Fun Facts You May Not Have Known About Five of Disney’s Classic Holiday Movies

For many families, watching Disney films has been a part of the holiday season for generations. Now that these classic holiday films, beloved by adults and children alike, are available on Disney+, many are diving back into them and discovering little tidbits (both on-screen and behind the scenes) that they’ve never noticed before.

Here are some fun facts you may not know about five of Disney’s most beloved holiday films.

Lady and the Tramp was inspired by a true story.

While many fans may not immediately think of Lady and the Tramp in a traditional sense, the film is bookended by Christmas sequences. The film begins with Jim Dear presenting his wife Darling (their names as heard by dogs) with the cocker spaniel puppy Lady wrapped in a hatbox.

What many viewers may not know about that particular plot point is that it’s based on a true story involving Walt Disney and his wife Lillian. Apparently, Walt had angered his wife by forgetting a dinner date the couple had scheduled. To make it up to her, Walt purchased a Chow Chow puppy for her, presenting it as a surprise in a hatbox. 

Babes in Toyland changed the source material considerably.

By the time Disney released their version of Babes in Toyland in 1961, it was the fourth film adaptation of Victor Herbert’s popular 1903 operetta of the same name. However, Walt Disney made sure his studio’s version was different… by changing many of the story details, as well as the music and lyrics to many of the songs. 

As Walt explained in a 1960 interview, “We’re updating the lyrics; the music, of course, is Victor Herbert’s. “March of the Toys” will be done in animation. I’ll be using fantasy with ‘live’ more and more. I’ve decided people should play people and shouldn’t be animated – only the effects should.”

The Muppet Christmas Carol has had a song missing from most versions for over 25 years.

The Muppet Christmas Carol was met with some trepidation by audiences in 1992, as it was the first Muppets film project to be fully produced following the death of creator Jim Henson as well as the first to be released by Disney. However, the film – which was directed by Henson’s son Brian – was met with near universal critical praise and moderate box office returns. 

Despite its success, there was some behind the scenes drama on the film regarding the song “When Love is Gone.” Despite being integral to the film’s plot, then-Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg felt that it was too slow and wouldn’t appeal to children. He had it removed from the theatrical version of the film, much to Henson’s chagrin. 

Over the years, the song appeared on some home video releases (sometimes as an extra feature, other times an incomplete version spliced back into the film), but not all. It’s currently available as a bonus feature on Disney+, however in a December 2020 interview, Henson revealed that the presumed-missing original negative footage of the song had been discovered, leading many to hope that it could be fully reinserted into the film in the future. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas almost had a sequel… until Tim Burton stepped in.

The basic concept of The Nightmare Before Christmas originated in a poem written by then-unknown animator Tim Burton while he was working for Disney in the early 1980s. By the early 90s, Burton was one of Hollywood’s best known directors thanks to Beetlejuice and Batman, and Disney allowed him to produce the film. 

Nightmare was a cult hit upon its 1993 release and has only grown in stature over the years, with merchandise of the film’s characters becoming ubiquitous in both Disney Parks and malls across America. With success like that, it only makes sense that Disney would have planned a sequel. However, Burton put a stop to that idea quickly.

As Burton explained in a 2006 interview, “I was always very protective of Nightmare not to do sequels or things of that kind. “You know, ‘Jack visits Thanksgiving world’ or other kinds of things just because I felt the movie had a purity to it and the people that like it.”

The Santa Clause initially featured the number of a real adult hotline.

While 1994’s The Santa Clause is thought of as a classic family film these days, it does feature some rather risqué jokes, one of which was all too real. In the original theatrical cut of the film, there’s a throwaway joke where Tim Allen’s character Scott Calvin (aka the future Santa Claus) is handed a piece of paper with a phone number written on it and flippantly replies “1-800-SPANK-ME. I know that number.” 

The joke was also retained for the film’s initial VHS release. However, in 1996 a young boy called the number (which turned out to be an actual adult phone line) and ended up with a phone bill of over $400. From then on, the joke has been removed from all physical and digital releases of the film, including on Disney+.

Did you know any of these Disney holiday movie fun facts? Any others you can think of to share? Let us know in the comments below. 

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