25 Disney Characters You Probably Did Not Know Were Inspired By Real People
Maybe there was this one time you saw a Disney movie and thought "this character reminds me of this actor or actress", or you noticed the striking resemblance in facial features. You're not far from it, there's a very high chance that the character might've been inspired by that person.
It's common for Disney to use real-life people as reference for their characters to make them more realistic. They infuse their body motion, expressions, clothes, accent and other personality traits, into the character. This is also the same for their characters that are animals, as animators have to study the animal's behavior and movement.
All this is necessary if they want to portray the character to the audience in the most realistic manner there is, it's some sort of human psychology if you ask me.
Let's get right into it, there are specific people, mostly celebrities that were an inspiration for some popular Disney characters. You don't need to do any work finding out, we've done it all for you.
We've compiled an interesting list of all the people whose personalities, appearances or traits served as a source of inspiration for our favorite Disney characters. You might have asked yourself how Snow White would look if she stepped out of the animation world.
Keep scrolling, you'll be fascinated by what you'll find out.
1. The Genie In Aladdin Was Inspired By Robin Williams
Eva Rinaldi2. Ursula In The Little Mermaid Was Inspired By Drag Queen Divine
Theo's Little3. Wall-E In The Eponymous Movie Was Inspired By Charlie Chaplin
First National4. The 4 Vultures In The Jungle Book Were Inspired By The Beatles
Bradford Timeline5. Edna Mode In The Incredibles Could Possibly Be Inspired By Edith Head
Cinema Classico6. Scat Cat In The Aristocats Was Inspired By Louis Armstrong
Ky7. The Mad Hatter In Alice In Wonderland Was Inspired By Ed Wynn
CBS Television
8. Princess Aurora In The Sleeping Beauty Was Inspired By Helene Stanley
Disney
9. Christopher Robin In Winnie The Pooh Was Inspired By Christopher Robin Milne
National Portrait Gallery
10. Maleficent In The Sleeping Beauty Was Inspired By Audley
Unknown
11. Jessica Rabbit In Who Framed Roger Rabbit Was Largely Inspired By Rita Hayworth
Street & Smith; Fox Films
12. Scar In Lion King Was Inspired By Jeremy Irons
Gage Skidmore
13. Peter Pan In The Eponymous Movie Was Inspired By Bobby Driscoll
NBC Television Network
14. Tiana In The Princess And The Frog Was Inspired By Anika Noni Rose
Peabody Awards
15. Cruella De Vil In One Hundred And One Dalmatians Inspired By Tallulah Bankhead
Talbot
16. Chernabog In Fantasia Was Inspired By Bela Lugosi
Universal Pictures
17. Alice In Alice In Wonderland Was Inspired By Kathryn Beaumont
Disney
18. Captain Hook In Peter Pan Was Inspired By Hans Conried
Disney
19. Tinker Bell In Peter Pan Was Inspired By Margaret Kerry
Disney
20. Dr. Facilier In The Princess And The Frog Was Largely Inspired By Jackson
Constru-centro
21. Ariel In The Little Mermaid Was Based On Alyssa Milano
Mary Alice
22. Snow White In Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Was Based On Marge Champion
Unknown
23. Pocahontas In The Homonymous Movie Was Inspired By Irene Bedard
fossilmike
24. Mortimer Mouse In Mickey Mouse Is Supposedly Based On Walt Disney
Boy Scouts of America
25. Aladdin In The Eponymous Movie Was Inspired By Tom Cruise
Gage Skidmore
Kudos to the animators for showcasing these fantastic people to the world through Disney's vast network and lovable characters. We hope that you enjoyed going through the list.
You probably now know who these characters would resemble if they stepped into the real world. We've don extensive research on these iconic Disney characters, and the people they were designed after.
Just as we've shared with you, feel free to share with your friends and family.
