The Walt Disney Company

Bugs' cameo with Mickey Mouse in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

The Walt Disney Company is an American movie studio and entertainment media, dealing in everything from feature films and television, to various theme parks located around the world. It is also notably one of Warner Bros.' biggest competitors, and as such, much of the references to Disney in the WB Animated Universe are to make fun of it. However, the rivalry between the studio does not necessarily appear to be a bitter one; in the past, The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie was occasionally shown on the Disney Channel, and reruns of Pinky and the Brain were shown on Disney XD for a while. Also, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger appeared alongside Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

The most notable connection between the WB Animated Universe and Disney is of course the 1988 Touchstone film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In the film, the Looney Tunes characters make several cameo appearances, along with characters who starred in cartoons belonging to Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios. Of course, the appearances of the non-Disney characters in the film came with stipulations on how they were portrayed; in Warner's case, their characters get the exact same amount of screen time as Disney's, right down to the number of frames and syllables spoken.

Daffy and Donald doing their "dueling pianos" act.

Early on in the film, protagonist Eddie Valient pays a visit to the Ink & Paint Club. When he enters, we see Daffy Duck in a "dueling pianos" act with Donald Duck. Both ducks are playing the Hungarian Rhapsody, and Daffy proceeds to anger Donald by questioning if anyone understands what he's saying and calling him despicable. Donald then tosses Daffy into his piano, prompting Daffy to declare "This means war!" Daffy gets out and throws Donald into his piano and starts playing both of them, but then Donald breaks out and starts playing both pianos as well. Daffy knocks him back into his piano with a boxing glove and almost finishes up with Rhapsody, but Donald sticks out of his piano with a cannon and fire at Daffy, causing both of their pianos to be knocked over and pulled offstage.

Later, Eddie ventures into Toontown in pursuit of Jessica Rabbit (whom he thinks has just murdered R.K. Maroon). When he accidentally comes upon the lovesick Leena Hyena, he attempts to escape by ducking into the men's restroom, only to find there's no room there and begins to fall down the building. He briefly saves himself by grabbing onto a pole on the way down, where Tweety is nested. Tweety comes up and notices Eddie's fingers grabbing onto the pole, and plays "This Little Piggy" with them like in "A Tale of Two Kitties", causing Eddie to continue falling. On the way down, he encounters Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse, who are skydiving at the moment and wisecrack about how he appears to be going jumping without a parachute. Eddie asks if they have a spare; Mickey answers that Bugs does, but the bunny adds "But I don't think you want it." Eddie says he does, so Bugs hands it to him, and it's only when Eddie opens it that he finds it's a spare tire rather than an extra parachute.

Other, smaller Looney Tunes cameos in the film include:

• Bugs and Yoyo Dodo can be seen walking around the Maroon Cartoons studio at the beginning.
• Yosemite Sam gets blasted out of Toontown while his butt is on fire and he puts it in the water.
• Roger entertains the bar patrons by singing to the tune of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down".
• When Eddie first enters Toontown, he is greeted by cartoon characters singing "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!" At the end of the film, all the cartoon characters sing this song again.
• During Eddie's elevator ride with Droopy, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote can be seen in silhouette. (Their appearance in this film is anachronistic; the film is set in 1947, two years before their debut.)
• When Eddie heads into a dark alley in Toontown, a poster advertising "Porky's All-Beef Sausage" can be seen.
• Eddie sings a version of The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down to make the weasels laugh themselves to death.
• Some of the Looney Tune characters appear at the end of the film along with both the Disney and non-Disney characters as well as singing a reprise of Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!.
• Porky Pig appears as one of the police officers telling everyone "Okay, M-m-m-ove along. Th-th-there's nothing else to see. That's all folks. Mmm, I like the sound of that." and then he says the famous "That's all Folks!" line and he laughs while Tinker Bell appears and poofs Porky and the iris away.

References

Looney Tunes

• "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs" - This cartoon parodies Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
• "Pigs in a Polka" - This cartoon parodies both Three Little Pigs and Fantasia.
• "A Corny Concerto" - This cartoon parodies Fantasia.
• "The Bashful Buzzard" - One of the buzzards carries a parade of elephants, and the baby elephant at the end is carrying a sign on its tail that says "I AM NOT DUMBO".
• "Acrobatty Bunny" - Bugs, while looking inside the mouth of the lion, shouts "PINOCCHIO!".
• "Spaced Out Bunny" - Hugo proudly displays his new "Mickey Martian" watch on his wrist.
• "(Blooper) Bunny" - While ranting about Warner Bros., Daffy remarks about their lack of originality and says "The next thing you know, they'll stick me with three snot-nosed nephews!"

