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East meets West in the most magical way! Join us as we count down the most cleverly hidden anime references snuck into Disney and Pixar films! From a beloved forest spirit popping up in a Pixar classic to a bootleg ninja causing chaos, these Easter eggs prove that Disney's animators have serious anime taste. Did you catch them all?
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00:01Hello, hero!
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at ingenious anime references hidden in Disney movies.
00:12We're excluding the parallels between The Lion King and Kimba the White Lion because people still debate whether that was
00:17an homage, a rip-off, or a coincidence.
00:20Yeah, but it still hurts.
00:22Oh yes, the past can't hurt.
00:26Number 10. Castle Cagliostro Book, Toy Story 2
00:29In a filmography with no true misses, Hayao Miyazaki hit the ground running with his first feature, Lupin III, The
00:36Castle of Cagliostro.
00:45Yet when people discuss Miyazaki's earlier work, Cagliostro often gets glanced over.
00:49Maybe that's because it's not part of the Studio Ghibli library, but Miyazaki left his distinct signature.
00:54Well, I guess that's it. I'm out of here.
00:56The 1979 film had a significant impact on many animators, including John Lasseter, the director of Toy Story 2.
01:03Released 20 years after Miyazaki's debut film, the Toy Story sequel paid tribute to Cagliostro in this scene.
01:09As Andy's mom gathers toys for her yard sale, she passes a bookshelf with one of the titles being Castle
01:14Cagliostro.
01:15Fortunately, she knows better than to sell Monkey Punch's manga.
01:18Number 9. Ariel, a Disney anime girl, The Little Mermaid
01:21For Ariel's design, inspiration was drawn from animator Glenn Keane's wife, reference model Sherry Stoner, and even celebrities like Alyssa
01:28Milano.
01:29It's that sea witch is doing.
01:31Yes, that evil woman has no right to push us around like this.
01:35According to animator Philo Barnhart, Keane also floated the idea of looking toward the works of Hayao Miyazaki.
01:41As Barnhart put it, they considered doing their own version of an anime girl character.
01:45This is evident in traits like Ariel's chin and eyes.
01:56While Ariel's eyes don't have as many highlights as some anime characters, you can still see the influence.
02:01Ironically, Disney films like Bambi had a monumental effect on Astro Boy creator Osamu Hezuka, who also shaped anime as
02:08we know it now.
02:09One could call Ariel's design process a full circle moment, bridging two worlds.
02:13Number 8. Bootleg Naruto
02:14Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers
02:20This hybrid film features an assortment of cameos from licensed animated characters.
02:24As for the characters that Disney didn't cough off the big bucks to license, well, that's where the film's commentary
02:29on bootlegging gets clever.
02:31During the climax, our heroes released several bootlegged characters from captivity.
02:35Among them is an anime ninja wearing a bright orange outfit that resembles Naruto Uzumaki's.
02:39The character shares several other similarities, including Naruto's blonde hair, blue sandals, and an iron-plated forehead protector.
02:52Being a bootleg though, there are also some obvious differences.
02:55Namely, this Naruto has a mustache and appears to be roughly middle-aged.
02:59Even when they aged Naruto up in Boruto, he didn't look this grizzled.
03:02Okay, okay slow!
03:04Do you see him?
03:07Monty?
03:08I don't see him!
03:10Monty?
03:11Still looks more youthful than Sweet Pete, however.
03:13Number 7.
03:14Aerith Lives
03:23JRPGs fall under the umbrella of Japanese animation, so we think this one meets our criteria.
03:27Plus, it's not like Final Fantasy 7 is a stranger to anime.
03:30When Wreck-It Ralph crosses over to Game Central Station, the words Aerith Lives are written by the entrance walls
03:35in graffiti.
03:36This is not only a reference to the flower girl who meets a tragic end at Sephiroth's hands, but also
03:40a nod to the rumor that there was a way to revive her in the 1997 PlayStation Classic.
03:45Outside of maybe a glitch though, Aerith's death remains permanent in the original game.
03:52You see, everything's alright.
03:55That said, Aerith has lived on in other incarnations.
03:58This includes the Kingdom Hearts games, which Ralph would also appear in.
04:08Number 6.
04:09Kiki's Coffee Hut
04:10Lilo & Stitch
04:11I am all about coffee.
04:13You can add Chris Sanders and Dean Deblowat to the long list of Western animators who cited Studio Ghibli as
04:19a huge influence.
04:24So it shouldn't come as a surprise that their debut feature worked in a subtle reference to Miyazaki's 1989 film,
04:30Kiki's Delivery Service.
04:31Discussing Miyazaki's impact on Lilo & Stitch, Deblowat mentioned how the Japanese master creates genuine relationships in the realm of
04:39fantasy.
