12 Disney Characters That Were Inspired By Real People

Throughout its history, Disney has exhibited very successful plots, including those that have accompanied us since childhood. Many of his characters conquered legions of fans, being always remembered with great affection by the public. This no one denies. Maybe what you don’t know is that many of the figures portrayed in Disney animations were inspired by flesh and blood people, including some celebrities.

In this post, the awesome.club shares with you a selection of iconic Disney characters that were inspired by real people, comparing them to the humans who were the basis for their creation.

In 1967, during the production of Mowgli — The Wolf Boy, animated version adapted from The Jungle Book, Disney and those responsible for the film created a very creative cameo of the Beatles, which was already one of the most important bands of the moment at the time.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr would be responsible for voicing the four vultures, who would display curious hairstyles and sing the song. That’s What Friends Are For🇧🇷 However, although the animals were inspired by the band, this was not enough for the plans to go according to plan.

In theory, Lennon chose not to appear in the film, telling the band’s agent, Brian Epstein, that he should suggest that Disney hire Elvis Presley. Because of the decision, the final version of the feature shows the vultures with an accent very similar to the people of Liverpool, but with the voices of J. Pat O’Malley, Digby Wolfe, Lord Tim Hudson and Chad Stuart.

Eleanor Audley not only lent her voice to the character Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, but was also chosen by Disney to portray and film the scenes that would help animators develop the fictional character. This means that Maleficent’s movements and facial expressions were inspired by the actress.

As if that were not enough, Eleanor also served as inspiration to create the animation of Lady Tremaine, Cinderella’s famous evil stepmother.

The fictional character of Who Framed Roger Rabbit became an icon after appearing in the film, largely thanks to her extremely sensual air. And she wasn’t created that way by chance, as she was inspired by the gorgeous Rita Hayworth.

When developing Jessica, writer Gary K. Wolf relied on the character from the animated short film Red Hot Riding Hood, created by Tex Avery. For the film, however, Jessica Rabbit was inspired by several actresses, especially Rita. Richard Williams, director of the work, said that the goal was to make the character much like Rita Hayworth, but with Veronica Lake’s hair.

The Mad Hatter is one of the most important characters in Alice in Wonderland🇧🇷 In the animation, the producers were inspired by the gestures, appearance and personality of Ed Wynn, an actor who was also in charge of voicing the character. Thus, he served as a model for the animators to develop the Hatter.

The Scat Cat, from aristocats, it was originally written for Louis Armstrong, the renowned jazz singer and instrumentalist. At first, the idea was that the artist would dub the famous feline, which would be called Satchmo The Cat, in the English version.

However, due to health problems, Armstrong was unable to participate in the project, which led the producers to replace him with Scatman Crothers. Thus, the character was renamed as “Scat Cat”, gaining a new song to be interpreted by the chosen actor.

The Doctor. Facilier, animation villain The princess and the Frog, was inspired by Michael Jackson. The similarity between the two is not only evident in the slender silhouette and in the costumes, but also in the choreography that the character performs during the film. The poses and movements are the same immortalized by the “king of pop”.

When the Disney creative team was creating the character of Ariel for The Little Mermaid, they thought to represent a beautiful, sweet and modern-minded young woman. That’s why they chose Alyssa Milano as inspiration.

In an interview, the actress revealed that she was unaware of the situation, at least not when the character was leaving the role. However, some time later she was invited to present a documentary that showed the backstage of the animation. That’s when Alyssa discovered the truth. The film’s producers had used photos from her teenage years to recreate the famous mermaid.

Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as Divine, was a great actor and drag queen from the USA. It was he, or rather his alter ego Divine, who inspired the creation of the evil Ursula, from The Little Mermaid🇧🇷 Her performances were the main source for the animators when it came to tracing the characteristics and extravagant style of the great villain.

the protagonist of Alice in Wonderland was inspired by Kathryn Beaumont, the actress who also voiced the character. The girl, who was only 10 years old at the time, served as a model for Disney to develop Alice in animation. There are several photographs that show the young woman’s work, as well as a video in which it is possible to see her acting and getting into the skin of the protagonist of the story.

Marge Champion was one of the most iconic dancers of the 20th century. When she was just 14 years old, the young girl auditioned for the role of Snow White. Her job was to recreate the character’s scenes in front of the animators, without neglecting the delicate movements that became the symbol of that fictional princess.

One of the reasons Marge got the role was her father’s dedication. Not only did the young woman have great talent for dancing and acting, but she also behaved like a royal. Ernest Belcher, the girl’s father, taught her from an early age to bow and behave very gently. This was crucial to her being chosen for the role, as her gestures were exactly what the producers were looking for for Snow White.

Which of the characters above is your favorite? Do you know another fiction story with figures inspired by people of flesh and blood? Comment!