Everybody loves finding a good hidden Easter Egg in their favorite movies, and any Disney fan worth their salt can name an easy few off the top of their heads. From spotting Eugene and Rapunzel at Elsa’s coronation in Frozen to catching a glimpse of Sebastian the lobster in Aladdin, our favorite childhood movies are filled with surprises like these. Some are easy to catch, like when Hercules tosses Scar’s pelt on the ground or when little Boo shows Sully her stuffed Nemo toy, but some are so well disguised you’ll have to rewind over and over to make sure you’re eyes aren’t tricking you. Even as an annual pass holder and an avid Disney fanatic, some of these finds had me on the edge of my seat wondering how I could have missed them! So strap on your aviator goggles and get ready for an adventure as we look at some of the coolest Easter eggs Disney has to offer.
Let’s start with a crowd pleaser we all know and love, the movie Lilo and Stitch. Does everyone remember that scene where Lilo wakes up her big sister Nani to show her a new trick Stitch learned how to do- which was playing Elvis songs through his mouth with his finger on the record player?Well apparently Nani was a big fan of Mulan, the most badass lady to ever bring honor to China and to make me want a dragon bff.
2This isn’t the only nod to the girl worth fighting for found in this movie. While Nani is dropping her little ones off in town, a Mulan themes restaurant can be seen right behind them. Honestly, how have I never seen that! Apparently that film was a big hit in Kauai.
Also, did anyone else notice when the were browsing the shops the Disney castle in Orlando made an appearance on a postcard? Because I sure didn’t! Though I don’t think it would be the best idea to take Stitch to Disney World at this point, can you imagine the destruction that would take place if he got fed up with the stroller moms bumping into him?
This cute and fluffy alien also makes his way into the popular 2002 film Treasure Planet as a stuffed animal on young Jim Hawkin’s shelf. If you look to the left hand side, you’ll see Experiment 626 plotting his revenge on this runaway dad who left Jim and his mom. Not cool, dude.
There’s also a few surprises hidden within the futuristic film, Meet the Robinson’s, if you take a closer look. Remember when Goob, our friendly neighborhood orphan and baseball fanatic, fell asleep at his big game? During this scene, if you look on the fence behind him, you can see a poster for Toy Story and another poster of The Jungle Book. Poor thing was probably too tired to notice.
Another amazing find in this film is this little nod of Todayland to an iconic attraction in Disneyland. Look familiar?
This little screenshot almost identically resembles Tomorrowland, the futuristic land of Disney featuring science and spaceships and all things Lewis would adore.
Bits of this movie apparently found their way out of the big screen and into the world of Wreck-It-Ralph, as you can clearly see Tiny the T-Rex in the back of the station. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes you know, and with arms of all lengths.
Speaking of Wreck-It-Ralph, did anyone notice that the high score on the Fix It Felix Jr. arcade game is actually the date of Walt Disney’s birthday? The high score references December 5, 1901, the birth date of the man who started it all.
Apparently Ralph just can’t stay in his game! This footage of the Fix It Felix Jr. game can be found in the skyline of San Fransokyo in the film Big Hero Six. It goes by so fast in the movie, you might miss it if you blink.
If you were like me, your favorite Disney movies exclusively featured any film with cute, talking animals. Among those favorites were 101 Dalmatians and The Lady and the Tramp, which coincidentally meet in the Twilight Bark scene. Lady and Tramp both aid in finding the missing pups by joining in the bark in this alley seen in the screenshot.
These guys aren’t the only ones to crossover from their little London town. Peg, the pound dog with the bluesy voice and the crush on Tramp, can be seen in the pet store window also responding to the twilight bark.
Well since I brought it up, let’s talk about some of the Disney pups that are spotted in different movies. This picture of Bolt and the lady from the pound can be seen on the desk of the police officer in Big Hero Six. Apparently this guy was a huge fan of Bolt’s television show.
We all know that Bolt lived in Hollywood while filming his show, but did you know that the address on his nametag is a reference to the Walt Disney Animation Studio? The address on his tag reads 2100 Riverside Drive in Hollywood, California, and the address for the studio is 2100 West Riverside Drive in Burbank, California!
If you watch this scene in the film Ratatouille closely, you can see that the shadow of the dog chasing Remy through the house looks like another Disney doggo that we know and love. The shadow resembles Doug from the movie Up, who has just met you and loves you.
In this scene of Tarzan, the gorillas have just met the other humans for the first time and aren’t sure quite what to think. While one of them shakes Professor Porter upside down, one of the items we see fall from his pockets is a miniature version of Little Brother, Mulan’s pet dog. We have a lot of fans of this movie here today!
The next few are some miscellaneous Easter eggs I recently found out that are too exciting not to share.
When poor old Maurice from the film Beauty and the Beast is traveling in the forest by himself, oblivious to the dangers around him, he stumbles upon this sign. It is difficult to see at first but when you look really hard, you can see that two of the boards read “Anaheim” and “Valencia.” This is fascinating because as all of us Disney fans know, Anaheim is the location of Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Also, a lesser known fact is that Valencia is where Roy and Walt Disney founded their school CalArts, which has trained most all animators working at Walt Disney Studios as well as Pixar Studios.
When Max is giving his radical concert in A Goofy Movie, we can see a very familiar face in the crowd enjoying the show. Mickey Mouse is among the concertgoers cheering on Max for standing out!
Remember Dr. Facilier’s creepy lair where he talks to his friends on the other side? Well one of these shadows on his wall looks like someone else we know from our favorite multi-holiday movie. One of the shadows on the far left looks a lot like Jack Skellington the pumpkin king from A Nightmare Before Christmas. He probably opened the wrong door to Christmas town.
Here’s to the scene of our favorite damaged girl’s anthem from the film Hercules, when Meg is singing “I Won’t Say I’m In Love,” the muses can be seen as statues on pedestals. They are actually placed identically to the singing head busts seen on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland.
Here’s another fun fact, the second head from the left is actually Walt Disney’s face!
Although I have a love-hate relationship with this film, I thought this was a pretty funny thing to find in the Frozen credits. At the end of all the names, the creators give us a hilarious disclaimer about Kristoff’s comment on all men eating their boogers. It solely reflects Kristoff’s beliefs and not those of the Walt Disney Company.
Does the number A113 seem familiar? Well it should, because it is a recurring Easter egg found not only here in The Princess and the Frog, but also a few times in Lilo and Stitch, and another time in Big Hero 6. This number holds significance because it references the classroom number at CalArts, from which many Disney animators went to school. The room A1-13 is where they went to learn character animation, and can be found on many license plates in several Disney films.
That’s it for my Disney Easter Eggs, and I hope everyone finds their own eggs this Easter Sunday!