Ariel
Ariel has a much more interesting story than one may initially. The little mermaid’s character was based on various women. Alyssa Milano, who at the time starred on “Who’s The Boss?” served as the main visual model for one of Disney’s favorite princesses.
Animators also drew inspiration from astronaut, Sally Ride, basing Ariel’s underwater hair movements on those of Ride’s in space. It’s pretty cool to think that Ariel’s hair movements under the sea are actually movements seen in space!
Vultures from The Jungle Book
We bet you never thought The Beatles would be featured in a Disney movie, did you? Well, they were, kind of. The Vultures from "The Jungle Book" was originally going to be voiced by The Beatles.
Brian Epstein, the band's manager, approached the Disney studios about having the band appear in the film. Hence, the film's animators created the Vultures specifically to be voiced by the band. At the end of the day, the plans did not appear to have come to fruition, either based on clashing schedules or Lennon's refusal to participate in the film.
Leopold "Butters" Stotch
"South Park" show creators Matt Stone and Rey Parker based Leopold "Butters" Stoctch on co-producer Eric Stough, who they saw as an innocent good-two-shoes.
Butters is depicted as a more optimistic and naive kid than the show's other characters. Though he started out as a background character, he has developed into one of "South Park's" most notable personalities.
Mr. Magoo
One look at Mr. Magoo, and you'll recognize those squinty eyes, round nose, and top hat. The cartoon geezer himself is half-blind, but even he'd probably be able to see that much of his appearance comes from comedy legend W.C. Fields.
Though they may look alike, the two could not be more different. Magoo is upbeat and kind, while Fields' comedy schtick involved more a misanthropic character.
Jessica Rabbit
If it were ever possible for a cartoon character to be the object of everyone's eye, it was Jessica Rabbit. Creator Richard Williams explained, "I tried to make her look like Rita Hayworth; we took her hair from Veronica Lake."
Director Robert Zemeckis kept saying, "What about the look Lauren Bacall had?" Williams designed Jessica of Hayworth, Lake, and Bacall and described the combination as the "ultimate male fantasy."