13 Photos Of Real Animals That Look Like Disney Characters

Disney isn’t all about beautiful princesses, charming princes, and fairy tale castles. But of course, you probably know by now that Disney has a long history of portraying cute animals as the protagonists. Let’s not forget that the giant mass media company debuted with Mickey Mouse, an anthropomorphic mouse, after all. So, it’s safe to say that it all started with a mouse.

More than anything, Disney finds inspiration from animals. By giving them human characteristics, animators create lovable characters that feature a combination of the fantastical and the mundane. It is said that during the production of Bambi, animators initially had a hard time incorporating human characteristics and emotions into animal characters. But Walt Disney himself insisted that they make the anthropomorphic animals look as realistic as possible.

 

Real Animals That Look Exactly Like Disney Characters

animals recreate disney characters mufasa and simba
Twitter

In order to pull this off, he let the animators study actual animals by bringing live animals in cages in the studio. So, they can study the physiology and movement of all the animals that would appear in the movie. And since most Disney animal characters were based on actual ones, don’t be surprised when you stumble upon real animals that look exactly like Disney characters.

We’ve collected some amusing photos of actual animals recreating Disney characters. The resemblances are so uncanny that you’d wonder ‘who copied who?’

 

Bambi and Thumper (Bambi)

animals recreate disney characters bambi and thumper
Pinterest | Instagram

 

Tod and Copper (The Fox and The Hound)

real life tod and copper
Facebook | Imgur

 

Pua the Pig (Moana)

animals recreate disney characters pua
Disney | Instagram

 

Brother Bear

real life disney brother bear
WikiFandom | Reddit

 

Marlin and Dory (Finding Nemo)

animals recreate disney characters marlin and dory
Pinterest | Imgur

 

Hei Hei the Rooster (Moana)

real life hei hei moana rooster
Disney | Pinterest

 

Abu and Iago (Aladdin)

animals recreate disney characters abu and iago
Disney | Imgur

 

Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King)

real life timon and pumbaa
Facebook | Pinterest

 

Nick Wilde (Zootopia)

real life nick wilde zootopia
WikiFandom | Reddit

 

Lady (Lady and the Tramp)

animals recreate disney characters lady and the tramp
Disney | Instagram

 

Dumbo

animals recreate disney characters dumbo
Disney | Pinterest

 

Bolt

real life bolt disney dog
Disney | Reddit