If you think you know everything there is to know about Disney, you might be surprised by what you’re about to see.
Here are 13 facts about all-things Disney that you might not be familiar with.
Let’s take a look.
13. The voice of Cinderella’s narrator might sound familiar.
Betty Lou Gerson was also the voice of Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians.
12. Walt Disney mortgaged his home to make Snow White happen.
It was obviously a gamble that paid off, but he must have been nervous.
Even his wife, Lillian, suspected the movie would be a bust.
11. Snow White was also the first movie to be released with an accompanying soundtrack.
A practice that’s obviously made a lot of people a lot of money in the decades since.
10. There had been a previously released single, from “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,” though.
The 78 rpm record was a big seller.
9. Lady Tremaine (Cinderella) and Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty) are both voiced by Eleanor Audley.
Apparently, scary lady voices are hard to find.
8. Eleanor Audley is also the voice of Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion Ride.
The face you see in the crystal ball, though, is Imagineer Leota Toombs Thomas.
7. The first Disney character merchandise was a Mickey Mouse writing tablet.
Released in 1930, the licensing of the character to earn extra money was an eye-opener.
6. “When You Wish Upon A Star” was Disney’s first Oscar-winning song.
The tune from Pinocchio won for Best Original Song.
5. The Haunted Mansion ride is in a different land at every Disney park.
New Orleans Square at Disneyland, Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom, Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland, and in Paris, you’ll find it in Frontierland.
4. Disney was a big part of the war effort.
90% of their production was propaganda films, training films, print campaigns, and other things that supported the Allies’ war effort.
3. Sleeping Beauty took 8 years to make.
It went into production in 1951 and was released in 1959 – Disney was working on building Disneyland at the same time.
2. Cinderella was shot in live action first.
1. Anita from 101 Dalmatians was based on Julie Andrews.
