Throughout
its history, Disney has created hallucinatory intrigues that have accompanied
us from childhood to today. Many characters have become our favorites, and we
even have a lot of affection for them. But what you may not have known is that
many of them have been inspired by real people, and sometimes even by famous
people.
1. Ursula -
Divine
Harris Glenn
Milstead, also known as Divine, was a well-known actor and American drag-queen
who inspired the creation of the wicked Ursula in The Little Mermaid. Her performances
were the primary source of inspiration for shaping the characteristics, the
impressive style, and the personality of the wicked.
2. The four
vultures - The Beatles
In 1967, as
the production of the cartoon adaptation of the Jungle Book was underway,
Disney and the directors created a rather ingenious cameo of the Beatles, one
of the most famous music bands at the time.
John Lennon,
Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were in charge of making the
voices of the four curiously coiffed vultures, and they even had to sing the
song The True Friends. But also if the group inspired the birds, that was not
enough reason for the plans to go as planned.
John Lennon
would have preferred not to appear in the film, and he also told the group's
manager, Brian Epstein, that he had to say Disney that it was better to offer a
deal to Elvis Presley. It is because of this event that the final version of
the film presents the vultures with an accent similar to that of the inhabitants
of Liverpool, and with the voices of J. Pat O'Malley, Digby Wolfe, Lord Tim
Hudson, and Chad Stuart.
3. Maleficent
- Eleanor Audley
Eleanor
Audley not only lent her voice to Maleficent in The Sleeping Beauty, but Disney
also chose her to stage and film passages that would help animators create the
fictional character. It means that the actress inspired the movements and
contours of the animated character's face.
Also, Eleanor
served as an inspiration to create the animation of Madame de Trémaine, the
famous and odious mother-in-law of Cinderella.
4. Edna Mode
- Linda Hunt
Legend has it
that the story of Edna, the character of the movie The Incredibles, was based
primarily on fashion designer Edith Head. However, the actor has a physique
very similar to the actress Linda Hunt.
5. Scat Cat -
Louis Armstrong
Scat Cat was
initially inspired by Louis Armstrong, the world-renowned jazz singer and
trumpet player. From the beginning, the idea was that he lent s his voice to the
feline.
Nevertheless,
because of his health problems, Louis Armstrong could not take part in the
project. As a result, the directors of the film decided to replace him with
Scatman Crothers. So, they renamed the character "Scat Cat," and
wrote a new song that was well performed by the chosen actor.
6. Alice -
Kathryn Beaumont
The
protagonist of Alice in Wonderland was inspired by Kathryn Beaumont, an actress
who also lent her voice to the character. The girl, who was only ten years old
at the time, was the model that the company's animators used to bring Alice to
life. Several photographs show the girl's work, as well as a video where she is
seen playing and putting herself in the character's shoes.