50 Fun Facts About Disney Heroes

Which Pixar hero is named after the second person to walk on the Moon?

Buzz Lightyear takes his name from Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, whose name the filmmakers thought was the coolest of any astronaut. Aldrin later pulled out a toy of the character during a speech at NASA.

The name of The Lion King's hero Simba means "lion" in which African language?

Swahili gave Simba the plainest of names, and it supplies the film's carefree motto too: hakuna matata means no worries.

Which rock star did Johnny Depp use as a model for his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow?

Keith Richards was the model because Depp saw pirates as the rock stars of their day. The Rolling Stones veteran later joined the series himself, appearing as Jack's father, Captain Teague.

Which Disney hero was traditionally played by women until the studio's 1953 film cast a boy in the role?

Peter Pan was a woman's part on stage and in earlier films until Disney cast Bobby Driscoll. The young actor also performed scenes on camera as reference for the animators.

Which Hollywood star did Disney's animators use as a model when Aladdin was redesigned to look older?

Tom Cruise lent Aladdin his confident look after the first design was judged too boyish. The animators raised the hero's age to about eighteen and also studied Calvin Klein models.

Which Disney hero is drawn as a fox in a 1973 animated film with an all-animal cast?

Robin Hood is a red fox because the film grew out of Walt Disney's old wish to adapt the medieval tales of the trickster Reynard the Fox. Maid Marian is drawn as a fox too.

In Disney's Pinocchio, the puppet must prove himself brave, truthful and what else to become a real boy?

Unselfish completes the Blue Fairy's test, which Pinocchio passes by pulling Geppetto to safety from the whale Monstro at the apparent cost of his own life. She then revives him as a real boy.

Which animal is the vain Emperor Kuzco turned into by mistake in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove?

A llama is what Kuzco becomes when the henchman Kronk grabs the wrong vial: the potion was supposed to kill him. The animal suits the setting, an empire modelled on the Incas of Peru.

Lightning McQueen's racing number 95 honours the release year of which earlier Pixar film?

Toy Story came out in 1995, and the number salutes Pixar's first feature. McQueen originally wore 57, the birth year of director John Lasseter.

Which Disney hero is trained by a grumpy coach voiced by Danny DeVito in a 1997 animated film?

Hercules learns the hero trade from Philoctetes, a satyr the directors wrote with DeVito in mind. The actor refused to audition and was finally won over at a pasta lunch.

Which Disney hero begins life as Experiment 626, built by an evil genius to cause chaos?

Stitch is the name Lilo gives him when she adopts him in Hawaii, believing he is a dog. Fans mark June 26 as his day, because the date is written 6/26.

Which kind of fish are Marlin and his missing son Nemo in Pixar's Finding Nemo?

Clownfish got the part after director Andrew Stanton saw a photograph of two peeking out of an anemone. He did not know what kind of fish they were, but could not take his eyes off them.

Which fictional kingdom, modelled on Norway, does Elsa rule as queen in Disney's Frozen?

Arendelle took its fjords, its castle's stave-church rooflines and its rosemaling folk art from a research trip the filmmakers made to Norway.

Which American city is home to Tiana, the hardworking waitress in Disney's The Princess and the Frog?

New Orleans of the 1920s is the setting, and a real local inspired Tiana: Leah Chase, a French Quarter waitress who became the city's celebrated Queen of Creole Cuisine.

Which instrument does Miguel secretly teach himself in Pixar's Coco, despite his family's ban on music?

Guitar is Miguel's secret passion, learned from old videotapes of his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. Pixar filmed real musicians with cameras strapped to their instruments so his playing would look authentic.

Which animal does Merida's mother, Queen Elinor, turn into after eating a spelled cake in Pixar's Brave?

A bear is what Elinor becomes, losing her speech but keeping most of her mind. Merida has until the second sunrise to mend their bond before the witch's spell turns permanent.

What is the profession of Maurice, the eccentric father of Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast?

Inventor Maurice sets the plot moving when he heads to a fair with his wood-chopping machine, gets lost in the forest and ends up a prisoner in the Beast's castle.

