List of References to Disney

List of References to Disney
"When you wish upon a...Water Tower??"

Throughout Animaniacs franchise, there have been numerous references/parodies to a certain rival studio of Warner Bros.... The Walt Disney Company. Many of these references are documented here, including those to productions and companies they had later acquired.

Animaniacs (Original Series)

Season 1

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 3	"Slappy Goes Walnuts" (1993)	When determining the "Totally Awesome ACME Snax" to be the source of Skippy's hyperactive behavior, Slappy responds "Eh no wonder you like that Bonkers show, that junk's rotting out your brain there." This is the first of quite a few digs to the 1990's Disney animated series. Later, Doug the Dog attempts to lure Slappy into a trap with a program that parodies The Wonderful World of Disney - The Wonderful World of Walnuts.
Episode 3	"Yakko's Universe" (1993)	Originally, the "Yakko's Universe" song was to end with the lyric "It's a small world after all!", a nod to the song from the Disney attraction of the same name. However, writer Randy Rogel changed the lyrics in fear of potential legal trouble from the mouse.
Episode 5	"Taming of the Screwy" (1993)	In the first of the show's many references to the 1991 Disney film Beauty and the Beast, Belle and Beast are thrown out of the rave dance during the studio gala.
Episode 8	"Bumbie's Mom" (1993)	The entire episode focuses on Skippy becoming traumatized by the death of Bumbie's mom, Vina Walleen in an old movie entitled Bumbie the Dearest Deer. The movie is a parody of Disney's 1942 animated film Bambi. Additionally, the end of the episode parodies the death of the titular dog in the 1957 Disney film Old Yeller through the in-flight movie, "Old Yellow."
Episode 10	"King Yakko" (1993)	After the Warner siblings figure that they have defeated Dictator Umlatt, Dot asks Yakko (ala a news interview) what he's going to do next. Yakko replies "I'm going to D-" before Umlatt cuts him off. What Yakko meant to say was "I'm going to Disney World!", a Disney advertising slogan which is occasionally parodied in this series.
Episode 13	"Hello Nice Warners" (1993)	Old Yeller is parodied again through Old Screamer, a production the Warners "help" Mr. Director film. The Director takes on the painful role of the titular ailing dog during the "Goodbye, Old Screamer." scene.
Episode 16	"Hurray for Slappy" (1993)	Mary Hartless attempts to interview Slappy after winning an award, inquiring as to what she's going to do next. Slappy replies "I'm going to... bed.", once again parodying the Disney advertising slogan.
Episode 23	Stinger (1993)	The "We're going to Disney!" slogan is once again spoofed. unseen announcer asks, "Hey, Warner Brothers, and the Warner Sister, you just finished another great show! What are you gonna do next?" Yakko replies "We're going to... sleep."
Episode 24	"Opportunity Knox" (1993)	When Pinky and the Brain first enter the illustrious Fort Knox gold vault, Pinky exclaims "Egad, this is even better than a Ducktales episode, Brain!"; referencing Scrooge McDuck's infamous dive into his money vault.
Episode 24	"Wheel of Morality" (1993)	As Yakko signifies that "It's that time again!", Dot happily replies "To make fun of the Disney Channel?"
Episode 30	"Moon Over Minerva" (1993)	After Minvera encountered the man of her dreams (who is really Wilford) she returned, wearing a dress similar to Jessica Rabbit's from the 1988 animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Episode 33	"Hiccup" (1993)	Pesto misinterprets Squit's praise of them and Bobby being like the Musketeers as an insult of being like the Mouseketeers He then rants "Are you saying that I am Annette Funicello here to wear mouse ears for you? That I am some kind of 'Hey, there, hi, there, ho, there, come and join thy jamboree' punk on a kids' tv show? Is that what you're sayin'?" Then of course, he beats up Squit.
Episode 36	"The Three Muska-Warners" (1993)	Yakko quips to his siblings that the king is awaiting the arrival of the Mouseketeers, prompting Dot to swoon "Where's Cubby? He's dreamy!" The Musketeer's roll-call is also similar to the Mouseketeer roll-call.
Episode 42	"Hollywoodchuck" (1993)	The film that Baynarts Charlton Woodchucks stars in, Franklin the Friendly Woodchuck, parodies Disney's nature documentary films True-Life Adventures. Additionally, the song that plays when the snake arrives resembles Kaa's theme in the 1967 film The Jungle Book.
Episode 43	"Of Nice and Men" (1993)	A rat that lurks in the barn and quarrels with Rita resembles and acts like a rat from the 1955 Disney film Lady and the Tramp.
Episode 57	"Up a Tree" (1994)	The name of the cat, Mabelloota 'Ma' McCoy, is a nod to Abraham de Lacy Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley from the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats.
Episode 65	"The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special" (1994)	Flies in the Ointment parodies the flypaper gag from the 1934 cartoon Playful Pluto. Additionally, the "We're going to Disney" slogan is once again spoofed in the credits where the Warners state that following the show, "We're going to Euro-Disney!"

