From mortgaging houses to near-catastrophic computer crashes, Disney's beloved classics have fascinating origin stories! Join us as we explore the most incredible behind-the-scenes tales from your favorite animated films. These surprising revelations will change how you watch these timeless masterpieces forever.
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00:00I know that you'll understand, to set the world in motion.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the most fascinating tales behind our favorite Disney films.
00:13A woman appreciates a man who can make her laugh.
00:17Number 10. Real-life dishes were used as photographic references. Ratatouille.
00:22Let's admit it, many of us re-watch Ratatouille just to drool over the mouth-watering meals on display.
00:28I have a highly developed sense of taste and smell.
00:31Flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla bean, oh, small twist of lemon.
00:39These dishes didn't just happen to look sumptuous, though. They were remarkable by design.
00:44Filmmakers created more than 270 meals to make the food appear as appetizing as Remy prepares them.
00:50These real-life dishes were used as reference points, allowing animators to recreate them as authentic and visually pleasing.
00:56Making sure that each dish that we do is something that is as fresh and as dynamic as it was the first time that we did that.
01:06Along with consulting professional chefs in the U.S. and France, Pixar animators attended cooking classes to understand what life in the culinary world is like.
01:14This level of dedication paid off, as the dishes in Ratatouille still look as delicious as desired.
01:20I can't remember the last time I asked the waiter to give my compliments to the chef.
01:27Number 9. Disney considered The Lion King as a secondary project to Pocahontas.
01:32The Lion King and Pocahontas.
01:35Riding high on Beauty and the Beast's critical and commercial success, Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg believed Pocahontas' romantic narrative would similarly resonate with viewers.
01:44Come roll in all the riches all around you, and for once, never wonder what there were.
01:53Because of this, Disney's A-team of animators was assigned to Pocahontas, while a more inexperienced crew took on The Lion King.
02:00Then, of course, then you sort of infuse that with a ragtag feeling like, okay, okay, so what if we're the B-team?
02:06We're just going to rally and do a great job. We'll show them.
02:09According to producer Don Hahn, the entire pitch simply went, quote, a lion cub gets framed for murder by his uncle set to the music of Elton John.
02:17But with over $1 billion at the box office and millions more in home media and merchandising, The Lion King is now considered the crown jewel of the Disney renaissance.
02:26The film didn't just succeed, it redefined what a breakout hit could be.
02:31Everybody look left, everybody look right, everywhere you look, I'm standing in the spotlight.
02:40Number 8. Cinderella rescued and reshaped Disney, Cinderella.
02:45During World War II, classics like Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi all underperformed at the box office.
02:51Even after the war, Disney teetered on the edge of collapse until Cinderella turned the tide forever.
02:56If you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.
03:12With millions in debt, the film was a last-ditch gamble that paid off in spades.
03:16Its success catapulted the company into a new era, reopening the European market and enabling Disney to invest in iconic money spinners like Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
03:27They had clothes, purses. You know, all the merchandise came out, too.
03:31Disney's newfound independence enabled it to break away from RKO Radio Pictures and establish its own distribution brand, bringing to life all the classics we know and love today.
03:41And to think, it's all thanks to that one glass slipper.
03:44But perhaps, if it would help...
03:46No, no, nothing can help now. Nothing.
03:49But you see, I have the other slipper.
03:56Number 7. Elsa was originally conceived as a villain. Frozen.
04:01That's right. The heroine who inspired millions to embrace their vulnerability was initially penciled in as an antagonist.
04:08Let it go, let it go.
04:11The film's original outline revolved around a prophecy foretelling the rise of a ruler with a frozen heart.
04:21Believing it as her destiny, Elsa would lead an army of snow monsters against Arendelle, until Hans was revealed as the true villain.
04:28We were still writing a villain song, and we started getting into the headspace of what you'd feel like if you were that isolated.
04:38But while developing the now iconic Let It Go, it became clear that the song perfectly fit, quote,
04:44a scared girl struggling to control and come to terms with her gift.
04:47The shift in perspective transformed Elsa into a complex, yet ultimately benevolent heroine, laying the platform for the powerful sisterly bond she shares with Anna.
04:56You've sacrificed yourself for me?
05:00I love you.
