Disney movies of the past and present are often considered as movie gems and classics.  Many people grew up watching Disney movies that provide fun and entertainment for the whole family.  Most of Disney’s movies both achieved critical and commercial success with billions earned in ticket sales and multiple accolades from different award-giving bodies. The success of Disney movies is often always expected with huge production costs and years of preparation. The following are 12 facts about Disney movies and some of their famous characters:

Fact 1:  Rapunzel from the movie “Tangled” can actually be seen in the movie “Frozen” as one of the royal guests of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna.  This cameo appearance is just one of many Disney characters that show up in different films.

Fact 2:  When “Sleeping Beauty” was released, it actually did not make so much money.  In fact, “Sleeping Beauty” the movie was considered a flop back in 1959.

Fact 3:  “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” was given mini-Oscars.  This movie was highly acclaimed and became a huge success and was given an honorary Oscar statue along with seven mini-Oscars for the “seven dwarves”.

Fact 4:  “Pocahontas” is a real person and a true American Indian that also met John smith.  The movie by Disney based their character on the actual person but introduced new twists and characters for cinematic purposes.

Fact 5:  “Boo” in “Monsters” actually has a real name and it is Mary. In a movie scene, the cute character is seen looking at her own drawings with the Mary sign on them.  This name was also a reference to the actual voice talent for the character which is Mary Gibbs.

Fact 6:  Four characters in “Frozen” were named after Hans Christian Andersen, the author of the original story from which the movie is based upon. “Hans” “Kristoff”, “Anna” and “Sven” are basically taken out from the name of the author.

Fact 7:  Tom Cruise is the inspiration for how “Aladdin” would look in his own movie.  The character may have been thin and dark-skinned but his overall look was said to be based on the chiselled looks of the famous movie star.

Fact 8:  “Mulan” the movie made Christina Aguilera a big star.  Singing one official song for the movie made Aguilera a success in the US music industry.

Fact 9:  “Wall-E” the robot movie was actually named after the Disney founder himself who has the full name of Walter Elias Disney.  This movie eventually became of Disney’s many box office successes.

 Fact 10:  In the movie “Tarzan” the main character’s moves were based on famous skateboarder Tony Hawk.  Hawk was known to do various twists and turns using his skateboard.  These moves were then used as inspirations for how Tarzan would move in the movie.

Fact 11:  “Tangled” was strategically titled as such so as not to alienate boys who may not want to watch “princess” movies.  After the mediocre success of “The Princess and the frog”, Disney animation opted for the “Tangled” title despite having Rapunzel as the main character.

Fact 12:  Mickey Mouse was actually part of the “Little Mermaid”.  Mickey and his gang can actually be seen in the movie as part of the crowd waiting for the entrance of King Triton.