04:45Kiki being a witch trying to make her way in the real world is one example.
04:49As a tribute, one of the establishments that Nani seeks employment from is named Kiki's Coffee Hut.
04:54Funny to think how Stitch would later get his own anime series in another full circle moment.
04:58Number 5.
04:59Portoroso
04:59Luka
05:00While Luka is largely rooted in Enrico Casarosa's Italian heritage, you can tell that he's an admirer of Japanese animation
05:07as well.
05:13The story of a young sea monster longing to leave the ocean and live among humans calls Miyazaki's Ponyo to
05:18mind.
05:23Then there's the name of the coastal town that the titular Luka ventures to, Portoroso.
05:27Although the name is reminiscent of real-life Italian towns like Portofino and Montoroso, it's hard not to make the
05:33connection to Miyazaki's 1992 film, Porcorosa.
05:36That film's titular character is an Italian pilot.
05:39He also just so happens to resemble a pig.
05:41Casarosa felt Portoroso had a nice ring, and his love for Porcoroso was a wonderful extra reason to name it
05:47that way.
05:47Number 4.
05:48The Clock Climax
05:49The Great Mouse Detective
06:02If there's one moment from The Great Mouse Detective everyone remembers, it's the climax set inside Big Ben.
06:19The scene is notable not only as one of the earliest instances of Disney blending hand-drawn animation with a
06:24CG environment, but also for its connection to a classic anime film.
06:28Originally, the final confrontation was to mainly occur on the hands of Big Ben.
06:32While that's still present in the climax, layout artist Mike Peraza suggested that the scene also take place in the
06:37Clock Tower, with the turning gears providing another obstacle as time literally runs out.
06:42Peraza's inspiration stemmed from the castle of Cagliostra, which similarly culminates in a confrontation involving our hero, the villain, a
06:49damsel, and of course, a clock tower.
06:50The game's not over yet!
06:59Number 3.
07:00Pokeball Window
07:01Big Hero 6
07:02In a film that combines Eastern and Western aesthetics, it only makes sense that some imagery from anime would creep
07:07in.
07:07San Fran Sokyo is in the vein of Neo Tokyo and Akira, among other futuristic cities in Japanese animation.
07:13One of the sneakier visual cues can be found in Tadashi's office when he introduces Hiro to Baymax,
07:18with our focus being on the adorable robot, it's easy to overlook the window in the background.
07:22It's a circle containing a smaller circle with a line.
07:25Looks an awful lot like a Pokeball, doesn't it?
07:30Whether this was intentional on the background designer's part or a layout they subconsciously borrowed,
07:35we can never watch this scene again without thinking to ourselves, Baymax, I choose you.
07:39But now I will choose as my Pokemon, Bulbasaur!
07:43That one was also taken by a kid who wasn't late.
07:46Number 2.
07:47The Panda Who Leapt Through Time, Turning Red
07:49Yes!
07:52No!
07:53Director Dami Shi's love for anime is apparent in every frame of Turning Red, drawing from Sailor Moon and Ranma
07:59One Half.
08:00Even Mei Li's red panda shares a resemblance to Totoro.
08:07If we had to single out our favorite easter egg, it would have to be when Mei finally decides to
08:11break free from her controlling mother.
08:13Running through the city in her red panda form, Mei transforms as she leaps into the sky against a red
08:17moon.
08:18If Mei's mid-air pose looks familiar, that's because it mirrors protagonist, Makoto Kono, in the 2006 film The Girl
08:23Who Leapt Through Time.
08:32Both films center on a young woman learning to control a newfound power while simultaneously dealing with typical coming-of
08:38-age hardships.
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08:55Number 1. My Toy Totoro, Toy Story 3
08:57The artists at Pixar have repeatedly paid respect to their fellow filmmakers at Studio Ghibli.
09:02Toy Story 3 marked a rare occasion, though, where an iconic Ghibli character made an on-screen appearance in a
09:07Pixar film.
09:11You'll never find this in here!
09:14When Bonnie takes Woody to her room, one of her toys is a roly-poly forest spirit, who we all
09:19recognize as Studio Ghibli's mascot Totoro.
09:21Fittingly enough, the film's art director is Daisuke Tsutsumi, who's married to Hayao Miyazaki's niece, Mei Okuyama.
09:31And yes, Miyazaki named the character Mei in My Neighbor Totoro after her.
09:35The only downside is that Bonnie's Totoro Toy doesn't have a flying top.
09:38Even if he did, we suppose it wouldn't be flying.
09:40It would be falling with style.
09:42Are there any other anime references and Disney movies we missed?
09:45Let us know in the comments.
09:51The monγγγγ¨γ gem The free Helsing Ghost is legit.
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