- Stars like Christie Brinkley shaped the appearance of famous figures
- Actors like Tom Cruise and Jeremy Irons have featured on animator mood boards
- Elsewhere, drag legend Divine served as inspiration for Ursula the Sea Witch
Thanks to generations of fans who grew up loving the iconic films, Disney princesses and villains are instantly recognizable to millions around the world.
In fact, many of the well-loved characters are as popular today as they were when they were created – in some cases almost 90 years ago.
Although they may be works of fiction, over the years many of their comic book looks have been found to be inspired by real-life celebrities.
From Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor to Tom Cruise and Jeremy Irons, many of Hollywood’s most famous stars have appeared on the mood boards of the animators responsible for creating the characters that children – and adults – love around the world.
Many Disney cartoon looks have been inspired by real-life celebrities. Actress Alyssa Milano was a main muse for Little Mermaid. New Version: Actress Halle Bailey will bring the character Ariel to life in a new film
In the recent book Disney Princess: Beyond The Tiara, it was confirmed that supermodel Christie Brinkley was a major source of inspiration for the design of Little Mermaid.
Meanwhile, young Alyssa Milano was also a model who didn’t know what the famous mermaid would look like on screen.
Elsewhere, animators watched Tom Cruise movies while making Aladdin. While drag legend Divine was the ultimate source of inspiration for villain Ursula the sea witch.
Personalities like Ming-Na Wen and Anika Noni Rose not only voiced their characters Mulan and Princess Tiana, respectively, but also provided inspiration for their looks and movements.
Thanks to a slew of live-action remakes in recent years, newer stars have been able to bring the characters to life, such as Harry Potter star Emma Watson, who played the famous Belle in 2017’s Beauty and the Beast.
Elle Fanning played Sleeping Beauty in 2014’s Maleficent, while Lily James starred as Cinderella in the 2015 film of the same name.
Now Halle Bailey will star as Ariel in the new live-action film adaptation The Little Mermaid, alongside Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the Sea Witch.
Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at the famous faces that served as inspiration for the original looks of the world’s most popular cartoon characters.
The Little Mermaid: Princess Ariel was inspired by actresses Christie Brinkley and Alyssa Milano
Actress Alyssa Milano has no idea that she inspired Ariel to create The Little Mermaid in the 1989 film
When The Little Mermaid was first created, those responsible had demanded that Ariel and all mermaids should be blonde.
During this time, supermodel Christie Brinkley became the original muse for what the iconic mermaid should look like.
However, lead animator Mark Penn revealed that the team made the decision to give Ariel red hair instead because the color would blend better with the blue and teals under the sea.
Around this time, the animators turned to then-child star Alyssa Milano for more inspiration to solidify Ariel’s signature look.
In 2013, Milano revealed on The Wendy Williams Show that at the time she had no idea about her connection to the Disney Princess.
She explained, “I didn’t know that when it started.” But they asked me to host “The Making Of The Little Mermaid,” and it turned out that the drawing and likeness of the Little Mermaid on pictures was mine from my youth.”
Musician and actress Halle Bailey will bring the character to life in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
Aladdin: The main character was inspired by Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise inspired the character Aladdin in the 1992 cartoon
When the animators were initially interested in Aladdin’s look, they began modeling the character after Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox.
Wrong Look: This happened after the animators abandoned a look that had been created specifically for Michael J. Fox
However, they felt the resulting design was “too cute” and soon turned to a lead that would instill more confidence in the character.
According to the documentary Diamond In The Rough: The Making Of Aladdin, Jeffrey Katzenberg – then-chairman of Walt Disney Studios – said he just didn’t think Jasmine would fall in love with a character like the one they drew.
Katzenberg said something along the lines of, “Guys, you have Julia Roberts and Michael J. Fox.” They don’t mix.
“You need Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts.” They fit together. “You need more Tom Cruise.”
Cruise eventually became their muse as they aged Aladdin and gave his design more exuberance – all while watching the Hollywood star’s films.
Pocahontas: The title character was inspired by Native American actress Irene Bedard
Actress Irene Bedard provided the voice and inspiration for Pocahontas’ appearance in the 1995 animated film
Native American actress Irene Bedard provided the iconic voice of Pocahontas in the original film and its sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.
However, she also proved to be a source of inspiration for the character’s looks and movements.
In fact, her son could see his mother while looking at Pocahontas’ animated form.
Bedard also told Ultimate Disney, “[Bedard’s] “Brother came all the way from Alaska to the Central Park premiere and throughout the whole screening he kept poking me because he recognized my qualities.”
