Chip and Dale have returned to the screen in all their Rescue Rangers glory with their new feature film. With them comes the return of many famous faces from the beautiful world of Disney that fans have been missing for a long while. They might be images and cameos, but it's clear that Disney still recognizes what made their name so great.
From winks and nods to full-on lines and references, there are tons of Disney-related Easter eggs scattered throughout the movie. Some might be more subtle than others, but dedicated Disney buffs will be able to seek them all out.
The Disney Logo Features All The Disney Castles
One thing Disney has done with a lot of their live-action remakes in recent years is changing the opening with their iconic castle image to fit the film that follows. The castle has changed many times in films like The Jungle Book, Tron: Legacy, and even Frankenweenie, and the Rescue Rangers' comeback was no exception.
Disney, in this case, goes the extra mile by not just changing the castle into one iconic image, but several. Bits and pieces of Cinderella's abode are glitched and changed into pieces from other Disney castles and cottages including Agrabah's towers, Elsa's castle, and Prince Eric's seaside home. Like the movie to follow, it brings a variety of elements across the Disney universe.
Mrs. House Is From A Disney Short
Those not steeped in Disney lore will probably assume the talking house that lives next door to Chip it's just the standard-issue, garden-variety, everyday talking animated anthropomorphic house any resident of this universe would meet walking from work. Those who know their animation history, however, know otherwise.
Mrs. House is the titular Little House from the Disney short film of the same name. Although she's a tad more vocal than she is in the cartoon, the years have certainly been kind to her as she looks just as she did way back when.
Frozone Is On Chip’s TV Dinner
The movie is filled to the brim with characters from multiple studios, and Pixar is no exception. There are several blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameos, references, and Easter eggs scattered across the film, but if Incredibles fans are diligent, they will catch a glimpse of Frozone on Chip's TV dinner after he comes home from work.
On one hand, it might have been funnier if Disney were to openly mock themselves and make a Frozen reference, as cliche as it might be. On the other, Frozone is a fan-favorite character and a nod to Disney's "other studio" that fans will certainly appreciate.
Flounder Offers His Kidnappers A “Dinglehopper”
As shocking as it might be to think about a character like Flounder involved in criminal activities, Disney is very playful about how they slip in nods to Little Mermaid. As of the Valley Gang rip off the roof of his abode to collect on his debt, he tries to bargain for his life with a genuine "Dinglehopper."
Although he lacks his friend Ariel's gadgets and gizmos aplenty, he does make a call back to the famous Fork joke that has since followed the film in decades that followed. Unfortunately for Flounder, it's not enough to keep him from being kidnapped and forced into a bootleg production.
Duncan And Winchell Investigate A Crime Scene
There have been tons of animated cops and detectives over the years, so it's understandable if some of them run together. The image of donuts wearing stereotypical police attire certainly has the makings of a played-out joke, but Disney fans will know them not as a play on the donut-loving cliche for cops, but as Duncan and Winchell from Wreck-It Ralph.
When these two were last seen, they were chasing Ralph and Vanelope through Sugar Rush with a team of Devil Dogs before stopping at the chocolate swamp. It would appear that they have since given up their careers under king candy for ones on the LAPD.
The Rescue Rangers Are Seen At Walt Disney World
Of course, no film that references the best of Disney would be complete without at least one reference to the theme parks. In this case, a group photo being held by Dale shows the Rescue Rangers posing, as any Disney character would, in front of the castle at Walt Disney World.
The Disney Parks are known for being the places where magical memories are made, and not even Disney's own animated characters are immune to the company's spell. Since the themes of memories and nostalgia are so prominent for the film's main characters, it makes perfect sense that the parks would become a part of that equation.
Sweet Pete Is A Reflection Of Bobby Driscoll
An adult Peter Pan might be shocking to some viewers, but there's a deeper meaning behind Sweet Pete's villainous origin story that rings with some bitter truth for the Walt Disney Company. Although the former star of Neverland had it rough, it was nothing compared to what happened to the real Peter Pan.
As summarized by Entertainment Weekly, Bobby Driscoll was a child star for Disney who had several titles under his belt before flying to the role of Peter Pan, but unlike his animated counterpart, Driscoll aged and grew up. Paired with his substance abuse, it was one of the reasons Disney dropped him from the studio, which sent the actor on a downward spiral that resulted in his mysterious death at the age of 31.
All The Disney Bootlegs
From what is revealed to the audience, becoming a bootleg performer is possibly the worst thing to happen to a tune since Judge Doom's Dip treatment from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Not only are they practically butchered in a transformation machine, but so many of Disney's beloved characters are warped into hideous versions of themselves.
Danger levels are certainly high when not even Winnie the Pooh and Tigger are safe from corruption, a concept that is made all the more grave when Chip and Dale discover Sweet Pete's wall of trophies from his past victims. It truly shows just how far some villains are willing to go.
Scrooge And His Money Pit
Scrooge McDuck is just one of the many character cameos seen in the movie, but what's exceptionally worth noting about his appearance is the re-creation of his iconic coin dive scene in the original DuckTales. Although the series did receive a much-beloved remake, the way this image is painstakingly re-created in a live-action setting scratches the nostalgic itch just right.
While it's certainly not the size of his money bin in the TV show, Scrooge is clearly enjoying himself all the same. Similar to seeing the Rescue Rangers with a fresh coat of paint, it's wonderful to see this star of the Disney Afternoon get the same treatment.
Countless Cameos
One thing animation fans will adore about this movie is seeing so many familiar faces sharing the same space at the same time. Whether they're part of the Disney family or not, there are dozens of character cameos seen throughout the film in semi-animated environments.
That all being said, there are more than enough Disney cameos present to make a fan's head spin. With appearances from characters like Roger Rabbit, Baloo, Scrooge McDuck, and more, it's a wonder that there wasn't a full-on appearance from Mickey Mouse himself.