Tiny Toon Adventures

• "The Looney Beginning" - Among Babs' first impressions is Jessica Rabbit. Later, as Buster and Babs get out of the trash can, Babs requests clearance for landing, with Buster answer "Roger, rabbit!" (to which Babs replies, "You've got the wrong bunny.")
• "Test Stressed" - Plucky's transformation is based on the "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence from Dumbo.
• "The Buster Bunny Bunch" - The title of the episode, as well as the bridging segments, are a parody of The Mickey Mouse Club.
• "Fields of Honey" - When asked by Babs what he knows about Honey, Hamton answers, "Well, it's sweet, and Winnie the Pooh has a problem with it."
• "Best O' Plucky Duck Day" - In the intro, Buster says that "today we're presenting three hysterical Duck Tales", to which Plucky responds, "Don't use that word!!", prompting Buster to reword that line.
• "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" - When Buster storms on to the set of Tiny Toons in the alternate universe, he says to Alternate Plucky, "What are ya, goofy?", which Plucky considers an insult. He then asks Buster "Who are you, a spy from Disney?" and has Alternate Arnold and Sneezer throw him out, saying "Nice try, Katzenberg!"
• "Night Ghoulery" - The opening sequence starts with a parody of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Animaniacs

• "Slappy Goes Walnuts" - After trying the Acme Snax, Slappy throws it in the disposal and replies to Skippy, "Aah, no wonder you like that Bonkers show. That junk's rotting out your brain, there."
• "Opportunity Knox" - When he and Brain make it into Fort Knox, Pinky remarks, "There's more gold here than in a DuckTales episode!"
• "Bumbie's Mom" - Directly parodies the scene in Bambi where the title character's mother is shot (and the mass reaction to it).
• "Deduces Wild" - Among the things Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are looking for in their scavenger hunt is "a funny episode of Bonkers".
• "Rest in Pieces" - Slappy tells Skippy that there is no death in cartoons, but considers Bonkers an exception.
• "Cutie and the Beast" - The plot parodies Disney's 1991 film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
• "Jokahontas" - As with the previous listed segment, the plot again parodies a Disney film, this time the 1995 film adaptation of Pocahontas. Dot's song at the beginning mocks Disney's constant reuse of princess stories in their movies, and Mel Gibson is depicted wearing pants that resemble Mickey Mouse's shorts and a helmet with mouse ears.

Pinky and the Brain

• "Operation Sealion" - When trying to convince Pinky that he needs to give up on Winnie, Brain states, "Mice and sealion don't mix, except perhaps in a Disney film."
• "The Magalomaniacal Adventures of Branie the Poo" - The episode is a parody of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
• "Brainwashed" - When informed about the Schmëerskāhøvênathon, Brain asks Pinky if he knows what will mean. Pinky answers, "Another preemption for Brand Spanking Fresh and Shiny New Doug?" (The close captions misspelled "Doug" as "Duck".)

Freakazoid!

• "Freakazoid is History!" - When Freakazoid looks over the changes he caused to history as a result of saving Pearl Harbor, one thing he finds out is that "EuroDisneyland is packed!" This is making fun of the park's lack of visitors in real life.

Histeria!

• "Really Oldies But Goodies" - A cat burps up Mickey Mouse's shorts.
• "The Theodore Roosevelt Show" - Pepper mistakes Theodore Roosevelt for Winnie the Pooh.
• "Music" - The prize in the Dating Game parody sketch is a trip to the deserted theme park EuroDizzyland.

Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain

• "That's Edutainment!" - Pinky's response to "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" is "I think so, Brain, but Pepper Ann makes me sneeze." Later, on Mr. Brain's World, Pinky plays the role of Pinky the Unstinky, a parody of Manny the Uncanny from Disney's One Saturday Morning.

Miscellaneous

"That's Daffy Duck! I can't believe you'd mistake a big star like me for that other duck who can't even talk straight!"

• In the advertisement for the Warner Bros. Studio catalog included on the VHS release of Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, Daffy sits down in a director's chair, which then begins to have Donald Duck's name printed on it. Needless to say, Daffy is not amused.
• One of the cold openings for Animaniacs parodies The Lion King entitled The Tiger Prince, where Yakko replaces Rafiki and at the end he accidently drops the baby tiger.
• Belle and Beast from Beauty and the Beast make cameos in various Animaniacs episodes.

Mentions

• At the beginning of the DuckTales episode "Cold Ducks", Huey, Dewey and Louie are heard saying "Be very very quiet; we're hunting Beakley." This is of course a play on Elmer Fudd's catch phrase.
• In The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Heff Heffalump is afraid of Roo, whom he thinks is a giant mouse. This parodies Sylvester mistaking Hippety Hopper for a giant mouse.
• A scene in the 101 Dalmatians: The Series episode "The Making of..." parodies the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons with Cruella de Vil and Spot in their places.
• In the PC game Disney's Villains' Revenge, after you find Doc and beat the "find the storybook heroes" mini game before you enter the storybook, In and Out the two Doorknobs say the following; In: "What's up, Doc? (laughs)" Out: "Try to remember who WE work for!" This is a joke that references both Bugs Bunny and that In and Out work for The Walt Disney Company, not Warner Bros.
• In the Phineas and Ferb episode "Swiss Family Phineas", the title characters get Baljeet to look after their pet platypus, Perry. Buford agrees to help, and gives Perry a hug and says Elmyra's catch phrase, "I'm gonna hug you and squeeze you and never let you go."
• in the movie space jam, bugs describes daffys basketball team name “the ducks” by saying, “what kind of Mickey Mouse idea is that”.

