List of Disney References

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

Once Upon a Time

 * -|Season One=

"Pilot"

 * Snow White is placed in glass coffin mourned by the seven dwarfs, and is awakened by a kiss from Prince Charming.
 * Regina is notably known as the Evil Queen in the Enchanted Forest.
 * As Emma's car passes into town, a lawn pinwheel of Tinker Bell spins in the wind.
 * Archie shares his name with Hopper, an actual hopper.
 * Archie is heard whistling the song "Give a Little Whistle" as he walks away from Emma and Henry.
 * Snow White attracts a blue bird that flies onto her hand. Mary Margaret sets free a blue bird from her hands into its nest house.
 * There is a plush of Minnie Mouse in Emma's baby room at the castle.
 * The fairy with the turquoise hair is called The Blue Fairy like in the film.
 * Pinocchio plays with a wooden whale; a nod to Monstro the Whale.
 * Leroy whistles, "Whistle While You Work" when he sees Emma in jail.

"The Thing You Love Most"

 * Maleficent made the sleeping curse to use on Sleeping Beauty.
 * Regina's apples are alluded to being poisonous. Fearful it's poisoned, Henry refuses to let Emma eat one.
 * The Gnome, who is turned into stone by the Evil Queen, has a similar characteristic and behavior to Creeper, the Horned King's lackey.

"The Price of Gold"

 * Cinderella's dress is similar to the one she wears in the film.
 * When Cinderella and Prince Thomas kiss, it's similar to a scene from the film.
 * A Minnie Mouse figurine is seen in the pawnshop when Ashley breaks in.

"That Still Small Voice"

 * Archie's dog is called Pongo, the main character from this film.
 * Martin and Myrna have costumes resembling the characters Honest John and Gideon respectively from the film.
 * The talking cricket is named after Jiminy Cricket from the film.

"The Shepherd"

 * When zoomed up close, the back of the dish Mary Margaret is washing has a Disney logo on it.

"The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter"

 * The Evil Queen and Regina both collect human hearts of their enemies.
 * 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.
 * There are giant sea shells in Mary Margaret's classroom, which is a reference to The Little Mermaid.

"Desperate Souls"

 * During Emma's confrontation with Mr. Gold in his shop, a Mickey Mouse figurine rests in a case on the bottom left of the screen. A Minnie Mouse figurine is also on the table to the right of Mr. Gold.
 * Sheriff Graham's full name is Graham Humbert. In the Disney film, the Huntsman's name is Humbert as well.

"Fruit of the Poisonous Tree"

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

"Skin Deep"

 * Belle's clothes are similar to the ones she wears in the film, and so are Gaston's.
 * Rumplestiltskin turns Gaston into a rose, giving it to Belle, saying that he had bought it from an old woman selling roses.
 * There is a kind of fur with horns which resembles Disney's Beast.
 * Gaston is named after the same character from the film. In both versions, Belle does not want to marry him.
 * Belle's father is called Maurice as in the film.
 * There is a candlestick and clock in Rumplestiltskin's castle resembling Lumiere and Cogsworth.
 * The chipped tea cup is a reference to Chip.
 * The teapot is a reference to Chip's mother, Mrs. Potts.
 * In the castle, there is a hat which resembles that of Master Yen Sid, in Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" scene in Fantasia.

"What Happened to Frederick"

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

"Dreamy"

 * Grumpy and Leroy both whistle the song, "Heigh-Ho".
 * Sister Astrid says to Leroy, "Someone once told me, you can do anything as long as you can dream it", a paraphrase of a quote by Walt Disney, "If you can dream it, you can do it."
 * Belle wears a similar looking blue dress from the film, except this one is short sleeved.
 * Astrid gives Leroy a pie to thank him for selling candles to help the convent. Snow White bakes Grumpy a pie in the film.
 * After Stealthy dies, there are seven dwarves remaining.

"Red-Handed"

 * The fact that Peter is a hunter pursuing a wolf in the middle of winter refers to the segment "Peter and The Wolf"
 * When Peter first visits Red Riding Hood 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.

"Heart of Darkness"

 * Snow White hums "With a Smile and a Song".
 * Snow White wears a similar looking red bow hairband as her Disney character adaptation.
 * A small Bambi statue is in Mary Margaret's apartment.
 * When Prince Charming confronts Rumplestiltskin, there’s an arrangement of roses on the table, which references Rumplestiltskin's role as Beast in the Disney film. ''

"The Stable Boy"

 * Young Snow White wears several bow hairbands; among them a blue bow as in Disney film.

