10 Facts About Cartoon Characters That Show Them in a Whole New Way

Do you have any favorite cartoon characters? Which of their facts surprised you the most?
We always think that we know everything about our favorite cartoon characters, such as Elsa, Rapunzel, and other iconic characters because we've watched Disney movies hundreds of times that we could know some lines by heart. We borrow quotes from them and remember all of the unforgettable moments, but there are a lot of interesting stories behind the characters in these cartoons that we don't know about. For example, in iconic meal scenes, Lady and the Tramp almost didn't have the spaghetti noodle kiss.
Many cartoon characters, without a doubt, changed into something totally different from their original design throughout time, yet few of us are aware of this fact. We want to discover more about our beloved cartoon characters and share with you some amazing facts about them. Check out our list and have some fun!

#1 Belle was inspired by a character from Little Women.

Source: © Beauty and the Beast / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers, © Little Women / Columbia Pictures and co-producers

The inspiration for the producers of Beauty and the Beast came from the first film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, which was released in 1933. Belle's independent personality was inspired in part by Jo March.
Jo was the most intelligent of her sisters, she enjoyed reading and writing, and she disliked the thought of marriage. Saoirse Ronan played her in the current version (2019).

#2 At the end of the Ice Age, Diego wasn't intended to live.

Source: © Ice Age / 20th Century Studios and co-producers, © Ice Age / 20th Century Studios and co-producers

There was a scene at the end of the first Ice Age where Diego was fighting other saber-toothed tigers. He was injured, and the other characters stopped believing that he would survive. But Diego soon awakens and rejoins his companions.
Diego actually died in the first version of the cartoon. But because this moment made the children who watched it cry, the creators decided to change Diego's fate so that he would appear in future episodes of the franchise.

#3 Amy Winehouse was the model for Elsa.

Source: © Frozen / Walt Disney Animation Studios and co-producers, © East News

Amy Winehouse, a British musician who died tragically, inspired one of the two main characters in Frozen. Elsa had dark hair and big eyes in the early stages of creation.
Claire Keane, the artist who worked on this character, said she wanted Elsa to have a deep, beautiful voice and dramatic mood changes. But suddenly the character shifted dramatically. Elsa's expression remained dramatic, as did her large eyes.

#4 The voice of Beauty and the Beast in Chinese was Jackie Chan.

Source: © Beauty and the Beast / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers, © Invision / Invision / East News

In China, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast was voiced by Jackie Chan. The actor needed the music education he acquired at opera school as well. Besides portraying one of the characters, he also sang some songs, including the most iconic, "Beauty and the Beast," originally performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.

#5 The design of Rapunzel's hair was inspired by art.

Source: © Jean-Honoré Fragonard / Les hasards heureux de l'escarpolette / Wallace Collection / Wikimedia Commons, © Public Domain, © Tangled / Walt Disney Animation Studios and co-producers

One of the animators' key goals was to produce an effect that looked like oil paintings. They didn't want photorealism; they just wanted the hair to look beautiful. The haircut was inspired by the paintings of Jean-Honore Fragonard.

#6 The original concept for Scar from The Lion King was a baboon.

Source: Twitter

The first version of The Lion King was nothing like what we saw. The plot focused on a battle between lions and baboons. Scar was still an opponent, but this time he was a baboon. Rafiki was a cheetah. Simba would not leave the kingdom either, but become a “lazy, slovenly, horrible character” as a result of Scar's manipulations, allowing Simba to be overthrown after reaching maturity.

#7 Shrek had initially a red nose, no teeth, and lived in a landfill.

Source: © Shrek / DreamWorks Animation and co-producers

Shrek was totally different from the Shrek we know in the early draft . He had a crimson nose, no teeth. He also wore sandals and was much goofier. He was a fire-breathing character in the book on which the animation was based.
In addition, he did not live in the swamp. He was meant to settle near a village in a landfill. However, these concepts conflicted with the portrayal of a lonely and misunderstood character. As a result, the authors decided to place him near a swamp.

#8 The Beast became one because he didn’t love a fairy.

Source: © Beauty and the Beast / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers, © Beauty and the Beast / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers

The original Beauty and the Beast was not the Disney animated version. Because the prince's father died when he was a kid, his mother had to rule the kingdom and put him in the care of an evil fairy. Because he didn't love her, the fairy transformed him into a beast.

#9 The Sleeping Beauty fairies are modeled after old women.

Source: © Sleeping Beauty / Walt Disney Productions

The authors observed old ladies at wedding banquets and grocery stores. They noticed certain unique features in their behavior: many women wore hats and walked quickly everywhere they went. This was the inspiration for the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.

#10 The iconic spaghetti scene and Lady and the Tramp's kiss rarely happened.

Source: © Lady and the Tramp / Walt Disney Productions

Today, this episode is one of the most popular in the film industry. However, Walt Disney refused to include this scene in the cartoon. He wanted the characters to be human-like, and he thought such dog behavior was preposterous. The animals sharing food could not possibly be elegant. However, Franklin Thomas later drafted the scenario that persuaded Disney.