05:02Number 6.
05:03Dispute over the color of Aurora's dress was inspired by a real-life argument, Sleeping Beauty.
05:09One of Sleeping Beauty's more memorable moments revolves around Aurora's dress.
05:12It's pink.
05:14Oh, lovely shade, isn't it?
05:16But I wanted it blue.
05:18Now, dear, we decided pink was our color.
05:22You decided.
05:24We watch Flora and Meriwether constantly bicker over their preferred shade, even ending the film on this note.
05:30Funnily enough, this was a nod to real-life disagreement among filmmakers, who were divided over the dress's final color.
05:36It would create a real problem for them, and he fought to try to get the color to change, and I've been all stuck to his scheme.
05:46The argument has since carried over to the fan base, as viewers also tend to debate which look suits the heroine better.
05:52While the fairies could never settle their differences, the studio likely used Flora and Meriwether's argument to represent both colors on screen.
06:00Number 5.
06:11Female influence in Disney's early animation.
06:14Various.
06:15Disney's nine old men remain the stuff of legend, but a core group of women played an equally vital role behind the scenes.
06:22Names like Retta Scott, Retta Davidson, Ruthie Thompson, Sylvia Holland, Hazel Sewell, and Meriwether broke new ground, shattering barriers in a male-dominated industry.
06:33Meriwether is known for her vibrant art style, her use of color, and the look and feel in her work that continues to make an impact at Disney animation today.
06:42Their contributions in direction, animation, illustration, and storyboarding carried Disney from its infancy in the 30s to the beginning of its golden age in the 80s.
06:52The imprint of their work lives on in classics like Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Mary Poppins, The Black Cauldron, and more.
07:00Meriwether had brought her style into these films.
07:04She was just a very bold artist.
07:07She had impacted all of us.
07:08I think she's a legend.
07:10She made history.
07:11While female influence in Disney extends far and wide today, these women will always stand out for blazing a trail of change in the industry.
07:19It was very inspiring to see her, you know, as a woman working back in the 50s, you know, and be able to have a voice.
07:27Have such a big influence in those movies, and she still has an influence today.
07:33Number four.
07:34Robin Williams had free hand in the recording process.
07:37Aladdin.
07:38Robin Williams didn't just voice the genie.
07:40He gave him a soul.
07:41With impressions, pop culture references, and an infectiously energetic charm, Williams inject a genie with a personality filmmakers could never have dreamed of.
07:51The ever-impressive.
07:53The one contained.
07:56But never duplicated.
07:59Duplicated.
08:00Duplicated.
08:00Duplicated.
08:00Duplicated.
08:01Duplicated.
08:01Duplicated.
08:02Genie of the Lamb.
08:05Given free reign to run wild, the actor improvised over 50 characters and personas.
08:11A megastar worth millions, Williams reportedly racked up over 16 hours of material, providing Disney with an absolute goldmine of content, all for just $75,000.
08:22We just throw ideas, and they just said, try this.
08:25You need more power, Jim.
08:27Don't be afraid.
08:28You had it all along.
08:30I never did it.
08:31I am not at fault.
08:32Things took a bitter turn soon after its release.
08:35The studio went back on its word not to spotlight Williams during its marketing push, sparking a high-profile fallout that was only mended after a public apology years later.
08:44Genie, I'm really sorry.
08:48Number 3.
08:49Kingdom of the Sun.
08:50The Emperor's New Groove.
08:52Buoyed by hilarious characters like Cusco, Cronk, and Yzma, The Emperor's New Groove remains one of Disney's funniest films.
08:59Let's face it, you know spring chicken.
09:01And I mean that in the best possible way.
09:05What?
09:06A llama?
09:07He's supposed to be dead!
09:09Yeah, weird.
09:11But its original vision was quite the opposite, featuring a story inspired by the prince and the pauper.
09:16Titled Kingdom of the Sun, the idea was helmed by director Roger Allers, with Sting's soundtrack complementing its thematic beats.
09:23The only problem was they hadn't really settled on a script.
09:28To stop the song and they still have a fancy moment.
09:32I was writing songs in the dark, really, based on sort of hearsay of what the film was going to be.
