List of Disney References

This page lists Once Upon a Time's references to various Disney works.

"Pilot"

 * Snow White is lying in glass coffin surrounded by the seven dwarfs, and is awakened by a kiss from Prince Charming. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * Regina is notably known as the Evil Queen in the Enchanted Forest. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * When Emma is arriving with Henry to the town, a figure of Tinkerbell can be seen. ("Peter Pan")
 * Archie Hopper shares his name with Hopper, an actual hopper. ("A Bug's Life, 1998")
 * Archie is heard whistling the song "Give a Little Whistle" as he walks away from Emma and Henry.  (Pinocchio, 1940)
 * 8:15 is also the time that Peter Pan and the Darling children change the time to after landing on minute the hand of the clock on one face of the Clock Tower in the animated Disney movie.  ("Peter Pan")
 * Snow White attracts a blue bird that flies onto her hand. Mary Margaret Blanchard sets frees a blue bird from her hands into its nest house. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * There is a plush of Minnie Mouse in Emma Swan's baby room at the castle. (Mickey Mouse)
 * The fairy with the turquoise hair is called The Blue Fairy, like in the film. (Pinocchio, 1940)
 * Pinocchio was seen playing with a wooden whale; a nod to Monstro the Whale. (Pinocchio, 1940)
 * Leroy whistles, "Whistle While You Work" when he sees Emma in jail. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * Sheriff Graham's full name is Graham Humbert. In the Disney film, the Huntsman's name is Humbert as well. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

"The Thing You Love Most"

 * Maleficent the witch made the sleeping curse to use on Sleeping Beauty. (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)
 * Regina's apples are alluded to being poisonous. Henry refuses to let Emma eat them. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

"The Price of Gold"

 * Cinderella's dress is similar to the one she wears in the film. (Cinderella, 1950)

"That Still Small Voice"

 * Archie's dog is called Pongo, the main character from this film.  (One Hundred and One Dalmatians, 1961)
 * The talking cricket is named after Jiminy Cricket from the film. (Pinocchio, 1940)

"The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter"

 * The Evil Queen and Regina both collect human hearts of their enemies. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * The Evil Queen sends the Huntsman out to kill Snow White and bring her heart as proof of death, but he cannot bring himself to kill her. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

"Fruit of the Poisonous Tree"

 * The Genie lives inside a lamp that when rubbed grants the user three wishes. The Genie is also not free, and is bound to the lamp. When he is set free, his bracelets disappear. (Aladdin, 1992)
 * King Leopold releases the Genie by rubbing the lamp, trying to clean it. In the Disney animated film Aladdin, he also met the Genie in the same situation. (Aladdin, 1992)

"Skin Deep"

 * Belle's clothes are similar to the ones she wears in the film, and so are Gaston's. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * When Rumplestiltskin turns Belle's fiancé, Gaston, in a rose, giving it to Belle saying that it had been given an old woman who sold roses. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * It appears a kind of fur with horns that resembles in look to the Disney's Beast. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * Gaston is named after the character from the film. In both versions, Belle does not want to marry him. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * Belle's Father is called Maurice, like in the film. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * There is a candlestick and clock in The Dark Castle that resembles Lumière and Cogsworth. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * The chipped tea cup is a reference to Chip. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * In the Dark Castle, there is a hat which resembles that of Master Yen Sid, in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" scene. (Fantasia, 1940)

"What Happened to Frederick"

 * Regina gives Henry "Space Paranoids"; a game created by Kevin Flynn, the protagonist of the film. (Tron, 1982)
 * Emma eludes to Flynn by quoting his advice to Henry while he is playing the game; "It's all in the wrists." (Tron, 1982)
 * Henry has a Tron lunchbox. (Tron, 1982)

"Dreamy"

 * Grumpy and Leroy were both seen whistling the song "Heigh-Ho". (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * Belle is seen wearing a similar looking blue dress from the film, except this one is short sleeved. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * Sister Astrid gives Leroy a pie to thank him for selling candles to help the Convent. Snow White bakes Grumpy a pie in the film. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * After Stealthy dies there are seven dwarves. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

"Red-Handed"

 * When Peter first visits Red at her cabin at the beginning of the episode, he claims that if she does not come out to talk to him, he will "...huff and puff..." and blow the house down. (Three Little Pigs, 1993)

"Heart of Darkness"

 * Snow White was seen humming "With a Smile and a Song". (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * Snow wears a similar looking red bow/hairband as the Disney Snow White. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * A small bambi statue is seen in Mary Margaret's Apartment. (Bambi, 1942)

"The Stable Boy"

 * Young Snow White wears several bows/hairbands, among them a blue bow as at first of the Disney movie. Also, young Snow wears a suit similar to Disney's Snow. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

"Hat Trick"

