It's amazing that after 80 years Disney is still able to create fun, original and innovative movies. If you look closely you will find that most of these movies share a few of the same features besides a fairytale storyline with animated characters and moral lessons. Keep reading to find out what your favourite childhood (and adulthood) films have in common.
1. Missing Moms
Have you ever noticed how almost every main character in a Disney movie lacks a mother? Snow White, Frozen, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast...they all share a common factor. The mother, and often also the father, of the main character dies in the beginning of the movie or is already gone when the movie starts. This could be a practical decision, since Disney stories are about growing up (who has to grow up faster than orphans?), but it is assumed this lack of mothers reflects back to Walt Disney’s own past. Disney bought his parents a house in the early 1940s. Sadly his mother died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the same house a year later. Even The Lion King's producer, Don Hahn, stated Walt Disney deliberately wrote out maternal figures in their stories due to a sense of guilt about his own mother’s death.
2. Secret code
You might want to watch every Disney Pixar movie just one more time and see if you can spot the secret code: A113. You can find it on a license plate in Toy Story; on the diver’s camera in Finding Nemo; on an airplane in Cars; on a classroom door in Monster’s University; as a “never return to earth code” in Wall-E...but we won't reveal all the locations and take away the thrill of the hunt. The code also appears in animated television shows like The Simpsons. What is this secret code you may be wondering? It's an inside joke from American animators; A113 is the number of the California Institute of Arts, where many great animators learned their craft.
Source Image: Marciodisneyarchives.nl
3. Names
A feature most Disney movies share is the symbolism in names; most names are not chosen randomly and really fit the character. A few names and their meanings are:
Lilo (Lilo & Stitch): a Hawaiian name meaning the “generous one” – since Lilo is so kind to offer Stitch a place in her home and family.
Pumbaa (The Lion King): in Swahili this means “to be foolish, careless”. Well, Pumbaa can be much like a bull in a china shop!
Lumière (Beauty & The Beast): perhaps stating the obvious, but Lumière means “light” in French, pretty good name for a candle.
Mufasa (The Lion King): Simba’s father’s name means “King” in Manazoto language.
Bambi (Bambi): means “child” in Italian.
Flounder (The Little Mermaid): it is a particular kind of fish, but also means “to move one’s legs and arms with difficulty in water or mud” – which kind of fits this clumsy little fish!
Wall-E (Wall-E): this name actually refers to “Walter Elias Disney”.
4. Hidden Easter Eggs
Disney and Pixar brought their animations to a whole new level; all movies are linked! Disney actually proved this with a short video. For example, in Monster’s Inc. you can see a Jessie doll from Toy Story in one of the children’s bedrooms, and Boo gives Sully a Nemo toy in the same film. In Ratatouille, one of the rats' shadows is actually not a rat, but rather a dog, namely Dug, the silly one from Up. In Frozen, Rapunzel and Flynn show up as guests at Elsa's coronation. Finally, in Brave, you can see a carving of Sully in the wood. Better watch them all again to check out the links!
Source Image: Hollywood.com
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