All The Disney Easter Eggs In Disenchanted

Multiple Disney animated fairytales open with a shot of the book they are based on, with a character or narrator reading the story aloud. In the original, that narrator was Mary Poppins’ own Julie Andrews. In the new film, it’s a chipmunk name Pip.

Pip being a chipmunk is a reference to Chip and Dale. His reading the story of the original movie, and then switching to a new book for the new film is a callback within a callback, tying the films together and putting them on the same level as The Jungle Book and others.

Giselle’s attempt at singing and dancing with the animals of New York City (pigeons, wasps, roaches, and rats) was one of Enchanted’s more brilliant conceits, stealing the Snow White/Cinderella trope and giving it a gritty edge. Disenchanted brings that back; Giselle’s now got a little core crew of critters who know how to harmonize with all her songs.

The best part of Giselle turning her new suburb into a fairytale kingdom is that it allows Disenchanted to poke gentle fun at Disney’s new live-action fairytale phase. Consider, for example, her Beauty and the Beast kitchen collection. The scroll is as creepy as live-action Cogsworth dominating the household. (Also, the voice is Alan Tudyk, doing his King Candy character from Wreck-it-Ralph.)

Moreover, Disney not only gets to be referential, but also hints at Giselle’s evil turn by using some of Disney’s most iconic images. The Red Queen’s croquet set and Fantasia’s dancing brooms both hint at her going down the wrong path. The movie even managed to work in Disney deep cuts like The Brave Little Toaster, which Morgan polishes on the counter. (Also, there are “hidden Mickey” symbols all over the house.)

The shops in the transformed town of Monroelasia all have Easter egg reference names, including (but not limited to):

• Smee's Cheese
• Le Chapeau Magique
• The Royal Sip
• Mary Popover's Bakery
• Beauty and the Books
• A Whole Food World
• Painting, Painting On The Wall
• Bibidi Bobidi Butchers
• Lumiere's Candle Works
• Maid Marion's Dairy
• Magic and Mend
• Goldi Locksmith
• Potions and Elixirs
• Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Also, when Giselle takes Morgan dress shopping, don’t sleep on the Belle golden gown on the rack or the apple in the glass container — or for that matter, the actor who played Morgan from the first movie in the crowd!

Maya Rudolph, who plays Malvina, gets a nod to her Pixar role as the voice of Daniela Paguro in Luca, asking “What are they, fish?” But that’s only the beginning. Her throne room has the decor of The Emperor's New Groove; her two henchgirls, Ruby and Rosaleen, resemble the Wicked Stepsisters; and she visits Edgar, who turned into a magic mirror. (And yes, she says the words “mirror mirror on the wall.”)

Malvina might decide the best anti-princess weapon she has on hand is the sleeping potion. But pay attention, because she’s got options, including Sleeping Beauty’s spinning wheel, Alice in Wonderland’s “Drink Me” vial, Snow White’s poisoned apple, and Beauty and the Beast’s glass-enclosed rose.

Giselle states aloud that villains own cats when Pip transforms into a feline companion, and she’s not wrong. Pip’s markings mimic one of the cruelest cats of all: Cinderella’s stepmother’s cat, Lucifer.

Every song on Disenchanted is a parody of a Disney archetypal number, especially once Giselle casts the spell. “Fairytale Life” becomes your standard character intro song, and then morphs into the big “welcome” number once Giselle leaves the house, complete with the Beauty and the Beast “Bonjours” (now “Good Mornings”).

Malvina and Giselle’s “Badder” song contains references to Maleficent and Cruella, jumping down a rabbit hole, and climbing a beanstalk.

The funniest addition takes into account how the movie lucked into getting Idina Menzel, who played Nancy in the original film back when she was just “a Broadway star from Wicked.” She’s now better known for the smash hit Frozen and its earworm of a breakout song. Her lyrics in “Power of Love” include both “let it grow” and “let it glow” (though never “let it go”).

There are very few perfect musical numbers, but “Perfect” might be one of them. The movie’s take on the famous Disney “I Want” number is three and a half minutes of back-to-back references to several other Disney “I Want” songs. The town freezes. Morgan walks up silly inclines that reference Moana and Elsa. And, of course, there’s that moment on the cart when the water splashes up behind her, which is straight out of The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World.”

The entire wardrobe department deserves an Oscar for how well everything references Disney’s own established tropes:

• Even before the transformation, the gardeners are dressed as the Sleeping Beauty fairies.
• Giselle gets her Fairy Godmother-colored gown from the first film when the town transforms.
• Robert gets his tunic back from the first film.
• Morgan’s dress is Aurora’s from Sleeping Beauty.
• Malvina is dressed like the evil queen from Snow White.
• The blue dress Morgan puts on at the shop is a Cinderella gown.
• Tyson looks like a mashup of Snow White’s prince and Sleeping Beauty’s prince.
• Nancy’s fairy assistant is dressed like Tinkerbell.
• Nancy does the Fairy Godmother-patented Cinderella dress transformation on Morgan.
• Tyson is dressed like Cinderella’s Prince Charming.
• Ruby and Rosaleen have the Anastasia and Drizella stepsister dresses.
• Evil Giselle has the same ballgown from Enchanted, except it’s dark red instead of pink.