Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission from links you click on this page at no extra cost to you.
Disney celebrates 100 years of storytelling with the release of Wish, the story of Asha who learns firsthand about the power of wishes. And like many Disney movies, Wish is not without its share of Disney easter eggs. In fact, the film reportedly contains over 100 easter eggs, which producer Peter Del Vecho told press he’s “still discovering.” So we decided to put together a list of the Disney Wish movie easter eggs we’ve found to-date.
Our list contains over 50 easter eggs, in no particular order. The references span the decades from Snow White to Tangled. The Atlantis reference is one we have yet to figure out, but hope to discover.
As a bonus, we’ve put our own Wish easter egg in this post! See if you can figure it out. The answer is revealed at the bottom of this post. Just look for the star (★).
If you haven’t yet seen the movie, note that this post contains spoilers.
1
The storybook intro in Wish was inspired by past Disney classics
Many Disney films and animated shorts open with a storybook intro, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Robin Hood, to name a few.
2
Wish‘s watercolor animation style is largely inspired by vintage Disney films
Wish merges the 2D watercolor look of past Disney classics like Sleeping Beauty with modern computer graphics, creating a brand new look for the 100th anniversary film.
3
Wish uses the 2.55:1 aspect ratio seen in past Disney films like Lady and the Tramp and Sleeping Beauty
With theater-goers in mind, Fawn Veerasunthorn, director of Wish alongside Chris Buck, wanted audiences to feel immersed in the film.
4
Rapunzel gets called out in “Welcome To Rosas”
Asha sings, “You wanna dance on beat? Or to have hair touch down to your feet?” referring to Rapunzel from Tangled.
5
Asha’s friends are inspired by the Seven Dwarfs
Each of Asha’s friends share color palettes, first initials, and personality traits with their corresponding dwarf. Dahlia is Doc, Gabo is Grumpy, Simon is Sleepy, Safi is Sneezy Bazeema is Bashful, Dario is Dopey, and Hal is Happy.
6
A chipped cup in the kitchen sink is a nod to Chip from Beauty and the Beast
Fawn Veerasunthorn told theDirect.com that these little nods in the film are collectively “our love letter to Walt and artists that came before us.”
7
Dahlia’s dress references those of Sleeping Beauty’s fairy godmothers.
She looks like she could blend right in!
8
Aurora’s blue dress from Sleeping Beauty is seen in a woman’s wish to be a dressmaker
We like to imagine there’s another villager with the same wish, but in their’s the dress is pink.
9
Asha wants to be a sorcerer’s apprentice, just like Mickey in Fantasia
While they share magical aspirations, the similarities end at magic hats and dancing brooms.
10
There’s a woman whose wish is to fly
She bears a striking resemblance to Wendy from Peter Pan.
11
She is later introduced to a villager named Peter
Not only is his name Peter, but he also shares her intrigue for flying. Plus, he’s decked out in green and topped off with a red feathered hat just like Peter Pan.
12
Sabino, much like Disney, is celebrating 100 years
To quote Rapunzel, “That’s the funny thing about birthdays, they’re kind of an annual thing!”
13
Asha’s friends swing from vines like Tarza and Rapunzel and one let’s out a Tarzan yell
As Asha’s friends make their fateful leap in their struggle to get the roof open, we hear one of them let out a yell reminiscent of the Lord of the Jungle himself. This moment is also a nod to the other vine-swinging character, Rapunzel!
14
King Magnifico shares the Evil Queen from Snow White‘s obsession with mirrors
After harnessing the power of all the wishes he swore to protect, King Magnifico even calls out to “mirror, mirror on the wall.”
15
Magnifico shares name and style cues with Maleficent
Who’s the scepter-wielding ruler with a name that starts with “M” and their trademark evil-color-of-choice is green? Maybe… Malefico?
16
Dahlia reads from a book showing an illustration of a Maleficent-style silhouette
She reads, “Embrace forbidden magic just once and you commit to it for eternity” reminding us of Maleficent’s homebase, Forbidden Mountain.
17
Magnifico has a poison apple on his desk that resembles the one given to Snow White
You can see Snow White’s poison apple when Magnifico is practicing magic.