Which Disney heroine's songs were sung by Lea Salonga, who also sang for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin?

Mulan speaks with Ming-Na Wen's voice but sings with Salonga's. Salonga was first hired for both jobs, until the directors found her attempt at sounding like a male soldier unconvincing.

Which Pixar hero began as a sinister ventriloquist's dummy before becoming a friendly pull-string doll?

Woody looked sneaky and mean as a ventriloquist's dummy in early designs, so Pixar dropped those features after designer Bud Luckey suggested making him a cowboy.

What does Kristoff do for a living in Disney's Frozen before he helps Anna search for her sister?

Ice harvester Kristoff lives in the mountains with his reindeer companion Sven. His help earns him a promotion at the end of the film, when he is named the royal ice deliverer.

Disney's Ariel was given red hair partly to differ from the blonde mermaid in which 1984 film?

Splash had recently come from Disney's own Touchstone label and starred a blonde mermaid. Red also contrasted better with Ariel's green tail and was easier for the artists to darken than yellow.

Which Disney heroine was voiced by Hawaiian newcomer Auliʻi Cravalho, who had not planned to audition at all?

Moana found her voice by chance: Cravalho skipped the open auditions, then was spotted by the film's casting agent while trying out to perform at a charity event.

What dull office job does Mr. Incredible hold under his real name, Bob Parr, once superheroes are outlawed?

Insurance adjuster Bob cannot stop helping people, so he quietly coaches clients through the loopholes that get their claims paid, at his own employer's expense.

Which Disney hero is a healthcare robot built by Tadashi Hamada in the city of San Fransokyo?

Baymax is a soft, inflatable nurse rather than a fighting machine. When he is lost at the film's climax, Hiro rebuilds him around the healthcare chip left clenched in his rocket fist.

Which Disney hero is an arcade-game villain who sneaks into other games hoping to win a medal?

Wreck-It Ralph wants the medal to earn respect after he is shut out of his own game's thirtieth-anniversary party. He wins one in a shooter called Hero's Duty.

Which actress voices Judy Hopps, the first rabbit police officer in Disney's Zootopia?

Ginnifer Goodwin already had a Disney fairy tale behind her: she played Snow White in the television series Once Upon a Time.

Which Disney hero is a wanted thief whose birth name turns out to be Eugene Fitzherbert?

Flynn Rider is only an alias, and Rapunzel eventually persuades him to go by the name he was born with instead.

Which actor voiced Milo Thatch, the linguist hero of Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire?

Michael J. Fox won the part because the filmmakers felt he put his own personality into his characters. Milo is a Smithsonian mapmaker who deciphers a journal pointing the way to the lost city.

Which Jungle Book character finds the baby Mowgli and carries him to a wolf pack in Disney's 1967 film?

Bagheera the black panther becomes the boy's main protector. Ten years on, when the murderous tiger Shere Khan returns to their part of the jungle, he tries to get Mowgli out to safety.

Which fictional detective is Basil, the hero of Disney's The Great Mouse Detective, modelled on?

Sherlock Holmes actually lives upstairs from Basil in the film. His few lines use the voice of the late Basil Rathbone, lifted from a 1966 recording.

What is the real name of Dumbo, the big-eared baby elephant in Disney's 1941 film?

Jumbo Jr. is the name he arrives with. Dumbo is a mocking nickname from the other circus elephants, coined the moment a sneeze unfolds his enormous ears.

What nickname is the young orphan Arthur known by in Disney's The Sword in the Stone?

Wart is serving as squire to his foster brother Kay when he leaves Kay's sword behind at an inn. The replacement he pulls from an anvil in London reveals him as England's rightful king.

Which South American country is the setting of Disney's Encanto, home of the giftless Mirabel Madrigal?

Colombia became the focus when two early advisers, both from the country, kept drawing on their own lives. The filmmakers toured it in 2018 and built an expert panel they called the Colombian Cultural Trust.

Which Disney hero battles Maleficent in dragon form with the Sword of Truth and the Shield of Virtue?