 * The Evil Queen disguised herself as a hag to lure in Jefferson's daughter, Grace; much like how the Evil Queen dressed as a hag selling apples to Snow White in the film. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * The doll in the marketplace the Mad Hatter's daughter Grace wanted was a white rabbit wearing a petticoat. (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
 * When approached by Regina and the Mad Hatter who are visiting Wonderland, the Caterpillar blows his hookah pipe and asks very slowly, "Who are you?" (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
 * Regina picks a piece of a mushroom from Wonderland for her father Henry to eat so he can return to normal size after having been shrunken. (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
 * The Queen of Hearts is shown in Wonderland, and orders her soldiers to cut off the Mad Hatter's head. In the film, the Queen is constantly shouting, "Off with her head!" (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
 * Mary Margaret hits Jefferson over the head with a croquet mallet. (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)

"The Return"

 * A Mickey Mouse Phone can be seen in Mr. Gold's shop. (Mickey Mouse)

"The Stranger"

 * Henry has a Tron: Legacy lunchbox. (Tron: Legacy, 2010)
 * Monstro, Pinocchio, and Geppetto are featured in this episode. (Pinocchio, 1940)

"An Apple Red as Blood"

 * Snow White falls, after eating the apple, in the same way as she does in the film. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

"A Land Without Magic"

 * Maleficent transforms into a fire breathing dragon. (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)
 * Emma throws the sword directly hitting Maleficent the dragon in the heart just as Prince Phillip did. (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)

"Broken"

 * Mulan is thought by Aurora to be a man after she sees her dressed in heavy armor. However, when Mulan takes off her helmet, Aurora is surprised to see a woman. (Mulan, 1998)
 * Prince Phillip had to cut down thorns to get to the sleeping Aurora. (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)
 * The prince is named Prince Phillip, like in the film. (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)
 * The daughter of the original Sleeping Beauty is named Aurora, after the princess in the Disney film. (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)

"We Are Both"

 * Leroy says "It's off to work we go." from the song Heigh Ho. (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
 * Regina uses the line "fairest of them all". (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

"Lady of the Lake"

 * Mulan tells Emma and Mary Margaret "You might survive", a line from the song I'll Make a Man Out of You. (Mulan, 1998)

"The Crocodile"

 * Mr. Gold gives Belle the library to try to regain her affections, similar to what the Beast does in the film. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * Mr. Gold tells Belle after their fight "Come on, at least come and eat something", this is similar to the movie, when the beast makes Belle eat dinner with him and she refuses; claiming that she is not hungry. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * William Smee's hat is red, much like in the movie. (Peter Pan, 1953)
 * As Rumplestiltskin is about to kill Captain Hook in their first duel, he says, "Tick-tock dearie, Tick-tock!" This is an allusion to the crocodile that takes Hook's hand in the film. Furthermore, Hook's nickname for Rumplestiltskin is "Crocodile." (Peter Pan, 1953)
 * Neverland is alluded to by Captain Hook as a place "where people never grow old." (Peter Pan, 1953)

"The Doctor "

 * When Trish is being taught by Rumplestiltskin, she bears a resemblance to the character Esmeralda. (Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996)

"Child of the Moon"

 * Anita shares the same name as Anita Radcliffe. (One Hundred and One Dalmatians, 1961)
 * Billy's Enchanted Forest counterpart is Cinderella's household mouse, Gus. (Cinderella, 1950)

"Into the Deep"

 * David Nolan pricks his finger on a spinning wheel. (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)
 * Cora tells a raven to send a message to Emma Swan and Mary Margaret Blanchard. Maleficent has a raven as a pet, as does the Evil Queen.   (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)(Sleeping Beauty, 1959)

"Queen of Hearts"

 * The Queen of Hearts tells Hook to call her "your majesty". (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
 * The mask Cora holds resembles the baton the Queen of Hearts carries. (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)

"The Outsider"

 * Mulan telling Belle to only fight for what's worth fighting for is a reference to the song from the Disney version of Mulan called "A Girl Worth Fighting For". (Mulan, 1998)
 * Belle reverses a curse which makes a beast human again. (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
 * The flashback is based on Belle's line from the song Belle :"far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise". (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)

"In the Name of the Brother"

 * Greg Mendell's phone ring tone is the Star Wars opening theme.

"Tiny"

 * Leroy and the other dwarves whistle the melody of "Whistle While You Work".

"Welcome to Storybrooke"

 * Kurt and Owen's last name is Flynn.  (Tron, 1982)
 * A bench which features an ad for computers with the Encom logo.  (Tron, 1982)
 * When Kurt and Owen are making the lanyard key chain, Owen mentions how the string colors look like Luke and Vader's light sabers.

"Selfless, Brave and True"

 * There is a honey neon sign for a pub called "Winne's".  (Winnie the Pooh, 2011)