09:39Unfortunately, producers Thomas Schumacher and Peter Schneider's refusal to share their vision led to drastic changes, reworking the movie into a satirical piece.
09:49Deep into production, and with six original songs already composed, Allers and Sting's work was rejected.
09:55Remnants of their efforts can be seen in the sweat box, which details the painstaking process behind what Kingdom of the Sun might have been.
10:02Number 2. Walt Disney mortgaged his own house to finance Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
10:20We might know Snow White as an all-time classic, but Disney's first animated film was a colossal risk.
10:26Walt Disney faced several financial woes during production, making it necessary to take out multiple loans to fund the film.
10:34I didn't know what I had or what would happen or anything.
10:36We had the family fortune, we had everything wrapped up in Snow White.
10:41In fact, the banker, I think, was losing more sleep than I was.
10:45When that wasn't enough, Disney took an even bigger gamble and mortgaged his own house to cover the remaining budget.
10:51However, Snow White's groundbreaking animation and storytelling techniques were far from inexpensive.
10:57In order to complete production, Disney screened an early cut to Bank of America's executive Joseph Rosenberg.
11:03Bless the seven little men who have been so kind to me, and may my dreams come true. Amen.
11:14Oh yes, and please make grumpy like me.
11:17Awestruck by the film's ambitious scale, Rosenberg approved a $250,000 loan that ultimately changed the landscape of film history forever.
11:27And out of that school have come the artists that now make up my staff here, and more than that, the artists that make up most all of the cartoon outfits in Hollywood.
11:36Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:40Part of Your World was a last-minute addition, The Little Mermaid.
11:44Jeffrey Katzenberg wanted it removed because he thought it was boring.
11:58Filmmakers followed Boo's actress Mary Gibbs around to record her lines, Monsters, Inc.
12:03This allowed them to capture authentic reactions from the then two-year-old actress.
12:07The 70-30 law, Treasure Planet.
12:20The team combined 70% traditional animation with 30% CGI visuals.
12:25Mr. Potato Head's lines were through archived recording.
12:35Toy Story 4.
12:37Don Rickles passed away before production.
12:39Twist my ear!
12:40You're on my foot now!
12:41Hey, quit jobbing!
12:44Shh!
12:46I know that was you, Potato Head.
12:49Drawovers were conducted through Zoom meetings.
12:52Raya and the Last Dragon.
12:53COVID-19 forced the team to improvise.
12:56Why are you looking at me like that?
12:58Uh, nothing.
13:00I'm just not used to seeing dragons.
13:03Impressed, huh?
13:04Oh, wait till you see my backstroke.
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13:21Number 1.
13:23Toy Story 2 was nearly lost forever before release.
13:26Toy Story 2.
13:27More than 25 years since its release, Toy Story 2 is still one of the greatest animated films of all time.
13:34Well, what do you know?
13:36Yay!
13:36Yee-haw!
13:38Oh, Bullseye!
13:39We're part of a family again!
13:42But this beloved classic almost met a premature end, all thanks to a technical error.
13:47With production nearly complete, a staff member accidentally deleted the film's root file, removing years of hard work with a single click.
13:55And then as we kept checking, he disappeared entirely when he's gone.
13:59Seconds later, looking up, the rest of the characters on the show, Buzz, Potato Head, Hamm, and Rex had all vanished.
14:03And soon after that, whole sequences of Toy Barn and Andy's room were disappearing off the disk drive.
14:07As expected, panic ensued.
14:09Especially when all efforts to locate the film's assets proved fruitless.
14:13Just when all hope seemed lost to the rescue.
14:16Sussman, working remotely at the time, had a backup copy on her home computer.
14:21Suffice it to say, we all owe her a collective thank you.
14:24For infinity and beyond.
14:26Well look, there's a movie.
14:28Thanks to Eli, my newborn baby Eli, and my need to work from home, we had a backup of Toy Story 2.
14:36Is there a Disney fun fact you have in mind?
14:38Let us know in the comments.
14:40You have been a fabulous audience.
14:42Tell you what, you're the best audience in the whole world!
14:51We'll see you next time.
14:51We'll see you next time.
14:57Bye bye!
14:57Bye bye!
14:58Bye bye!
14:58Bye bye!
14:59Bye bye!
14:59Bye bye!