The Little Mermaid: Ursula the Sea Witch was inspired by drag legend Divine
Drag Queen Divine inspired UrsulaUrsula the sea witch in The Little MermaidHomage: Melissa McCarthy has said she enjoyed paying homage to Divine with her role in the new live-action film
Another character from The Little Mermaid inspired by a legendary star was the larger-than-life villain Ursula the Sea Witch.
When the animators began creating the character, they took inspiration from Dynasty star Joan Collins.
However, Howard Ashman – the lyricist responsible for both Little Shop of Horrors and The Little Mermaid – hails from “the same Baltimore-DC gay scene as Divine”.
They soon turned their attention to the drag legend (born Harris Milstead), which led to artist Rob Minkoff creating the Ursula, who met the world when the film hit theaters in 1991.
The new film will now see actress Melissa McCarthy bring the character to life.
Sleeping Beauty: Princess Aurora was inspired by Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn inspired Sleeping Beauty and Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty
According to Disney Princess: Beyond The Tiara, there’s a reason fans might have noticed the fact that Belle has a similar facial structure to Hollywood icon Audrey Hepburn.
When creating the character, the animators even chose to copy Hepburn’s distinctive eyebrows and expressive eyes.
The actress even had an influence on what Belle wore, as outfits from her 1953 film Roman Holiday were used to create the character’s clothes.
Actress Helene Stanley acted as the live-action model for Princess Aurora (and Cinderella), with the animators closely watching her graceful and elegant movements.
Actress Elle Fanning played Aurora alongside Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent in 2014.
The Lion King: Villain Scar was inspired by British actor Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons voiced and inspired ScarScar in The Lion King.
Thanks to his extensive theater training and appearances in Shakespearean plays, Jeremy Irons not only voiced Scar in The Lion King, but also shaped the character’s appearance.
The animators worked to create a lion that was subtly devious, using the nuances Irons used to make the villain so menacing.
The Oscar winner actually prevailed over the competition from actors Tim Curry and Malcolm McDowell for the role.
Mulan: The title character was inspired by actress Ming-Na Wen
Ming-Na Wen inspired MulanMulan in the 1998 animated film Forever Princess: Ming-Na wowed fans when she had a cameo in the 2020 live-action film
In Beyond The Tiara, animator Mark Henn revealed that Ming-Na Wen’s voice acting ultimately helped shape the character’s final design.
As she recorded scenes, they worked to incorporate aspects of her behavior and personality into the animation.
In the live-action version of the 2020 film, actress Liu Yifei brought the character to life, but fans were delighted when Wen had a touching cameo in the film.
Peter Pan: Villain Captain Hook, inspired by actor Hans Conried
Hans Conried inspired Captain Hook’s lookCaptain Hook in Peter Pan
Actor Hans Conried was only intended to voice actor for Captain Hook.
However, he showed up for the role in full head-to-toe pirate gear for the reference shoot, and the animators loved it.
Inspired by his attire and the way he moved as a one-handed pirate, they created the unforgettable villain we all know today.
Conried also voiced the character of George Darling in the popular 1953 film.
Beauty and the Beast: Belle, inspired by actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Natalie Wood
Elizabeth Taylor inspired BelleBelle in Beauty and the Beast. The famous face: West Side Story star Natalie Wood also shaped the characters’ looks
Actresses Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn were among the faces that the animators captured on a plaque when creating the character of Beauty and the Beast.
Taylor and Hepburn’s fashions helped create the outfits, including Belle’s famous yellow ball gown.
Author Sherri Stoner was also a model for Belle (and Little Mermaid). She swam around in a water tank for Ariel and reenacted Belle’s actions to pre-recorded lines of dialogue by voice actress Paige O’Hara.
Harry Potter star Emma Watson then brought the character to life in the 2017 live-action film.
The Princess and the Frog: Tiana was inspired by actress Anika Noni Rose
Anika Noni Rose provided the speaking and singing voice for Tiana – as well as her appearance for Tiana in The Princess and the Frog.
Anika Noni Rose not only embodied Tiana’s character, but also sang for the first black Disney princess.
However, the Princess and the Frog character’s looks are also straight from the Broadway star, as Tiana became dimpled and left-handed because of Rose.
Lead animator Mark Henn recalled, “One day I went up to the director and said, ‘Can I make dimples?’ I can see Anika has these amazing dimples, and when she smiles it just lights up the room.”
Elsewhere, Henn revealed that some of Tiana’s looks were also based on a post-production intern named Jaimie Milner.
The team even took a picture of her to get the princess’s hair design just right.
Another source of inspiration for the character was Leah Chase, the owner of Dooky Chase’s restaurant in New Orleans, who has been dubbed the “Queen of Creole Cuisine”.
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