11 Disney Characters That Were Literally Copyed from Celebrities (18 photos)
Disney cartoon characters had real prototypes. The first Belle was too glamorous and resembled Angelina Jolie. So her image was changed to make her look like Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Natalie Wood.
1. The animators copied Ariel from a young Alyssa Milano. She found out about it only a year after the cartoon came out 
"Disney copied Ariel's face from my photos. Yes. It's really cool and cute. I didn't know about it until a year after the film came out, when I was asked to prepare a special article about the making of the film. Then they told me everything," the actress shared. 
2. Tom Cruise inspired the creators of the film "Aladdin" 
Initially, the animators conceived of a character of shorter stature and a slender build, but abandoned this idea, since Jasmine would hardly have been charmed by him.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, then chairman of Walt Disney Studios, said, "Guys, you've got Julia Roberts and Michael J. Fox. They're not right for each other. You need Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts. They're right for each other. You need more Tom Cruise." The artists took that advice literally. 
First looks for Aladdin and Jasmine
3. Tangled director Byron Howard revealed that Mother Gothel was based on Cher. She had exactly the "exotic" style that the animators were looking for 
Even Cher noted the similarities with the character. When asked if she would star in the film adaptation of "Rapunzel", she replied: "I am convinced that what is yours always becomes yours. So I would not refuse the role."
4. According to Paige O'Hara, who voiced Belle in "Beauty and the Beast," the character originally looked completely different 
She compared her to Angelina Jolie, which was, of course, a coincidence, since Angelina was only 16 years old when the film came out.
"I couldn't understand how anyone could relate to this character. If you looked at her, you would probably put her on a pedestal. She was too perfect," Paige said.
Eventually, the artists turned their attention to old Hollywood stars (and Paige) and made Belle look like Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Natalie Wood. 
Paige O'Hara and Belle
5. Two characters were inspired by musician Louis Armstrong 
The first was Scat Cat from The Aristocats, and the second was Louis from The Princess and the Frog, which came out 39 years later.
The trumpeter cat was originally named Satchmo, which was Armstrong's nickname, but the musician was unable to voice the character due to health reasons. He was then replaced by Scatman Crothers, and the character's name was changed to Scat Cat. 
Scat Cat and Scatman Crothers
6. Animators couldn't find the perfect image for Ursula from "The Little Mermaid" for a long time. They were desperate until they saw actor and drag queen Divine 
And the mannerisms and movements were copied from Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in the film "Sunset Boulevard".
"I studied how she moved and how she reacted to William Holden. It really helped when I was trying to bring this character to life," recalled Kathy Zielinski. 
Gloria Swanson
11. 7. Tiana's facial features in the movie "The Princess and the Frog" were copied from actress Anika Noni Rose, who voiced and sang for this character 
For example, Tiana got dimples on her cheeks and became left-handed, like Rose.
According to Mark Henn, one of Disney's lead animators, some details of Tiana's look (including her hairstyle) were inspired by Jamie Milner, an intern in the post-production department.
8. Vultures from The Jungle Book with the signature hairstyles of the Beatles 
The band was originally slated to perform a song and voice characters in the 1967 film. However, John Lennon balked at the idea, saying Disney would be better off hiring Elvis Presley.
A new version of the film was released in 2016. Director Jon Favreau said he considered asking the Beatles to voice the characters: "I discussed Paul [McCartney] and Ringo [Starr]. I couldn't convince the producers. Unfortunately, we came to the idea too late."
9. Jessica Rabbit borrowed her looks from several actresses of the old Hollywood era, but most of all from Rita Hayworth 
Richard Williams, the director of the animated film, said that his team was faced with the task of creating a dream for all men. In search of inspiration, he turned to iconic actresses of old Hollywood. He tried to make her look like Rita Hayworth, whom the press in the 1940s called the "goddess of love".
The idea for the hairstyle was spied on Veronica Lake. Robert Zemeckis also suggested the image of Lauren Bacall. 
Rita Hayworth
10. The appearance and movements of Dr. Facilier from "The Princess and the Frog" were copied from Michael Jackson and Usher 
"I realized that he had to be very slender so that I could move him around the screen freely. I thought about performers like Michael Jackson and Usher and how they move around the stage so quickly," he said. animator Bruce W. Smith.
Smith also noted that Dr. Facilier is essentially the child of two of his favorite Disney villains: Captain Hook and Cruella De Vil. He kind of combined them.
11. The Genie was created exclusively for Robin Williams and taking into account his wishes 
To convince Williams to take part in the project, the artists superimposed the animation of the genie on a recording of the actor's stand-up performance. The comedian appreciated the idea.
Animator Eric Goldberg said the character literally embodies Robin Williams because the actor often went off-script and improvised.
"Nobody expected him to start doing celebrity impersonations during the first recording, but we kept those lines in the cartoon."
After Williams' death in 2014, Goldberg tearfully recalled their collaboration: "He was a real genie — he granted our wishes." 
