Disney is famous for hiding things and adding other secrets into their animated films. Since Kristen’s memory of the Wesson ad and its Wessonality reminded me of Baloo singing Bare Necessities in the Jungle Book (not Tarzan - though that did take place in a jungle so my confusion makes PERFECT sense! ha!) that seemed like the perfect place to start! Then I learned that The Jungle Book was the last movie that Walt Disney worked on, solidifying that decision.
I remember the days when in order to watch a Disney animated movie you either had to go to the movie theater or wait for it to be shown on The Wonderful World of Disney. There were also those few shows like “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Sound of Music” that would come on annually. Oh how I loved those shows! I never missed “The Wizard of Oz”. In addition to the fabulous songs and dancing,The Wicked Witch of the West scared the ever-loving crap out of me. I could not imagine a more evil character who exuded everything 7-year old me found horrifying. Watching The Sound of Music was even better. I could picture myself as a part of the singing Von Trapp family and I would sing along loud and proud, Brigitta had nothing on me!
But I digress! Back to the Disney movies! One of my early favorites was Bedknobs & Broomsticks. I just absolutely adored the mix of cartoon and real people. I thought that was just the most amazing feat of movie magic I had ever seen. The story is also good and got even better when I learned that one of the kids in the movie is named Carrie. That didn’t happen very often, so any Carrie I did find was automatically my favorite. Bedknobs & Broomsticks, like so many Disney films did have a surprise in it. During the live action/animation scene on the Isle of Naboombu when the soccer match is is being played, there in the audience is a bear, wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt.
The Game
The next Disney animated movie I remember falling in love with is Robin Hood. This one is extra special because my daughter also fell in love with it. On many an occasion when I needed her attention and calling her name just wouldn’t do, I found that a well placed Ooo-de-lally was just what the situation needed. It never failed to get her attention and often resulted in a sweet little girl voice sweetly calling Ooo-de-lally right back to me.
I see a theme here that kid me really liked movies where animals got to act human. That sounds about right, I was also a huge fan of Where the Wild Things Are. As we all know, the story of Robin Hood is a classic tale of foxes fighting for good. It has humor and intrigue and action and everything you could possibly want in a film. Apparently it also includes The University of Wisconsin’s fight song (Go Badgers!) when Lady Kluck, the hen, takes on the hippo guards. It also has a hidden Mickey, though I will be honest, no only do I not remember the scene from the movie but I think the Mickey is pretty bootleg. However, I will let you decide for yourself. The scene is when Robin Hood and Little John are in the woods and making dinner. Robin Hood burns it beyond recognition and apparently, some of the burn bubbles to the left of the cauldron look like Mickey. I don’t really see, what do you think?
The Mouse?
The last Disney movie I’m going to mention here is another one of my favorites, The Little Mermaid. Sebastian is one of my favorite characters along with the super angry chef. The songs are fantastic and just as great today as they were when the movie came out! While I didn’t agree with Ariel’s plan, I would totally not give up my voice, I like to talk WAY to much, it hasn’t stopped me from watching the movie over and over. So imagine my surprise when I just learned that if you look, Ariel almost never has fingernails! Apparently it’s just too time consuming to pop them on there so they just left them off. All those views and I never ever noticed that! The other classic Disney surprise is found at the beginning of the movie when King Triton is addressing his citizens. While not very clear, out amongst the guests you can spot (with the help of the pause button) Goofy, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and even Kermit the Frog! But back to the no fingernails thing, I just can hardly believe it!!!
No Nails!
While the hidden things in the movies and the easter eggs are always fun to keep and eye out for and give the feeling of a win when you spot it on your own, I think it’s some darn good animation and super catchy songs that bring you back over and over to these films. Add in a healthy dose of nostalgia and re-watching some of these older classic Disney movies is almost like coming home.