Season 2

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 66	Stinger (1994)	The "We're going to Disney!" slogan is once again spoofed. unseen announcer asks, "Hey, Warner Brothers, and the Warner Sister, you just finished another great show! What are you gonna do next?" Yakko replies "We're going to... the bathroom." and the three nervously retreat into the tower.

Season 3

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 71	"Variety Speak" (1995)	One of the lyrics to the titular song states "Well, "the stock sees green" on page 13... Means Disney's up a nickel a share!". Then-CEO Michael Eisner can be seen relishing in the cash.
Episode 71	"Three Tenors and You're Out" (1995)	The Warners are seen shaking hands with (and bothering) the maestro in silhouette, a parody of the scene where Mickey Mouse shakes hands with Leopold Stokowski in Fantasia.
Episode 72	"Deduces Wild" (1995)	One of the seemingly elusive items in the Warners' scavenger hunt is "A funny episode of Bonkers."
Episode 72	"Rest in Pieces" (1995)	Slappy reiterates to Skippy that there's no dying in the world of cartoons... except for Bonkers.
Episode 73	"A Hard Day's Warners" (1995)	During "They Want to Laugh," Yakko briefly appears as Tinker Bell to turn on the projector. Once again, Beauty and the Beast is spoofed, with Wakko appearing as Belle to a terrified Beast.
Episode 73	"Gimme a Break" (1995)	A delirious Slappy sees three Skippys, prompting her to say "Well if it isn't Huey, Dewey, and Louie. I haven't seen you guys since Daisy Duck's bat mitzvah."
Episode 74	"The Tiger Prince" (1995)	In a parody of The Lion King song "Circle of Life", Yakko (acts as Rafiki) approaches the newborn tiger club (which parodies Simba) as he lifts the cub over his shoulder, only for the cub to fall to the ground. An embarrassed Yakko breaks the fourth wall and quips "Ooh. I thought they were supposed to land on their feet."
Episode 77	"This Pun for Hire" (1995)	A waitress tries to literally slip Yakko a Mickey in his drink, showing an inebriated Mickey Mouse-like rodent lying in Yakko's drink.
Episode 78	"The Sound of Warners" (1995)	Dot tries to fend-off Prunella Flundergust, asking her "Why don't you go bug the kids on Goof Troop?". It is also worth noting that Disney currently owns the distribution rights to the musical film this episode is parodying, The Sound of Music.
Episode 82	"Hello Nurse" (1996)	Hello Nurse's walk in the hospital at the beginning of her song echoes that of Jessica Rabbit in the 1989 short film Tummy Trouble.
Episode 82	"The Big Wrap Party Tonight" (1996)	Once again, Beauty and the Beast is spoofed, as one of the lyrics to the titular song is "We've even let the Beast in!"