18
Magnifico’s castle steps resemble the Evil Queen’s
Who gets more steps in: Magnifico or your average guest at Disney World?
19
Wishing upon a star
Wishing upon a star is a common theme in many Disney films like Pinocchio and The Princess and the Frog, but Wish puts the matter on full display.
20
Star is a sentient star that comes down from the sky
Similar to the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio, Star in Wish descends from the sky, taking on human form or characteristics, to fulfill the wishes of those who summoned them.
21
Star communicates by twinkling and has magic dust similar to Tinker Bell in Peter Pan
Now we just need a translator.
22
Asha communes with animals in the forest
While many Disney films feature talking animals, Wish specifically nods to classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, where human characters connect with engaging woodland creatures.
23
The bunny thumps its foot like Thumper from Bambi
And it will always be adorable!
24
The bear is named John like Little John from Robin Hood
Now let’s pretend the last name is Smith.
25
John calls the deer in the film Bambi
We don’t want to spoil anything, but this is the same name as the titular character from Bambi.
26
The singing trees resemble Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas
In Pocahontas, Grandmother Willow says “Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” We imagine Asha needing those words of wisdom after all she’s been through.
27
The talking flowers resemble those from Alice in Wonderland
At least they don’t call Asha a weed.
28
Star was designed to resemble Mickey Mouse
Character designer Bill Schwab noted to Variety that the heart-shaped face mask of Star was directly referenced from Mickey Mouse himself, while also bringing a love and warmth to the Wish character.
29
Magnifico’s green hands resemble Ursula’s
When Magnifico fully embraces the dark side of magic, his hands turn green and resemble Ursula’s during the scene in The Little Mermaid where she takes Ariel’s voice.
A side-by-side view doesn’t cut it here, and this Wish easter egg is quite cool. So we’re posting the inspiration image separately below.
30
Star begins to draw Mickey after enchanting one of Magnifico’s quills
He can grant wishes and he’s an artist? Who knew!
31
There’s a hidden Mickey in the macaron tower
You can spot the macaron tower in the kitchen.
32
The mushrooms saying “We love crazy!” is a reference from Frozen
In the lyrics to “Love is an Open Door,” Prince Hans delivers the line “I love crazy.” Also, talking mushrooms have an inherent Alice in Wonderland vibe.
33
In “You’re A Star” the birdseye views resemble those from Isabella’s room in Encanto
They’re both beautiful and anyone would gladly spend a day in either!
34
When Asha transforms into Fairy Godmother of Rosas, the animation mimics that of Cinderella’s dress transformation
The role itself of Fairy Godmother is another nod to Cinderella.
35
Asha’s dress has pumpkin seeds
Asha’s dress isn’t lined with gems, but pumpkin seeds. Another cool nod to the story of Cinderella.
36
Asha’s cloak seen in the later part of the film resembles the one worn by Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother
The inspiration for the hooded blue cloak is pretty apparent.
37
Like Cinderella, Queen Amaya is aided by a friendly, talking mouse
The talking mice Gus Gus and Jaq play a major role in Cinderella, and in Wish, we get our own little mouse-sized dose of the theme.
38
Valentino references Zootopia with the line “I dream of a metropolis where all animals are equal. And wear clothes.”
And in Disney movies, dreams come true. (What level of Christoper-Nolan-Inception is it that a Disney character’s dream is to be in a Disney movie?)
39
Star’s send off recreates the Disney logo
As every Disney movie starts, an arc of pixie dust flies over the Disney castle. We see that same imagery referenced during Star’s goodbye as fireworks trail after him above the castle in Rosas.
40
Sabino’s wish to inspire youth is a passion shared with Walt Disney
Sabino shares the vision to create a culture of dreams, imagination, and fantasy just as Walt Disney did.
41
In the post-credits scene, Sabino plays the first few notes of “When You Wish Upon A Star”
Sabino’s wish comes to fruition as he plays the famous Pinnocchio tune on his mandolin.
