The Walt Disney Company has been delighting audiences young and old for more than 90 years. Many of us may have grown up watching Disney films and going to Disney parks, and the brand has formed a key component of our lives.
To celebrate that, here are 10 random facts you probably didn’t know about Disney. Feel free to use this list to impress people at your next gathering. You’re welcome.
Snow White was the first movie with a soundtrack.
The 1944 Snow White was the first-ever film to release its own soundtrack. As for the film itself, more than 750 artists were drawing about two million sketches for the film.
Walt Disney has won the most Oscars.
Walt Disney has won 26 Oscars and 59 nominations. He also holds the record of winning the most Oscars on a single night – 4 in 1953.
Cinderella was the first time Disney shot the entire film in live-action first, and then used it for reference to animate the movie.
Disney artists shot Cinderella in live action before they began animating. (They had shot reference footage of difficult sequences before, but not a complete film.) The artists didn’t trace this footage, but the gestures, expressions and movements of the actors provided a starting point with their drawings.
The Haunted Mansion is placed in a different land in every Disney park that has it.
At Disneyland, the attraction is located in New Orleans Square; at the Magic Kingdom, it’s in Liberty Square; at Tokyo Disneyland, it’s located in Fantasyland; while at Disneyland Paris, it’s located in Frontierland.
The voice actors for Mickey and Minnie married each other.
The man who served as the voice of Mickey Mouse for over 30 years, Wayne Allwine, was married to the woman who voices Minnie Mouse, Russi Taylor. The two were married for nearly two decades until Wayne Allwine passed away in 2009.
There Is A Disney Comic Where Mickey And Goofy Sell Speed
Mickey Mouse and the Medicine Man was released by Disney in 1951. In the strip, Mickey and Goofy discover a new medicine called ‘Peppo’ that represents amphetamine (speed). Their enthusiasm for the chemical pick-me-up leads them to become salesman for the product in Africa.
Wall-E, was named after Walter Elias Disney
It’s a reference to Walter, but in the movie WALL-E is an acronym. It stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth Class.
Goofy, Mickey and Donald Duck are in the opening scenes of the Little Mermaid.
During the opening scene of The Little Mermaid with King Triton, Goofy, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck all make a cameo appearance.
There is a real Disney Vault — it’s in Glendale, California.
It’s a building that houses everything from the films themselves, to the sketches and models used to make them.
The ideas for Wall-E, Monsters Inc, A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo came from a single lunchtime brainstorming session in 1994
What did you accomplish on lunch today?