Season 4

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 83	"One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock" (1996)	Various Disney-esque characters can be seen in the retirement home including Rena Rat (Minnie Mouse), Quacky Duck (Donald Duck), and Doofy (Goofy).
Episode 84	"Cutie and the Beast" (1996)	The apex of the show's Beauty and the Beast parodies, as the entire segment is a spoof of the film. Dot takes on Belle's role, while Taz takes on the role of the Beast. In particular, the titular song spoofs the film's own titular song, "That's Dot" parodies the song "Belle" and Be a Pest" parodies "Be Our Guest."
Episode 85	"Jokahontas" (1996)	The entire segment spoofs the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas. Of note: Disney's opening logo is spoofed with a "When You Wish Upon a Star"-esque tune featuring Dot as Tinker Bell and the Water Tower in place of Cinderella Castle, Dot takes on Pocahontas (character)Pocahontas' role as "Pocadotas" and Mel Gibson's role as John Smith is satirized as a more direct and exaggerated Gibson caricature who wears Mickey-esque pants. The following songs also spoof the film's songs: "Is Wakkoum a Warrior?" ("Steady as the Beating Drum"), "Just the Same Old Heroine" ("Just Around the Riverbend"), and "John Smith and Company" ("The Virginia Company"). "Just the Same Old Heroine" also makes light of how similar this film is to other Disney films such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast (yet again) and Aladdin.
Episode 89	"The Boo Network" (1996)	One of Mr. Boo's shows parodies The Wonderful World of Disney, and is called The Wonderful World of Colonel Feathers. A Tinker Bell-esque chicken can be seen in the intro flying over a chicken penthouse with a castle similar to Cinderella's castle. Additionally, the film being presented is a parody of the 1967 film Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar entitled Charlie, the Lonesome Chicken.
Episode 90	"Mindy in Wonderland" (1996)	This segment parodies Disney's 1951 film Alice in Wonderland. Of particular note, Mindy takes on Alice's role and the Cheshire Cat is portrayed by a Rita-esque cat.

Season 5

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 92	"Bully for Skippy" (1997)	An exasperated Slappy exclaims "Oh for the love of Mike Ovitz" when someone knocks on her door, referencing Disney's president from 1995-1997.
Episode 93	"Cute First (Ask Questions Later)" (1997)	This fabulously cheap cartoon features an antagonistic Snow White who takes some cues from Disney's iteration of the character.
Episode 94	"The Brain's Apprentice" (1997)	This segment is a homage to the Fantasia adaptation of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, featuring Pinky in Mickey's role, Brain in Yen Sid's role, and a bunch of robots in the brooms' roles. The iconic song is also used as the cartoon's score.
Episode 95	Hooray for North Hollywood Part One (1998)	The reprise of "Variety Speak" once again references Disney, this time proclaiming "Well, "Merchandise scores in the theme park stores"... And Disney is the king of the hill! as an even crazier-looking Eisner relishes in his cash.
Episode 96	Hooray for North Hollywood Part Two (1998)	A few Disney-adjacent names are used in Pressberg Katzeneisnerman's name: Jeffrey Katzenberg (former Disney chairman) and of course, Michael Eisner for the former CEO.

Pinky and the Brain

Season 1

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 4	"Where No Mouse Has Gone Before"	After enduring a particularly irksome experiment, Brain laments ""One day we will live in a world where a mouse rules, and it's the humans who are forced into these humiliating diversions." Pinky replies, "You mean Orlando?." This of course, references Orlando's Walt Disney World resort and mascot Mickey Mouse.

Season 2

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 16	"Plan Brain From Outer Space"	Among the many classified items hidden in Area 51 is a cryogenic chamber containing Walt Disney, referencing an urban legend that he had himself frozen upon his death. Pinky wonders if Disney can help him and Brain escape Zalgar, Brain quips in response "Only if a handsome prince wakes him up." referencing the 1959 Disney adaptation of Sleeping Beauty.
Episode 18	"Brain's Song"	The Lion King spoof from Animaniacs, "The Tiger Prince" returns in a scene parodying Mufasa's death as one of the "sad" things Brain shows to Pinky.
Episode 19	"Welcome to the Jungle"	While lost in the jungle, Pinky promises two words to Brain that will make it all better: "Hakuna Matata" (Brain of course is not amused). This Swahili phrase was brought to prominence by The Lion King through the song of the same name.
Episode 21	"The Mummy"	When Brain mentions that people "were a lot shorter back then," Pinky wonders if they were too small to ride Space Mountain, an indoor-roller coaster located at various Disney parks.
Episode 21	"Robin Brain"	Brain christens his band of merry-men as "The Mighty Mallards," as "The Mighty Ducks" was already taken, alluding to Disney's franchise centered around the titular hockey team.