42
Asha’s father and Mufasa both advise their children to “look at the stars” for guidance
Asha recalls her father telling her “The stars are there to guide us,” which references a scene in The Lion King where Mufasa tells Simba to “look at the stars” whenever he feels alone.
43
Asha’s hair blowing in the wind visually references Pocahontas
If there was ever an ad for making you want to grow your hair out, this is it!
44
The wishing well is a reference to Snow White
This Wish easter egg probably got a lot of people pointing when they first saw it. It’s when Asha stumbles across a picturesque wishing well in the forest, which shares all the same charm of the one seen in Snow White.
45
The wishes Magnifico crushes reference Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, and The Little Mermaid
Magnifico calls out each of the wishes he destroys. He references Peter Pan as he mocks the “fantasy land in the sky,” Mary Poppins as he boasts “poppin’ this one” about “the perfect nanny for your horrible children,” and quotes Ursula’s line “so much for true love” from The Little Mermaid as he crushes another wish.
46
Flying books reference those that appeared in The Sword in the Stone
The Sword in the Stone features flying books enchanted by Merlin. In Wish, Asha and her friends come across some similarly enchanted books that help them in the film’s climax.
47
Magnifico getting trapped in the scepter is comparable to Jafar getting locked in a magic lamp
“Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!” We can only imagine.
48
Magic Mirror’s face appears for a moment as Magnifico is drawn into the scepter
In a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it-moment, Magnifico’s contorted face briefly takes the shape of Magic Mirror from Snow White as he’s sucked into the scepter. If you spotted it in your first viewing, we wouldn’t be surprised if you caught a lot more Wish easter eggs on our list.
49
Magnifico says “a king must be prepared” which is the theme of “Be Prepared” from The Lion King
This is the song Scar sings to his hyenas to get them onboard with his evil plan to usurp Mufasa’s throne. The use of green is another similarity between the villains.
50
The cottages where Asha lives look visually similar to the Seven Dwarfs cottage
And to add another layer to this inspiration, it’s said in Robin Allan’s book Walt Disney and Europe that the Dwarfs’ home is possibly inspired by Dr. Rotwang’s home in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
51
One of Magnifico’s vials looks like Yzma’s poison from The Emperor’s New Groove
Keep your eyes peeled on the tools-of-the-trade in Magnifico’s workshop and you’ll spot this easter egg.
52
Asha runs past Cinderella’s torn dress hanging on a clothing line
Poor Cinderella!
53
Star flies through the stable that houses a horse resembling Maximus from Tangled
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you can spot this moment in the Wish trailer.
54
Dario wiggles his ears like his Snow White counterpart Dopey
This could be a contender for the top “a-ha!” moment where people realize Asha’s friends are modeled after the Seven Dwarfs.
55
Asha attempts to open Magnifico’s workshop doors doing the same moves as Sorcerer Mickey in Fantasia
Harnessing the power of sorcery must require more than a few flicks of the wrist!
56
The vines used by Magnifico to entrap Rosas’ villagers are a visual reference to Maleficent’s use of thorns
The menacing look of the thorns are nature’s “keep out” sign.
57
Gabo literally calls himself Grumpy when he says “You wonder why I’m grumpy.”
I’m surprised Gabo doesn’t break the fourth wall and wink.
58
The end credit characters
The end credits feature 100 years of characters from across Disney movies, like Ichabod Crane (The Adventures Of Ichabod and Mr. Toad), Basil (The Great Mouse Detective), Hercules (Hercules), Aladar (Dinosaur), Yokai (Big Hero 6), Splat (Strange Planet), and, obviously, many more.
★
All the images illustrating the Wish easter eggs are in the 2.55:1 aspect ratio
To highlight the size, the first image in the article and this final image are not the 2.55:1 aspect ratio. If you figured it out our addition to the Disney Wish movie easter eggs list, congrats! Also, there’s a chance you might be part eagle, because those eyes don’t miss.
I’m pretty sure the Atlantis reference is in King Magnifico’s spell book. The foreign script on some of the pages is highly reminiscent of the Atlantean alphabet, sort of like a later, evolved version.
How cool! Thanks for sharing!
The fireworks at the end resemble the Mickey Mouse logo.