Top 10 Times Disney Made Fun of Disney
#10: Chicken Little’s Opening Scene
“Chicken Little” (2005)
Disney’s 1994 movie “The Lion King” is one of the company’s most beloved, and features one of the most iconic opening segments in the history of cinema. “The Circle of Life” is epic and majestic, and was used for some comic relief in a much less renowned Disney flick, “Chicken Little”. In the opening of this 2005 film, the narrator considers where to start, and then shows a sun rising over a plain that looks awfully familiar. It was a great way to get a laugh from the audience in the movie’s first few moments.
#9: Brinx’s Sea Shanty
“Beverly Hills Family Robinson” (1997)
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! Anyone who has been to one of the Disney parks will likely recognize this tune from the fan-favorite ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Long before the ride was adapted into a blockbuster film franchise, another live action Disney flick was making reference to the popular attraction. The 1997 movie “Beverly Hills Family Robinson” shows an LA family having encounters with real life pirates. At one point, the pirate Brinx leads a chorus of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)", recalling the pirates we know and love.
#8: Listening to “Hakuna Matata”
“Toy Story” (1995)
Top 10 Times Movies Made Fun of Disney
“The Lion King” was released in 1994, and the following year saw the release of the groundbreaking Pixar movie “Toy Story”. Despite the short time frame between their releases, the creators of “Toy Story still managed to squeeze in a cheeky reference to the earlier film. At the climax of the movie, we see Woody careening behind the family’s moving van in serious danger. But in a quick scene change, we’re given a glimpse into the family car, where everything is serene, and they’re listening to a version of “Hakuna Matata” on the radio. Come on Woody, it means no worries!
#7: A Singing, Dancing Mouse
Top 10 Times Disney Made Us Believe In True Love
“Muppet Treasure Island” (1996)
Not everyone associates the Muppets with Disney, but 1996’s “Muppet Treasure Island” was indeed a Disney production. In the film, when our heroes meet Long John Silver, they question the lobster he keeps as a pet on his shoulder where they’d expect to see a parrot. But when they inquire, the lobster defends himself, saying a parrot would be absurd - as absurd as, say, a musically talented mouse . . . This tongue in cheek reference is, of course, to the Disney parks, where a Muppet themed attraction actually existed when the movie was released.
#6: Hans Christian Andersen
Top 10 Best Hans Zimmer Scores
“Frozen II” (2019)
Encanto VS Frozen
When Elsa finally arrives in Ahtohallan, she sees and walks among various snow memories. One of the scenes she witnesses takes place between her mother and father, as Iduna asks Agnarr about the book he’s reading. He says that it’s by “some new Danish author” and from the cover image you can tell it’s supposed to be Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”. But not only did Andersen write "The Little Mermaid”, he also penned “The Snow Queen”, which is the fairy tale that “Frozen” is largely based on. Meta!
#5: Zazu Singing “It’s a Small World”
“The Lion King” (1994)
Top 10 Disney Moments that Made us Happy Cry
When Zazu is being held captive by Scar in “The Lion King”, he’s expected to entertain him by singing. Scar deems his choice of tune to be too maudlin, and suggests something more upbeat. The song that Zazu picks next is one of the most notoriously annoying in the Disney repertoire: “It’s a Small World”. Taken from the ride of the same name present in the Disney parks, the repetitive song has driven the best of us nuts, and even the villainous Scar isn’t able to handle it and quickly shuts it down.
#4: Hopper Explaining the Circle of Life
Top 10 Dennis Hopper Performances
“A Bug’s Life” (1998)
Top 10 Times DreamWorks ROASTED Disney
Considering “The Lion King’s” popularity, it should come as no surprise that so many later Disney films decided to reference it. In “The Lion King”, Mufasa explains the world to his son Simba using the metaphor of the circle of life. In “A Bug’s Life”, released in 1998, the tyrannical Hopper alludes to the same concept, yet with a much less poetic and more self-serving meaning. His oppression of the ants, he claims, is just the natural order of things - part of a circle of life that leaves the ants at the bottom of the food chain.
#3: Genie’s Goofy Hat
Top 10 Genie Moments in Aladdin
“Aladdin” (1992)
Top 10 Problems that Aladdin (2019) Fixed
Genie cycles through countless pop culture references and impersonations throughout “Aladdin”. But when the story reaches its conclusion and all the characters get their happy endings, Genie is finally free. He dresses up in a Hawaiian shirt and a Goofy hat, looking like he’s ready for a trip to the most magical place on Earth. Hey, if you could go anywhere, why not Disneyland? But there’s an extra layer to this reference, because Genie is actually dressed exactly like Robin Williams was in a 1989 promotional short he shot for the park.
#2: Timon Singing “Be Our Guest”
Top 10 Best Timon & Pumbaa Moments
“The Lion King” (2019)
Top 10 Best Straight to DVD Disney Sequels
So many of the entries on our list have been referencing “The Lion King”, so when that film was remade as a live action movie in 2019, it was no surprise that they wanted to get some retribution. In one scene that differs from the animated version, Timon and Pumbaa have to cause a diversion, so Timon sings a snippet of a very familiar Disney song. He cautiously belts out “Be Our Guest” from 1991’s “Beauty and the Beast” and then he and Pumbaa run off. It was a moment of levity when things seemed to be getting pretty dire for the good guys.
#1: Vanellope Meets the Disney Princesses
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018)
Top 10 Disney Princesses' Comfy Outfits in Ralph Breaks the Internet
In a segment from 2018’s “Wreck-It Ralph” sequel, Vanellope finds herself surrounded by all the Disney princesses we’ve come to know and love over the years. The entire scene walks an artful line between fan service for viewers who would LOVE to see all these famous ladies hanging out together, and poking fun at the similarities that the characters share. They tackle the princesses’ motherlessness, their tendency to break out into song, their damsel in distress syndrome and of course their constricting clothing. This scene is both hilarious and manages to skewer the princess trope while all being in good fun.