"Hat Trick"

 * The Evil Queen disguises 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.
 * The doll in the marketplace that Grace wants is a white rabbit wearing a petticoat; a reference to the White Rabbit.
 * 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?" as in the Disney film.
 * Regina picks a piece of a mushroom from Wonderland for her father to eat so he can return to normal size after having been shrunken.
 * The Queen of Hearts is ruler of Wonderland, and orders her soldiers to cut off the Mad Hatter's head with the phrase, "Off with his head." In the Disney film, the Queen is constantly shouting, "Off with her head!"
 * Mary Margaret hits Jefferson over the head with a croquet mallet.

"The Return"

 * A Mickey Mouse phone is in Mr. Gold's shop.

"The Stranger"

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

"An Apple Red as Blood"

 * Snow White collapses, after eating the apple, in the same way as she does in the Disney film.

"A Land Without Magic"

 * Maleficent transforms into a fire breathing dragon.
 * Emma throws the sword, directly hitting the dragon in the heart, just as Prince Phillip did in the Disney film.
 * -|Season Two=

"Broken"

 * Aurora mistakes Mulan 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.
 * Prince Phillip cut down thorns to get to the sleeping Aurora.
 * The prince is named Prince Phillip like in the Disney film.
 * Aurora shares the same name as the character in the Disney film.

"We Are Both"

 * Leroy says, "It's off to work we go", from the song "Heigh-Ho".
 * Regina uses the line, "fairest of them all".
 * In Mr. Gold's shop, there is an African mask, which is an allusion to the Disney film.

"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".

"The Crocodile"

 * A Mickey Mouse figurine can be seen in the pawnshop in Belle's dream.
 * Mr. Gold gives Belle a library to try to regain her affections, similar to what the Beast does in the Disney film.
 * Mr. Gold attempts to make Belle eat something after their fight. Similarly, in the Disney film, when the Beast makes Belle eat dinner with him, she refuses, claiming to be not hungry.
 * William Smee's hat is red as it is in the Disney film.
 * As Rumplestiltskin prepares 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 Disney film. Furthermore, Hook's nickname for Rumplestiltskin is "Crocodile."
 * Neverland is alluded to by Captain Hook as a place "where people never grow old."

"The Doctor "

 * Rumplestiltskin's witch-in-training replacement, Trish, bears a resemblance to Esmeralda.

"Child of the Moon"

 * Billy's Enchanted Forest counterpart is Cinderella's household mouse, Gus.

"Into the Deep"

 * David pricks his finger on a spinning wheel.

"Queen of Hearts"

 * The Queen of Hearts tells Hook to call her "Your Majesty".
 * The mask Cora holds resembles the baton the Queen of Hearts carries in the Disney film.

"The Outsider"

 * Mulan tells Belle to only fight for what's worth fighting for is a reference to the song from the Disney song "A Girl Worth Fighting For".
 * Belle reverses a curse which makes a beast human again.

"In the Name of the Brother"

 * The Star Wars theme is heard as a ringtone in an episode broadcast shortly after Disney purchased the franchise.

"Tiny"

 * Leroy and the other dwarves whistle the melody of "Heigh-Ho".

"Welcome to Storybrooke"

 * Kurt and Owen's last name is Flynn.
 * A bench which features an advertisement for computers with the Encom logo.
 * When Regina visits Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer, Gold is polishing a teakettle, a reference to Mrs. Potts.
 * Emma mentions magic laws are not capable of bringing back the dead or making someone love another.

"Selfless, Brave and True"

 * There is a honey neon sign for a pub called "Winnie's".

"Lacey"

 * In the Enchanted Forest, Belle wears a similar dress to the one in the ballroom scene in the Disney film.
 * Rumplestiltskin shows Belle the library in his home, similar to what the Beast did in the Disney film.

"Second Star to the Right"

 * John was carrying an umbrella and a top hat and Michael carries a teddy bear.
 * The time on Big Ben is 8:15, the same time that is shown in the Disney film.

"And Straight On 'Til Morning"

 * Hook references the song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)".


 * -|Season Three=

"The Heart of the Truest Believer"

 * Neal references Mulan to a Disney film of the same name.

"Lost Girl"

 * Emma notes Captain Hook's appearance in the animated film as sporting a "waxed mustache and a perm".
 * Pan's map of Neverland is highly reminiscent of the map from the animated film.

