The Magic of Disney: 35 Surprising Facts About Its Iconic Movies

The Hamsterdance song is a sped up version of the intro to the Disney Robin Hood movie (1973).

27. To create cars suitable for animals to drive in Zootopia, Disney enlisted the former head of design at Ford.

28. All of the 90's Disney movies are from a period called the Disney Renaissance, which was considered to have started with The Little Mermaid (1989), and ended with Tarzan (1999), wherein Disney made $3.9 billion worldwide.

29. Disney released a movie during World War 2 called "Der Fuehrer's Face", which depicted Donald Duck having a nightmarish time in the Nazi Regime. It is the only Donald Duck film to win an Academy Award.

30. Pixar animators working to finish 'Toy Story 2' had such a heavy workload that many chose to work long hours even though Pixar discouraged it. Animators developed carpal tunnel syndrome, and one even forgot he had left his baby in the backseat of his car all day.

Disney never sought legal action against 'Escape From Tomorrow' (a movie shot illegally inside Disneyland featuring among other things Disney princesses as prostitutes) in order to avoid giving it extra publicity. The movie ended up only making $171,962 theatrically.

32. In 1985, Disney released Return to OZ a sequel to 'The Wizard of OZ'. While being more true to the original novels, it was considered not friendly for children. At the beginning of the movie, Dorothy is receiving electroshock therapy. One reviewer said: “It's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying.”

33. The Disney film "The Emperor's New Groove", was originally supposed to be a more dramatic, Lion King-style movie called "Kingdom of the Sun."

34. After Disney released "Princess and the Frog", over 50 children were hospitalized with salmonella from kissing frogs.

35. The development of the Disney animated film Wreck-it-Ralph started in the late 1980's, spanning nearly three decades and four working titles.