Season 3

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 26	"Cinebrainia"	Following the disastrous screening of his film The Emperor Brain, Brain laments that no mouse will ever make a lasting impression on the silver screen. As he says this, a cartoonist in the audience resembling Walt Disney observes Brain's silhouette, and draws it into a notepad, alluding to the creation of Mickey Mouse and his eventual success.
Episode 28	"Where the Deer and the Mousealopes Play"	As Brain recounts the supposed legend of what happened to the Mousealopes, the hunting scene from Bambi is spoofed. The mother Mousealope even quotes a line from the movie - "Man is in the forest."
Episode 35	"The Pinky Protocol"	Brain claims that the conspiracy against him started in 1968, "After a mouse went to Orlando and took over Florida. A group of government officials secretly got together and swore they'd never let another mouse have that much power again.", once again referencing Florida's large Disney World resort and Mickey Mouse. This also references Walt Disney's flight to Florida on November 22 1963, scouting locations for his future park where he eventually decided upon large acres of land in Orlando.	A parody of Disney World shown during "Harold Foster Brain's" interview .
Episode 46	"Operation Sea Lion"	As Brain attempts to dissuade Pinky from his romance with Winnie the Sea Lion, Brain says that "Mice and Sea-Lions don't mix... except perhaps in a Disney film."
Episode 46	"You Said a Mouseful"	An exchange between Ron "Keeper1st" O'Dell and Maurice LaMarche inspired a scene where Pinky would respond to Brain's question "I think so Brain, but she'll never leave Mickey!", a nod to Mickey's love-interest Minnie Mouse. Brain would angrily retort "I thought we agreed never to discuss that!" Though the lines were ultimately replaced in the episode, the scene is still animated to the original exchange.
Episode 50	"The Megalomaniacal Adventures of Brainie the Poo"	This episode is a spoof of Winnie the Pooh, particularly Disney's take on the series. The opening scene in particular spoofs the opening of the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, while the overall plot parodies the 1966 short film Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.	Brainie the Poo and Pinklet.

Season 4

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 60	Brainwashed Part 2 - "I Am Not a Hat"	Pinky laments that the Global Schmeerskahoven-a-thon will pre-empt an airing of brand spanking fresh and shiny new Doug. This spoofs how ABC marketed Disney's retool of Doug as "Brand Spanking New!"
Episode 65	"Star Warners"	In this Star Wars parody episode, Disney is referenced twice. First, the Mos Eisley settlement is spoofed as "The Studio of Mos Eisner", a nod to former Disney-CEO Michael Eisner. The second instance occurs during Spacefeld, where the titular comedian quips "What's the deal with Pluto? Is it a dog or a planet? I gotta know!" a nod to Mickey's canine companion Pluto. It is also worth noting that since 2012, Disney has owned the rights to the Star Wars franchise.

Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Recurring	Patty Ann Suit (1998-1999)	Brain's Patty Ann persona is a reference to the ABC cartoon Pepper Ann. Patty Ann even has a theme song (much to Brain's chagrin)
Episode 3	"My Fair Brainy!" (1998)	Pinky says of Elmyra's apparent computer learning advancements "Why it's just like Kurt Russell in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes!"
Episode 5	"The Icky Mouse Club" (1998)	The title of this episode and Brain's club parodies The Mickey Mouse Club. Additionally, the opening lyrics to the show's theme, "The Mickey Mouse March" are spoofed as Pinky says the leader of the club "That's made for you and me? B-R..." before Brain cuts him off.
Episode 8	"A Walk in the Park" (1999)	Disneyland is satirized as "Duckyland." Additionally, the It's a Small World attraction is spoofed as "Children of Many Lands."
Episode 9	"The Ravin!" (1999)	In this segment, it is revealed that the former site of Acme Labs has become the "Dissey Store," an obvious parody of the Disney Store. A statue of a Mickey Mouse-esque character can be seen at the front entrance.
Episode 11	"That's Edutainment!" (1999)	Pinky's response to Brain's "Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?" is "I think so Brain, but Pepper Ann makes me sneeze!"