"Nasty Habits"

 * The Sheriff of Hamelin is exactly dressed like the Mayor of Hamelin in the Silly Symphony.

"Good Form"

 * The second star to the right is mentioned.
 * Pegasus is mentioned by Captain Liam as a legendary horse whose feathers were used to create a magic veil in allowing their ship to fly into the sky.

"Ariel"

 * The Under the Sea dance is a reference to the song of the same name.
 * While masquerading as Ursula, Regina says to Ariel, "My dear sweet child", which are the spoken words at the start of the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls" sung by Ursula in the Disney film.
 * Regina says,"You can be part of Eric's world", alluding to the Disney film song "Part of Your World".
 * Regina takes away Ariel's voice and calls her a little mermaid.
 * Ariel learns what a fork is.
 * Both Ariel and Eric mention a ship wreck where they first met.
 * Ariel likes to collect random human objects.
 * Eric states one of the places he will be travelling to is Agrabah.
 * Regina mentions the evil munchkins' dirt road.
 * Snow White's ball dress has small Mickey Mouse faces on it.

"Dark Hollow"

 * Leroy says, "No time for whistling, boys", alluding to the Disney song "Whistle While You Work".
 * How Henry meets Wendy is similar to the opening of this film.
 * Keychain is dressed in pink and has a teddy bear on his rear view mirror, alluding to the film's version of Michael Darling.
 * While in the Mr. Gold's shop, Ariel says, "Look at this stuff", which are the first words to the Disney song "Part of your World".

"Save Henry"

 * Regina mentions the game Space Paranoids from Tron.

"Going Home"

 * Henry has a Tron lunchbox in the 2011 flashback.

"New York City Serenade"

 * Aurora's food features a hidden Mickey Mouse head.

"Witch Hunt"

 * Henry plays a hand-held video game and mentions "derezzing" an opponent.

"Quiet Minds"

 * Lumiere is named after the same character from the film.

"It's Not Easy Being Green"

 * The Wizard's figure looks like James Franco's from Oz the Great and Powerful.
 * The title of the episode comes from a song by Kermit the Frog made famous on Sesame Street in the early 1970s. }

"The Jolly Roger"

 * When Emma sees Ariel and Eric through the mirror, they reenact the beach scene from the Disney film.

"A Curious Thing"

 * Henry mentions the movie Peter Pan, and how he's seen it "a million times".

"Snow Drifts"

 * The foster child carries a Mickey Mouse doll.
 * Emma mention the movie The Lion King as an example of a royal baby coronation.
 * Emma's alias in the Enchanted Forest is Princess Leia, from the Star Wars trilogy.

"There's No Place Like Home"

 * Emma's alias in the Enchanted Forest is Princess Leia, from Star Wars.
 * The dress and hairstyle of the woman who comes out of the urn is from the movie Frozen.


 * -|Season Four=

"A Tale of Two Sisters"

 * When Elsa stops Leroy's car by magically freezing it, she is in the exact same pose as in the movie when The Duke Of Weselton's guards attacked her.
 * Belle and Mr. Gold dress in similar clothes as their counterparts in dance scene from Beauty and the Beast. They also dance to an instrumental version of the title song on the gramophone.
 * Regina says to Sidney, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who do I want to kill most of all"; a spin on the classical line from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all".
 * Elsa summons the ice monster known as Marshmallow to protect herself.
 * The scene with Emma and Regina on opposite sides of a door is a reference to the "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" sequence from Frozen.
 * The object transformed by Mr. Gold resembles Master Yen Sid's hat from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" scene from Disney's Fantasia.


 * -|Once Upon a Time in Wonderland=

"Down the Rabbit Hole"

 * Young Alice wears the signature blue dress from the Disney film.
 * The sorcerer is named Jafar like in the Disney film.

"Trust Me"

 * The fictional town of Agrabah appears for the first time.
 * The wish rules are mentioned from the Disney film.
 * Silvermist the fairy makes an appearance.

"Forget Me Not"

 * The Caterpillar has a personality and a leadership similar to Jabba the Hutt. His mushroom is a repair for criminals like the Cantina and Jabba's Palace.

"The Serpent"

 * Amara, Jafar's mentor and lover, bears a resemblance and same clothes to Nasira of the Disney video game, who ironically is said to be his sister.

"And They Lived..."

 * Jafar was defeated when the guard of the Well of Wonders, Nyx, cursed him to be a genie when he took the water from Amara before she could return it. It is very similar as to when Aladdin tricked Jafar into wishing to be a genie.