Classic Disney animations are our one-stop source for all things fantasy, fairytale, and happily ever after. While we can always rely on Disney cartoons to entertain us and help us escape from life when we need to, we can’t always rely on them to be historically accurate. In fact, several iconic Disney animations contain a bunch of historical errors.
Despite the fact that there are definitely inaccuracies there, they don’t tarnish the animations or stop us from enjoying them. After all, most people watch Disney to be entertained and evoke feelings of nostalgia rather than to absorb a history lesson. Errors or not, we still love Disney! Keep reading to find out what 15 historical inaccuracies you might have missed in your favorite Disney cartoons.
15 Aurora’s Waltz In Sleeping Beauty Was Unheard Of In The 14th Century
One of the most iconic scenes in Sleeping Beauty shows Aurora and Prince Philip waltzing into their happily ever after. While this makes for a great fairytale ending, it’s not historically accurate. Numerous characters admit that the story takes place in the 14th century, but the waltz didn’t emerge until the 16th century.
14 The Male And Female Characters In Brave Are Dressed For Different Time Periods
When you look carefully at the costumes the characters wear in Brave, it’s a little hard to tell exactly what time period the animation is supposed to take place in. While the women wear clothes that resemble fashion from the 14th and 15th centuries, the men wear blue body paint which was common much earlier in the Iron Age.
13 The Word 'Fractal' Is Too Modern To Appear In Frozen’s Let It Go
‘Let It Go’ is one of the most popular Disney songs of all time. Most fans sing along without ever realizing that the word ‘fractal', which is used in the song, is actually incorrect. The first time this word was used was 1975, but Frozen is commonly thought to take place around 1840.
12 Pocahontas Did NOT Have A Romantic Relationship With John Smith
The relationship shown between Pocahontas and John Smith may be romantic in the Disney film, but this depiction is not accurate. In reality, Pocahontas was only about 10 or 12 years old when she first met John Smith, so a relationship between the two would have been far from romantic.
11 The Aristocats Mentions Fortune Cookies Before They Existed
One of the most famous scenes in The Aristocats is when the alley cats are jamming with O’Malley and Duchess. Shun Gon, the Siamese cat, sings that “fortune cookies are always wrong”, but some sources say that fortune cookies actually originated from San Francisco after the film is set in 1910. If this theory is true, then the film has some explaining to do!
10 Snow White's Outfit Shouldn't Be So Colorful
The exact time period in which Snow White is set is debated, though many sources claim that the story takes place in the late 1500s. Women in Germany at this time frequently wore darker colors rather than the bright yellow and blue that Snow White wears. The dresses also normally reached the floor rather than showing the shoes.
9 The Eiffel Tower Shouldn’t Appear In Beauty And The Beast
The Eiffel Tower appears briefly in Beauty and the Beast during the singing of the famous song ‘Be Our Guest’. However, the tower shouldn’t appear at all in the film because construction didn’t begin until 1887. Historians speculate that the story is set in the 1700s—a time before the tower even existed.
8 Between The 4th And 7th Centuries, Jasmine Would Not Have Shown Her Stomach
Despite theories that Aladdin is set in a post-apocalyptic future, most agree that it takes place some time between the 4th and 7th century CE. Even before Islam was the dominant religion of the Arabian Peninsula, it is speculated by some that women still dressed modestly. In that case, Jasmine wouldn’t have shown her stomach or gone without a veil.
7 It Would Have Been Much More Difficult For Tiana To Own A Restaurant During The Jim Crow Era Than The Movie Makes It Seem
Tiana is such a positive role model, because she’s one of the first princesses who actually has a goal that doesn’t involve falling in love with a prince. But considering she lives in New Orleans during the Jim Crow segregation era, it’s unrealistic that she ends up with her own restaurant.
6 The Siamese Cats In Lady And The Tramp Reflect Modern Siamese Cats, Not Those In 1910
When Aunt Sarah comes to stay in Lady and the Tramp, she brings her two Siamese cats with her. Called Si and Am, the felines resemble modern Siamese cats rather than those that existed in 1910, when the film is set. Prior to the 1950s, Siamese cats were rounder than those shown in the film.