Wakko's Wish (1999)

Example	Description	Image
General Film	The entire film appears to be a parody/tribute to Disney musical fantasy films. A wishing star is at the center of the plot, a possible nod to wishes being a recurring element in Disney productions.
Background Score	A song that plays in the background score throughout the film sounds similar to the song "Reflection" from the 1998 Disney film Mulan.
Mindy's Mom	Throughout the film, it is heavily implied that Mindy's Mom is Snow White, with a design that takes some cues from Disney's iteration of the character (such as the dress design, albeit with a different color). The Seven Dwarfs are also mentioned to be Mindy's uncles.
King Salazar's Castle	The Warnerstock Castle resembles King Eric's castle from the 1988 film The Little Mermaid (1989 film).
Dot's Death Fake-Out	The fake-out of Dot's "Death" parodies certain Disney tropes employed during a death scene. One particular example is Baloo's apparent death at the claws of Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, only for him to be fine moments later casually teasing Bagheera for showing emotion.

Animaniacs (Reboot)

Season 1

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 1	"Jurassic Lark" (2020)	Among the explorers who discovers the Warners in the wilderness is a Hulu executive, who says "We are going to make a fortune on this show!" Throughout the show's run, Hulu was majority-owned by Disney, eventually becoming fully-owned after the end of the series.
Episode 1	"Suspended Animation Part One" (2020)	A parody poster of the 2012 Disney film Wreck It Ralph can be seen called "Wrecked Ralph," featuring Ralph the Guard. Additionally, parodies of Marvel superheroes Iron Man and Black Panther make cameos during "The Catch-Up Song."	1/2
Episode 1	"Suspended Animation Part Two" (2020)	Quite a few reboots of Disney-owned properties are referenced, including those acquired by Disney from 21st Century Fox including Lost in Space, That's So Raven (specifically Raven's Home), The X-Files, The Golden Girls (a small note of the theme song even plays), and DuckTales. The final part of the segment features Hulu delivering a large pay-check to the siblings.	1/6
Episode 2	"Suffragette City" (2020)	One of the toons who attends Dot's protest resembles Star Butterfly from Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Another resembles Donald Duck.
Episode 3	"Pinko and the Brain" (2020)	As Brain poses as Senator Garp, he enacts a mouse witch-hunt, and arrests many individuals suspected of being mice including some Mouseketeers.
Episode 6	"The Cutening" (2020)	Dot turns two feral rats into chibi Mickey and Minnie-like characters.
Episode 7	"Gift Rapper" (2020)	During the "8 Mile" song, Jay-Pac Le East Tha Rapper claims to be richer than Tony Stark. Additionally, he raps "I’m like Billy Joel meets Simba, I’ve been king for the longest time." As he sings this, Jay-Pac even holds Wakko up like Rafiki did with Simba.
Episode 12	"1001 Narfs" (2020)	One of the stories that tells is of Brainladden, which takes cues from the Disney adaptation of Aladdin.