Prince Phillip is handed both weapons by the three good fairies, who rescue him after Maleficent abducts him. Animators based the dragon's head movements on a rattlesnake.

Which frontier hero, played by Fess Parker on Disney's 1950s TV show, set off a craze for coonskin caps?

Davy Crockett merchandise worth over $300 million was sold by the end of 1955. Parker later said a voided contract cost him millions, because it was with Walt Disney personally and not the studio.

Which unusual animal is Rufus, the pocket-sized pet of Kim Possible's sidekick Ron Stoppable?

A naked mole rat named Rufus rides in Ron's pocket on every mission. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright, far better known as the voice of Bart Simpson.

Which publisher created the superhero team that Disney adapted into its animated film Big Hero 6?

Marvel Comics had been bought by Disney in 2009, and director Don Hall found the little-known team while scrolling through a database of its characters.

Which Disney heroine seeks advice from Grandmother Willow, a talking tree, before choosing her own path?

Pocahontas has two voices in the film: Irene Bedard speaks her lines and Judy Kuhn sings them. The tree spirit who guides her is voiced by Linda Hunt.

Which professional skateboarder's moves inspired the way Disney's Tarzan slides along jungle tree branches?

Tony Hawk was the model after animator Glen Keane watched his own son skateboarding. Hawk landed his famous first 900 in 1999 in front of an advert for the film.

Which singer wrote and performed the songs for Disney's Tarzan, winning an Oscar for one of them?

Phil Collins sings the songs himself because the directors chose not to have the characters sing. He even recorded them in French, Italian, German and Spanish for the dubbed versions.

Which Disney hero was voiced by Tom Hulce, the actor who played Mozart in the film Amadeus?

Quasimodo went to Hulce after a single audition. He recalled the executives staring at the floor throughout, which turned out to be lined with storyboard sketches.

Which actor voiced the teenage hero Jim Hawkins in Disney's space adventure Treasure Planet?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was signed only after months of auditions. The directors liked the mix of vulnerability, intelligence and youthful incompleteness he brought to Jim.

What humble job does Taran hold at the farm of Caer Dallben in Disney's The Black Cauldron?

Assistant pig-keeper sounds dull to a boy who dreams of being a warrior, but his charge is no ordinary pig: Hen Wen has oracular powers, which is why the Horned King hunts her.

Which 1969 film musical does the lonely robot WALL-E watch again and again on an old videotape?

Hello, Dolly! plays on a video cassette in WALL-E's home, where he mimics its dance numbers. Director Andrew Stanton had acted in a high school production of the show.

What is the everyday identity of Darkwing Duck, the masked crime-fighter of Disney's 1990s cartoon series?

Drake Mallard is a spoof of Kent Allard, the alter ego of the pulp crime-fighter The Shadow. He lives in an unassuming suburban house with his adopted daughter Gosalyn.

In Disney's The Rescuers, the mice's Rescue Aid Society meets inside which real organization?

United Nations delegates have tiny counterparts in the film, with Miss Bianca speaking for Hungary, the homeland of her voice actress Eva Gabor. Her partner Bernard is only the janitor.

What is the name of the sorcerer whose magic hat Mickey Mouse borrows in Disney's Fantasia?

Yen Sid is simply Disney spelled backwards. When his apprentice's borrowed magic gets out of hand, he takes back the hat and sends Mickey off to finish his chores.

Which actor played the programmer zapped inside a computer in Disney's 1982 film Tron?

Jeff Bridges plays an arcade owner who hacks his old employer, ENCOM, hoping to prove he is the true author of its best-selling video game.

Which gorilla adopts the orphaned baby Tarzan in Disney's 1999 film after losing her own infant?

Kala finds the baby in his parents' treehouse, having lost her own infant to the leopard Sabor. Her mate Kerchak, the troop's stern leader, is far slower to accept him.

Which masked hero did Guy Williams play in Walt Disney's 1957 television series set in Spanish California?

Zorro is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega, newly home from his studies in Spain. Walt Disney gave Annette Funicello a guest role as a birthday present, knowing she had a crush on Williams.