15 Fun Facts From Popular Cartoons That Might Intrigue More Adults Than Kids

When launching their productions, animation studios usually focus not only on children’s content, but also on details that will please older viewers. It’s a smart move that, in addition to increasing engagement, boosts box office, but requires more hard work from the team. One of the tricks often used by directors is to fill the drawing with hints, jokes and references that children can miss unnoticed, unlike their parents.

Today, the team awesome.club will tell you a little more about the curious details that we observe in some of the most watched drawings.

Among the human things Ariel used to assemble her collection is a painting of a girl sitting next to a candle. This is the reference to the painting Magdalene penitent, also known as Magdalene with two candles, by Georges de La Tour. She is depicted with a human skull in her lap. But what does such a sinister portrait do in a children’s drawing?

One of the theories suggests that Ariel is shown as the new Mary Magdalene. Just like Madalena, the mermaid has red hair, fights against patriarchy and is criticized for her desires.

The stinking spirit that needs to be washed away is inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s own experience. Witnessing the cleaning of the river near his home made the animator create one of the most striking, but unpleasant, scenes in the cartoon.

Over the years, a large amount of garbage has accumulated at the bottom of the river. Among several other things, there was an old bicycle, with one wheel sticking out of the water, but it was so dirty that it was extremely difficult to get it out. That dark and shocking memory stayed in the filmmaker’s memory and, years later, came to life in the anime.

Furthermore, some details of the work can only be understood by those who are familiar with Chinese and Japanese characters. When Chihiro and her parents arrive at a park with abandoned restaurants, we can notice several inscriptions scattered around the place, and some of the symbols are purposely written backwards or hidden in unexpected places. They give clues and warnings that something is wrong with the park and it is fraught with danger.

Remember that funny scene when the protagonists are introduced to Mr. Big? Many viewers confuse him with a mole. But in fact, he is an arctic shrew, an extremely aggressive and voracious rodent.

Furthermore, this character, as well as this scene and his daughter’s wedding, is an allusion to Don Vito Corleone from The Godfather. It’s hard to imagine that a child would understand such a reference, don’t you think?

Throughout the course of history, the Genie assumes the personalities of several celebrities, but most of them were not recognized by children in 1992. Among the famous parodies that most caught the attention of children were Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson . The adults were happy with the presence of Señor Wences, Ed Sullivan, Groucho Marx, Arsenio Hall, Peter Lorre, Cab Calloway and many others.

In one of the scenes, the antagonist King Candy, in an attempt to dodge Ralph, says that you can’t hit someone with glasses. But the big guy still ends up breaking the accessory. Batman reacts similarly to the Joker’s taunts in the 1989 film.

When Bolt is holding Mittens over an expressway, a bus passes with the number 2525 on the roof. The vehicle is inspired by the bus from the action movie Full Speed. Was Sandra Bullock driving?

In the drawing, a Sherrinford moving company truck appears. Before revealing Sherlock Holmes to the world, Arthur Conan Doyle worked on a hero named Sherrinford. This name was found in his early drafts. Several authors of Sherlock Holmes books written after the master’s death refer to Sherrinford as the older brother of Sherlock and Mycroft.

Chef Skinner is named after behavioral psychologist Burrhus Frederic Skinner, famous for his experiments on rats.

Many scenes feature the presence of a peach tree, from which Master Oogway’s staff is also made. In Chinese culture, peach is the symbol of immortality. Peach blossoms and leaves are used in Taoist magic. Peach tree wood is believed to ward off evil. Young spectators hardly paid due attention to such a symbolic detail.

In Cars (2006), Luigi’s license plate is 44.5-10.8. These are the coordinates of the Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy.

In the 1941 animated film, when Timothy the mouse tells Dumbo that many people with big ears are famous, he is referring to the “King of Hollywood” Clark Gable, known for having big ears.

In the film about Goofy, there is a scene where Bigfoot dances to the song Stayin’ Alive. It was copied from the film Saturday Night Fever, presented by John Travolta’s character.

When minions are unable to enter the Tower of London without adults, they disguise themselves as a woman who is supposed to be tall enough to enter. In this scene, she can see a Frenchman looking where decent men shouldn’t look. A similar situation was portrayed in an advertising campaign by the lingerie company Wonderbra featuring Eva Herzigová, with the following words next to the model: “Look into my eyes! In the eyes, I said!”

Do you think that the details discussed above positively or negatively affect the quality of a cartoon? Do you often go to the movies with your family? What is your favorite animated film?