the film: Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland in 1967, months after the death of Walt Disney, who had worked closely on it.

Which Pirates of the Caribbean villain, played by Bill Nighy, first appears in Dead Man's Chest (2006)?

Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman, comes to collect a debt: Jack Sparrow must serve aboard his ship or be dragged down by the Kraken.

In National Treasure (2004), a treasure map is hidden on the back of which founding document?

The Declaration of Independence hides the map, so Nicolas Cage's treasure hunter steals the document himself to keep it out of a rival's hands.

Enchanted (2007) sends princess-to-be Giselle from the animated realm of Andalasia into which real city?

Giselle is pushed down a well and surfaces in New York's Times Square; Amy Adams starred and the film earned three Best Original Song Oscar nominations.

Which actress shot to fame as Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries (2001)?

Anne Hathaway won the part in a single audition, during which she fell off her chair, a slip that helped convince director Garry Marshall she was right for clumsy Mia.

In Freaky Friday (2003), how do Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan's characters swap bodies?

Through magic fortune cookies from a Chinese restaurant, the feuding pair wake up swapped; in Disney's 1976 original, each had simply wished to trade places.

Remember the Titans (2000) follows coach Herman Boone's newly integrated football team in which state?

Virginia's T.C. Williams High in Alexandria gave newcomer Boone its head coach job over Bill Yoast, the established white coach, who stayed on as his assistant.

Which actor played Stanley Yelnats in Disney's Holes (2003)?

Shia LaBeouf dug his holes in the California desert, which stood in for the story's Texas; author Louis Sachar wrote the screenplay himself, his first.

Which actress played the White Witch in Disney's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)?

Tilda Swinton's White Witch keeps Narnia in endless winter and tempts Edmund with Turkish delight and the promise of a crown.

In High School Musical (2006), Troy and Gabriella first meet doing what at a New Year's Eve party?

Singing karaoke as strangers on holiday, the pair are pushed on stage for a duet; back home, Gabriella turns out to be the new transfer student at Troy's school.

In High School Musical, Troy Bolton is captain of which school team?

Troy captains the East High Wildcats basketball team, coached by his father Jack Bolton, which is why his auditioning for the winter musical causes such a fuss.

In Hannah Montana, what was Miley Stewart's father Robby Ray before he managed her pop career?

A famous country singer in his day, widowed Robby Ray now manages his daughter's secret career; he is played by Miley Cyrus's real father, country star Billy Ray Cyrus.

Lizzie McGuire used what device to show its heroine's inner thoughts?

An animated alter ego, voiced by Hilary Duff herself, says what Lizzie only thinks; the device was so central that the show's working title was What's Lizzie Thinking?

That's So Raven was the first Disney Channel series to reach what milestone?

100 episodes broke a Disney Channel habit: the network had stopped its shows at 65 until Raven's ratings won a fourth season.

In Kim Possible, what kind of animal is Ron Stoppable's pet Rufus?

A naked mole rat suited Ron because his father is allergic to animal fur, so the only pet allowed was a hairless one; Rufus rides along in Ron's pocket.

Camp Rock (2008) introduced which future pop star as Mitchie Torres?

Demi Lovato's Mitchie can only afford Camp Rock because her mother takes the job of camp cook, a fact she hides from the other campers behind tall tales about her family.

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is set at the Tipton Hotel in which city?

Boston's Tipton Hotel is home to the twins because their single mother Carey is its lounge singer, and a suite upstairs comes with her contract.

Wizards of Waverly Place, starring Selena Gomez, is set in which Manhattan neighbourhood?

Greenwich Village has a real Waverly Place, and the show takes its title from it: Alex Russo and her wizard family live on the street.

In Phineas and Ferb, what kind of animal is the boys' secret-agent pet Perry?

A platypus by day, Perry is also a secret agent; his battles with Dr. Doofenshmirtz keep wiping out the boys' inventions just before their sister Candace can show their mother.

Disney California Adventure opened in February 2001 on land that had served as what for over 40 years?

Disneyland's parking lot, in use since 1955, gave way to the new park; attendance missed projections until an overhaul costing more than $1 billion added Cars Land in 2012.

Which Asian city opened its own Disneyland on Lantau Island in September 2005?

Hong Kong had to make the land first: Penny's Bay on Lantau Island was filled in to give the park its site.

Tokyo DisneySea, opened in 2001, is owned by whom rather than Disney itself?

The Oriental Land Company held reclaimed land on Tokyo Bay that had to be used for leisure, so it built and runs the Disney parks there itself, under licence from Disney.

Expedition Everest, opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2006, was then the world's most expensive what?

Roller coaster costs reached about $100 million with Expedition Everest, sets included; Universal's Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, at about $300 million, took the record in 2019.

Whose 'Save Disney' campaign cost Michael Eisner the chairman's title at Disney's 2004 shareholder meeting?

Roy E. Disney, Walt's nephew, quit the board in November 2003 and rallied shareholders against Eisner, who gave up the chairman's post at the meeting on March 3, 2004.

Which tech boss joined Disney's board when it bought his animation studio?

Steve Jobs was Pixar's chairman and chief executive; the $7.4 billion sale was paid entirely in Disney shares, which made him a major Disney shareholder with a seat on its board.

Which company did Disney acquire in 2009 for about $4 billion?

Marvel Entertainment cost Disney about $4 billion in 2009 and brought a library of more than 5,000 characters, from Iron Man and Thor to Captain America.

In Sky High (2005), new students at the superhero school are sorted into heroes and what?

Sidekicks, officially 'Hero Support', is where Will Stronghold lands: his powers haven't appeared, though his parents are the famous heroes The Commander and Jetstream.

In Miracle (2004), Kurt Russell plays which head coach of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team?

Herb Brooks had his own Olympic heartbreak: he was the last player cut from the 1960 US team that won gold, twenty years before he coached the Miracle on Ice.

Like Disney's first Narnia film, Bridge to Terabithia (2007) was shot in the forests of which country?

New Zealand's forests stood in for the American countryside of the novel, and the creatures the children imagine were made by Weta Digital in Wellington.

The Cheetah Girls (2003) holds what distinction among Disney Channel Original Movies?

The first musical among Disney Channel Original Movies, it stars Raven-Symoné as Galleria in a story taken from Deborah Gregory's novels, and it did well enough to earn sequels.

The Disney Channel sitcom Even Stevens (2000-03) is set in the suburbs of which city?

Sacramento fits the Stevens family because mother Eileen is a California state senator, which is the show's main clue that it is set in the state capital.

Which Tom Stoppard play inspired the structure of The Lion King 1½ (2004)?

Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the direct-to-video midquel retells the original story from the sidelines through Timon and Pumbaa, who even watch the film in a theatre.

In 2004, Disney acquired the Muppets from whom?

The Jim Henson Company sold the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House to Disney 14 years after a first deal collapsed following Jim Henson's death in 1990.

Eight Below (2006), starring Paul Walker, is a remake of a 1983 film from which country?

Japan's 1983 hit Antarctica (Nankyoku Monogatari) is the film Eight Below remakes; though set in Antarctica, the remake was shot far to the north, in Greenland and British Columbia.

In Cory in the House, Cory Baxter's father Victor moves the family to Washington for what job?

Executive chef to the President is the post that moves Victor and Cory into the White House staff quarters, where Cory lands in a private school full of Washington's power elite.