25 Disney Characters You Probably Did Not Know Were Inspired By Real People

Don't be surprised if I told you that Disney animators frequently modelled their characters after real people. These people inspired the character, turning them into our lovable Disney characters.

Elisha

• Published in Disney
• November 10, 2021

Maybe there was this one time you saw a Disney movie and thought "this character reminds me of this actor or actress", or you noticed the striking resemblance in facial features. You're not far from it, there's a very high chance that the character might've been inspired by that person.

It's common for Disney to use real-life people as reference for their characters to make them more realistic. They infuse their body motion, expressions, clothes, accent and other personality traits, into the character. This is also the same for their characters that are animals, as animators have to study the animal's behavior and movement.

All this is necessary if they want to portray the character to the audience in the most realistic manner there is, it's some sort of human psychology if you ask me.

Let's get right into it, there are specific people, mostly celebrities that were an inspiration for some popular Disney characters. You don't need to do any work finding out, we've done it all for you.

We've compiled an interesting list of all the people whose personalities, appearances or traits served as a source of inspiration for our favorite Disney characters. You might have asked yourself how Snow White would look if she stepped out of the animation world.

Keep scrolling, you'll be fascinated by what you'll find out.

1. The Genie In Aladdin Was Inspired By Robin Williams

2. Ursula In The Little Mermaid Was Inspired By Drag Queen Divine

3. Wall-E In The Eponymous Movie Was Inspired By Charlie Chaplin

4. The 4 Vultures In The Jungle Book Were Inspired By The Beatles

5. Edna Mode In The Incredibles Could Possibly Be Inspired By Edith Head

6. Scat Cat In The Aristocats Was Inspired By Louis Armstrong

7. The Mad Hatter In Alice In Wonderland Was Inspired By Ed Wynn

8. Princess Aurora In The Sleeping Beauty Was Inspired By Helene Stanley

9. Christopher Robin In Winnie The Pooh Was Inspired By Christopher Robin Milne

10. Maleficent In The Sleeping Beauty Was Inspired By Audley

11. Jessica Rabbit In Who Framed Roger Rabbit Was Largely Inspired By Rita Hayworth

12. Scar In Lion King Was Inspired By Jeremy Irons

13. Peter Pan In The Eponymous Movie Was Inspired By Bobby Driscoll

14. Tiana In The Princess And The Frog Was Inspired By Anika Noni Rose

15. Cruella De Vil In One Hundred And One Dalmatians Inspired By Tallulah Bankhead

16. Chernabog In Fantasia Was Inspired By Bela Lugosi

17. Alice In Alice In Wonderland Was Inspired By Kathryn Beaumont

18. Captain Hook In Peter Pan Was Inspired By Hans Conried

19. Tinker Bell In Peter Pan Was Inspired By Margaret Kerry

20. Dr. Facilier In The Princess And The Frog Was Largely Inspired By Jackson

21. Ariel In The Little Mermaid Was Based On Alyssa Milano

22. Snow White In Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Was Based On Marge Champion

23. Pocahontas In The Homonymous Movie Was Inspired By Irene Bedard

24. Mortimer Mouse In Mickey Mouse Is Supposedly Based On Walt Disney

25. Aladdin In The Eponymous Movie Was Inspired By Tom Cruise

Kudos to the animators for showcasing these fantastic people to the world through Disney's vast network and lovable characters. We hope that you enjoyed going through the list.

You probably now know who these characters would resemble if they stepped into the real world. We've don extensive research on these iconic Disney characters, and the people they were designed after.

Just as we've shared with you, feel free to share with your friends and family.

Elisha