The gifted artists and animators at Walt Disney Pictures are responsible for creating some of the world’s most recognizable and most beloved characters. From a single drawing, film cell, or illustration, one can easily name their favorite Disney star. From Mickey’s ears to Buzz Lightyear’s spacesuit, it doesn’t take much to identify some of these famous faces.
That all being said, some of these famous faces of animation take a cue or two from a more live-action source. There’s a saying about art imitating life, but it rings truer for Disney than one might think. Take a look at some iconic Disney characters inspired by icons of reality.
Aladdin - Tom Cruise
Aladdin is a pillar of ’90s era Disney. It’s got the charm, the tunes, and style of arguably one of Disney’s greatest periods. But it appears another icon of the age made his way into the animated film, particularly as inspiration for our favorite street rat.
When designing the look for Aladdin, Disney animators took heavy inspiration from Tom Cruise to give Aladdin his roguish swagger. The eyes, the hair, and the big million-dollar smile are all features found on the famous actor. Now all we need is an animated scene of Aladdin screaming “Show me the money!”
Genie - Robin Williams
While we’re in Agrabah, let’s address another famous face to a Disney icon, one that’s a little more on the nose. The role of the Genie was specifically designed for the late and great Robin Williams. Even before the casting was decided, animator Eric Goldberg put the character’s test animation against one of Willams’s stand-up routines. Disney loved it and the rest was history.
Nearly all of Genie’s jokes, references, and lines of dialogue came from Williams. Even the character’s facial structure and expressions were pulled straight from the actor. If there was ever anyone that embodied the term animated, it was Robin Williams.
Mr. Big - Marlon Brando
This one is kind of obvious, but we felt like it was worthy of a mention. It’s no question that the leader of Zootopia’s mob equivalent was inspired by Don Vito Corleone himself. From the eyebrows to the suit to the day of his daughter’s wedding, it’s plain to see who inspired the suit-clad shrew.
It also helps to have a voice actor like Maurice LaMarche doing a spot-on (though a bit higher) Brando impression to bring him to life. The real-life inspiration may be blatant, but we can’t deny seeing the reasoning and the humor behind the choice.
The Vultures - The Beatles
Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are it might have been. You would not believe how close we were to having the Fab Four in a Disney flick. Originally, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were to have played the singing scavengers in 1966’s The Jungle Book, but due to scheduling conflicts, Lennon declined the offer for the band.
This resulted in Buzzie, Flaps, Ziggy, and Dizzy having Beatle-esque designs, but their song went from being a British Rock melody to a barbershop arrangement. Despite losing the band for a vocal appearance, the mop-top influence is still keenly felt in the presentation of the characters.
Uku and Lele - Israel and Marlene Kamakawiwo’ole
Perhaps Pixar’s greatest love story, Lava tells the tale of two volcano lovers against a tropical paradise. The two volcanoes, Uku and Lele, as well as the short film’s musical styling, were inspired by the real-life couple, Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole and his wife Marlene. And you thought Inside Out gave you the feels.
Inspired by Iz’s cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Director James Ford Murphy based Uku’s large body and heavenly voice on Iz. Murphy essentially wanted to make a visual love letter to Hawaii. What better way than taking inspiration from the state’s most influential musician?
Scat Cat - Scatman Crothers/Louis Armstrong
Next on our list, we’ve got two for the price of one on this character. The jazzy and snazzy Scat Cat was inspired mainly by musician Louis Armstrong, but his voice actor, Scatman Crothers, also played a part in the character’s development.
The role was intended for Armstrong, hence the trumpet and the original name Satchmo Cat, but due to the musician falling ill, he was replaced by Crothers and renamed as Scat Cat. The song “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” was also rewritten around Crothers’s voice and range. Despite the switching development, we do love the fact pieces of both performers were used in the end.
Christopher Robin - Christopher Robin Milne
For those not versed in Hundred Acre lore, Christopher Robin of the Winnie the Pooh series was based on author A.A. Milne’s son, Christopher. Along with his collection of stuffed animals, Christopher Robin Milne’s adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood were directly inspired by his playtime with his famous toys.
Milne was outwardly against the commercialization of Winnie the Pooh and even refused the rights to the character from his father’s estate in favor of other interests. He fought in WWII, wrote a book about his father, and his now-famous stuffed were donated for display at the New York Public Library.
Edna Mode - Edith Head
Edna Mode is a fabulous icon of the Pixar universe. From her stylish fashion sense to her angular and pop-art inspired design, she’s easily a fan favorite. But would you believe that her design and character come from a real-life historical source?
Edith Head was an award-winning costume designer for the golden age of Hollywood, designing outfits for stars like Mae West, Bette Davis, and Julie Andrews, as well as winning Academy Awards for her work in films like All About Eve. Her black hair, round glasses, and sense of style helped give us the stylist to the Supers, Edna Mode.
Chernabog - Bela Lugosi
Fantasia’s “Night on Bald Mountain” sequence is one of the darkest and most iconic moments in Disney. In the scene, the demon Chernabog calls forth the spirits of the underworld to wreak havoc on Walpurgis Night atop the titular Bald Mountain. Chernabog is certainly a sinister figure, but one you might recognize.
Famous for his role as Dracula, Bela Lugosi was at one point the character model for Chernabog. Though an appropriate choice, the sequence’s director, Bill Tytla, deemed Lugosi’s footage unusable and did the model work himself. Though most of the scene is courtesy of Tytla, we can’t help but see Lugosi in Chernabog’s smile.
Mortimer Mouse - Walt Disney
Who would have thought that Mickey’s rat-like rival had such a famous inspiration? The story goes that during a storyboard session, one of the animators drew a caricature of Disney in mouse form. Walt Disney loved the design of the character and introduced him as Mickey’s adversary in the short film, Mickey’s Rival.
Though it might be a Disney legend, there are certainly some factors that ground it in truth. Mortimer does share a remarkably similar body frame to a younger Walt Disney, both have a pencil-thin mustache, and Mortimer was an original name considered for Mickey. Coincidence? We think not.