Connections

• Charlie Adler voiced Mad Dog from TaleSpin, Gazeem and some of the market sellers in Aladdin, Mechanikles in the Aladdin TV series, and Mr. Whiskers of Brandy and Mr. Whiskers.
• Joe Alaskey voiced the Lobster Mobster in The Little Mermaid TV series and Flaps the Elephant on Bonkers.
• Ed Asner voiced Mr. Large on Teamo Supremo and starred as Carl Fredricksen in Up.
• Mel Blanc recorded dialogue for Gideon the Cat in Pinocchio. Disney, however, later decided to make the character mute, and in the finished film, all that remains of Blanc as Gideon's voice is a single hiccup (albeit played twice).
• Clancy Brown did guest voice work on Flubber and Phineas and Ferb.
• Nancy Cartwright voiced Pistol in Goof Troop and Todd Daring in The Replacements.
• Dan Castellaneta voiced Megavolt in Darkwing Duck, and Genie in The Return of Jafar and the Aladdin TV series.
• Danny Cooksey voiced Urchin in The Little Mermaid TV series, Mooch in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, the title character of Dave the Barbarian, Thaddeus in the Phineas and Ferb episode "Thaddeus and Thor" and Brad in Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil.
• Jim Cummings is the current voice of Pete, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger. He also voiced Monterey Jack, Fat Cat, and Professor Nimnul in Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Louie, Don Karnage and Trader Moe in TaleSpin, the titular character of Darkwing Duck (as well as the voice of Negaduck), Razoul in Aladdin (and its sequels and TV series), the apple seller in Aladdin, Bonkers and Lucky Piquel in Bonkers, Ed the Hyena in The Lion King and Timon & Pumbaa, the Colonel and Ed Pig in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Kaa in Jungle Cubs, House of Mouse and The Jungle Book II, Colonel Hathi in The Jungle Book II, and Ray the firefly in The Princess and the Frog.
• Tim Curry voiced the Evil Manta in The Little Mermaid TV series and Lord Dragaunus in The Mighty Ducks animated series.
• Grey DeLisle voiced Riley Daring on The Replacements.
• June Foray voiced Lucifer the cat in the original Cinderella, Witch Hazel (not to be confused with the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies Witch Hazel) in the Donald Duck cartoon Trick or Treat, Squaw and one of the mermaids in Peter Pan, Grammi Gummi in Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Magica DeSpell and Ma Beagle in DuckTales, Wheezy and Lena Hyena in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Grandmother Fa in Mulan.
• Brendan Fraser starred in Disney's live-action film adaptation of George of the Jungle.
• Stan Freberg voiced Mr. Busy the Beaver in Lady and the Tramp.
• Peter Hastings created the Disney's One Saturday Morning block on ABC.
• Maurice LaMarche voiced Scuttle in The Little Mermaid TV series, the March Hare in Bonkers and House of Mouse, Mortimer Mouse in Mickey Mouse Works, House of Mouse, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Comrade Z in Teamo Supremo, and Horace Badun in 101 Dalmatains II: Patch's London Adventure.
• Tress MacNeille voiced Chip and Gadget in Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Shenzi in Timon and Pumbaa, Daisy Duck in Mickey Mouse Works, House of Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the Queen of Hearts in House of Mouse, Anastasia in the Cinderella sequels, and Fang in Dave the Barbarian.
• Roddy McDowall voiced Mr. Soil in A Bug's Life.
• Don Messick voiced Fergus McDuck in DuckTales, and the Mayor in Bonkers.
• Candi Milo voiced Thundra in the Aladdin TV series, and Jacobo Jacobo in The Replacements.
• Rob Paulsen voiced Steelbeak in Darkwing Duck, PJ in Goof Troop and its movie follow-ups, Banzai the hyena in Timon & Pumbaa, Ian Waszelewski in Teacher's Pet, and Jaq and the Grand Duke in the Cinderella sequels.
• Dan Povenmire co-created Phineas and Ferb and voices Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
• Paul Rugg portrayed Manny the Uncanny on Disney's One Saturday Morning.
• Kath Soucie voiced Morgana Macawber in Darkwing Duck, the Bimbettes in Beauty and the Beast, Attina in The Little Mermaid TV series, Cadpig, Rolly, and Anita in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, Kanga in Winnie the Pooh releated material, Tish Katsufrakis in The Weekenders, adult Wendy in Return to Neverland, and Perdita in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure.
• Cree Summer voiced Hyena in Gargoyles, Princess on 101 Dalmatians: The Series, and Kida in Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Atlantis: Milo's Return.
• Frank Welker voiced Toby and Felicia in The Great Mouse Detective, Bigtime, Baggy, and Bubba the Cave Duck on DuckTales, Morgana McCawbre's pets on Darkwing Duck, Waffles and Chainsaw in Goof Troop, Abu and Rajah in Aladdin (and its sequels and TV series), the Cave of Wonders in Aladdin, Fall-Apart Rabbit in Bonkers, Scorch and Al the Gator in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, the Grubs on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Lucifer in the Cinderella sequels, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in the Epic Mickey video games.

External links

• Official website