In this scene from The Little Mermaid, viewers can see some familiar Disney faces by looking closely (source: SlipTalk)
So you think you’re a big Disney fan, huh? The biggest out there?
Well, there’s only one way to find out for sure. Answer one question: did you know that some Disney movies secretly show characters from other movies in the background? Yep, believe it. They’re difficult to see sometimes, but they’re there.
Here are some examples of hidden Disney characters…
The Little Mermaid
During King Triton’s entrance, you can see some friendly figures: Goofy, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck.
source: diply.com
101 Dalmatians
During the Twilight Barking scene, there’s a quick shot of Lady and The Tramp.
source: diply.com
Aladdin
In the pile of the Sultan’s toys, you can spot the Beast among them.
source: diply.com
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Within the red circles, you can see the Magic Carpet from Aladdin, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Pumbaa from The Lion King.
source: diply.com
The Great Mouse Detective
Look closely and you’ll notice one of the mice is not actually a mouse. It’s Alice in Wonderland’s Bill the Lizard.
source: diply.com
The Little Mermaid
In the wedding scene, look quickly and see The Grand Duke and The King from Cinderella.
source: diply.com
Brother Bear
Do you see Nemo from Finding Nemo?
source: diply.com
Oliver and Company
Would you look at that — Ratigan from The Great Mouse Adventure and good ol’ Scooby-Doo.
source: diply.com
Hercules
The Nemean Lion in Hercules that dies is actually Scar from The Lion King.
source: diply.com
The Princess and the Frog
Right in the first scene of the movie, you’ll see a woman beating out a carpet…Aladdin’s Magic Carpet.
source: diply.com
Lilo & Stitch
You know that face right? It’s Dumbo!
source: diply.com
Tangled
This is a 3-in-1 deal. You probably didn’t notice these books sitting around while Rapunzel and Flynn read:
– Sleeping Beauty sits by the window
– Beauty and the Beast lies on the ground
– Little Mermaid rests on the side table
source: diply.com
Tarzan
Take a look at those dishes and that tea set. If you’re a true Disney fan, you’ll notice that they’re Mrs. Potts and Chip from Beauty and the Beast.
source: diply.com
Other Instances of Disney Borrowing from Itself
In response to allegations that Disney reused animation templates from previous Disney scenes, Floyd Norman, a Disney legend who worked on a lot of Disney films, responded thusly:
“It’s actually harder and takes longer to redraw an existing sequence,” Norman said. “It’s a lot faster and easier to just do new animation, and it’s a lot more fun for the animators. But Woolie liked to play it safe and use stuff he knew would work. That’s all it was.”
Here’s a YouTube video that compiles all the examples of recycled Disney scenes: