Disney Facts

Pumbaa from "The Lion King" was the first character to fart in a Disney movie.

Ming-Na Wen, who portrays The Cavalry on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., was also the voice of Mulan. And she’s 50 years old.

After Disney threatened to sue three day care centers for unauthorized use of their characters, Hanna-Barbera gave them the right to use Universal characters as decorations.

When Pocahontas met John Smith, she was around 10-12 years old. He was 27.

Wally is a five-foot alligator from Jonestown, Pennsylvania - and a federally licensed emotional support animal. His owner, Joie Henney, says Wally is believed to be the first reptile ever certified as one. Wally visits senior centers, sits with Joie through cancer radiation, and gives hugs and kisses to anyone who asks. A Loki writer revealed Wally was their real-world visual reference for Alligator Loki on Disney+.

Dave Goelz worked on John Deere tractors as an industrial designer. In 1973, Jim Henson hired him, but only as a puppet builder. Three years later, he got his own puppet: a blue, big-nosed oddball named Gonzo. He never put Gonzo down. In 2026, he performed Gonzo again in the ABC and Disney+ Muppet Show revival. Fifty years later, he still performs Gonzo.

Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle has a real, working drawbridge over its moat, and it has come down for a crowd only twice. The first was opening day in 1955, when children ran across it live on TV, and the second was in 1983, when a rebuilt Fantasyland opened. In 2025, Disney Imagineers had it tested, and it still works. Millions of guests walk across it every year.

Robin Williams voiced the Genie in Aladdin for just $75,000 - on one condition: no ads. Disney broke the deal at once, using his voice to sell Burger King meals. To smooth it over, an exec sent a Picasso worth $1 million. Williams refused the gift. He only returned after a new Disney chief simply apologized - for a $1 million sequel deal.

Steve Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985. He sold nearly every share he owned, keeping just one share to attend meetings. With the money, he bought George Lucas's animation studio for $10 million. That studio was Pixar. Toy Story came out 10 years later. Pixar made him a billionaire first.

Marvel filed for bankruptcy in 1996 and sold Spider-Man to Sony and the X-Men to Fox. Spider-Man alone grossed $1.6 billion in films - Marvel got $62 million. Marvel kept the characters nobody wanted: Iron Man, Captain America, the Avengers. Iron Man made $585 million in 2008. Disney bought it all for $4.24 billion the following year.