Season 2

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 17	"My Super Sour Sixteen" (2021)	When Cora Norita fails to recognize who the Warners are, Yakko assumes she is not a Hulu subscriber and promises to get her a 7-day free trial... with ads.
Episode 19	"Yakko's Big Idea" (2021)	Pitch Me, I'm Dreaming is a parody of the ABC business reality series Shark Tank (though it is not explicitly Disney-owned, it airs on a Disney-owned network).
Episode 19	"Rejected Animaniacs Characters" (2021)	Mime and Meme riffs on the art-style of the now Disney-owned Family Guy (right down to the living room and kitchen designs). Additionally, Social Butterfly is a parody of the Disney Channel series The Buzz on Maggie.
Episode 22	"Mouse Madness" (2021)	A Hulu app appears on Brain's phone.
Episode 23	"Reichenbrain Falls" (2021)	The school that the mice scheme at is named the Malcolm in the Middle School.
Episode 24	"Math-Terpiece Theater: Beach Balls" (2021)	One of the store customers resembles Peter Griffin.
Episode 25	"The Warner's Vault" (2021)	Yakko is shown to have starred in a 1929 short that parodies Steamboat Willie.

Season 3

Episode Number	Segment	Description	Image
Episode 28	"Royal Flush" (2023)	Pinky and Abigail's song "Not Home" is an ironic twist on the Aladdin song "A Whole New World", as the two lament their home-sickness and problems being in London. Additionally, Pinky wears a similar outfit to Jessica Rabbit.
Episode 30	"Über Nachtmare" (2023)	Dr. Scratchansniff has a Hulu app on his phone. Additionally, Dot has named her three pet spiders after actors who have each portrayed Spider-Man in film, especially in the 2021 MCU film Spider-Man No Way Home. They are: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland.
Episode 33	"All's Fair in Love and Door" (2023)	Brain's virtual suburban world for him and his Julia AI is similar to the premise of the 2021 Disney+/Marvel series WandaVision, where Wanda Maximoff creates an idyllic suburban sitcom world for her and a recreation of her deceased synthezoid partner Vision. Additionally, the Julia AI's robotic form was inspired by Marvel supervillain Arnim Zola.
Episode 34	"WARnerGAMES" and "WARnerGAMES 2" (2023)	Beastwipe is a parody of Marvel's Hulk, with particular design cues from his MCU incarnation.

Miscellaneous

Example	Description	Image
The Mickey Mouse Balloon Incident (circa 1993)	To promote the September 1993 premiere of Animaniacs, a giant balloon replica of Yakko Warner sat atop the real Water Tower at the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. Then-CEO Robert A. Daly was unaware that this was taking place, and reacted in terror when he saw the Yakko balloon atop the tower. He thought Yakko looked too much like Disney's Mickey Mouse. Subsequently, Yakko and Wakko were slightly redesigned to have whiskers in order to avoid further Mickey-comparisons.	Photo courtesy of Paul Rugg.
Animaniacs Sing-Along: Yakko's World (1994)	The ending credits stinger features an announcer asking "Hey Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister! You’ve just completed another great show. What are you gonna do now?" Yakko replies "We're going to...rewind!"
Animaniacs Volume 3 (2007)	One of the bonus features is titled "They Can't Help It If They're Cute, They're Just Drawn That Way," a play on Jessica Rabbit's line "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."
Toon Disney/Disney XD (2000's)	Pinky and the Brain aired reruns on Toon Disney in Japan in the early 2000's, as well as the United States (from 2007-2008) through the Jetix programming block. The show later made the jump to Disney XD in 2009, where it aired for a few months around 3 in the morning.	1/3
Hulu/Disney+ (2020's)	The Animaniacs reboot aired in the United States through the Hulu streaming service. When it was first greenlit in 2018, The Walt Disney Company held a 30% stake in the channel. Through various events across five years, Disney gradually acquired the entire channel. Subsequently, this meant that during its run, the Animaniacs reboot (and its miniseries The Brain Teaches World Domination) aired on a channel that was largely Disney-owned. Following their runs and after Disney acquired the channel fully in 2023, the shows were integrated into Disney+ for bundle subscribers, meaning both shows now stream on two channels fully-owned by Disney in the United States. It should be noted that Disney does NOT own the Animaniacs IP itself, that still goes to Warner Bros. As of 2024, Disney only maintains streaming rights for the reboot in the USA.	The Warners and the mice hanging around the Hulu logo in a press image. The official Disney Plus Instagram posting about Animaniacs in a story post on May 20, 2023. The Animaniacs reboot's menu page on Disney+. 1/3