Top 10 Best Animated Movie Cameos

“Hercules” (1997)

During his rise to fame, Hercules faced many destructive beasts – one of these beasts included the Nemean Lion. To celebrate his victory, he poses for a painting, wearing the skin of said lion ...but if you look closer, that pelt seems awfully familiar, doesn’t it? That’s right; it’s none other than our favorite two-faced feline – Scar from The Lion King. Remember Zazu’s snarky comment about what Mufasa should do with Scar? Looks like after Scar’s death, someone at Disney decided to makemgood use out of his remains. It’s a hilarious Easter egg… plus it’s nice to see that Scar has found a new calling!

“Frozen” (2013)

For the first time in forever, the doors to the castle are opening for Elsa’s coronation, and everyone is going to be there… including two unexpected guests. If you look closely when Anna’s singing her tune, you’ll notice the backs of what looks like Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Tangled. It would seem that after their wedding, the pair traveled all the way from Corona to celebrate Elsa becoming a queen. Nathan Greno, the co-director of Tangled, was caught off-guard by their cameo as well -later receiving confirmation that it was really them by someone behind the scenes. Unexpected sure, but this is hardly the strangest cameo Disney has pulled off involving these films.

“James and the Giant Peach” (1996)

Jack Skellington has quite the impressive resume – first the Pumpkin King, and later... a pirate captain? When Mr. Centipede dives down into a sunken shipwreck to find a compass, he comes face-to-face with the swashbuckling Pumpkin King. Unfortunately for Centipede, Jack isn’t giving up his compass without a fight - so he and his undead crew prepare to exterminate the thieving invertebrate. Miss Spider and James come to rescue Centipede, and while Jack puts up a good fight, he’s no match for a bug with eight legs. While the scene may have been short, it was still a real treat to see the Pumpkin King in pirate garb –enough of a treat to inspire Pirate Jack merchandise.

“Finding Dory” (2016)

Any fish that swims into Morro Bay, California is greeted with the comforting voice of Sigourney Weaver welcoming them to the Marine Life Institute. To the fish and various aquatic creatures, she’s a friendly presence; but to everyone else, she’s simply a recording booming throughout the institute –sometimes at the most unexpected moments. In a way, it all fits –Weaver’s had experience in narrating nature documentaries, and has worked with Pixar before in Wall-E; but the idea remains an admittedly random one. It originated as a joke idea that the director thought would never make it into the final product …until it did!

“The Simpsons Movie” (2007)

No, we’re not talking about Otm Shank this time; we’re talking about the genuine article – Tom Hanks. A corrupt environmental agent has plans for Springfield –more specifically, a plan to wipe it off the map! He produces a commercial revealing his plan to blow it up and turn it into a second Grand Canyon, and Tom Hanks himself is the whimsical narrator for the adl. What makes this particular cameo so hilarious is that given Tom Hanks’ reputation as the “nicest guy in Hollywood,” no one would expect him to go along with something THIS crooked! Then again, maybe that’s what makes him the perfect fit; you can get away with almost anything if you have the right endorsement.

“Sausage Party” (2016)

Sausage Party has some pretty… colorful musical moments; but this one really takes the cake. After the dispute over the “Great Beyond” forces Frank and Brenda to break up, we cut to a sad, suggestive montage set to the tune of Meat Loaf’s “I'd Do Anything for Love.” The kicker is that it actually features Meat Loaf …AS a singing meatloaf –facial structure and all. They don’t even try to hide that it’s him, as they later have him spoofing his “Bat Out of Hell” album cover. It’s a seriously bizarre tribute to a great musician, but hey, Meat Loaf is willing to do just about anything for love …so why not do this?

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018)

A Marvel movie - even an animated one - is incomplete without a Stan Lee appearance; just look at his reveal as Fred’s superhero father in “Big Hero 6.” Stan Lee once again lent his voice to a cartoon depiction in 2018’s “Into the Spider-Verse,” and pops up several times. It’s hard to miss Miles getting a pep talk from Stan the salesman, but he can also be seen walking over him when Miles is having a decidedly… grounded moment, and again on a train as Miles thwips by. Lee additionally voices J. Jonah Jameson in that hysterical post-credits scene. Considering Stan Lee passed away just a month before the film’s release, getting to see the Spider-Man co-creator for even just a fleeting few moments was a welcome sight.

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988)

Mickey Mouse has a history of finding his way into Disney movies – be it in the form of his silhouette in the background, or sneaking his way into a song. But appearing alongside Looney Tunes legend, Bugs Bunny? That’s an iconic moment.The toons are parachuting together in Toontown, when private detective Eddie Valiant drops in, hoping they have a spare; Mickey is more friendly, while Bugs is a bit of a stinker. Not the most expected meet-up to be sure, but having these two animated idols together on-screen is representative of the major components of Who Framed Roger Rabbit – toons from different animation studios coming together to entertain and make us smile.

“The Lego Movie” franchise (2014-)

The whole LEGO universe was handmade by elite builders dubbed ‘Master Builders.’ The Master Builders consists of some of the greatest artists, heroes, pop cultural and historical icons of all-time in minifigure form. These include –but are not limited to- Batman, the Justice League, William Shakespeare, Abe Lincoln, the Statue of Liberty, Shaquille O'Neal –voiced by himself - even the Star Wars clan gets into the act. Though they’re some of the greatest figures in history, they all sadly struggle to recognize the true hero of this story, the admittedly ordinary Emmet. And that’s just the first film! Batman’s LEGO movie stepped things up a notch, and The Lego Movie sequel took things further with the likes of Scooby Doo’s Velma, Bruce Willis, a couple of professional basketball players, and even some friendly faces from the first movie!





Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honorable -yet surprising- mentions.



Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”

“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996)



Sebastian from “The Little Mermaid”

“Aladdin” (1992)

“Wreck-It Ralph” franchise (2012-)

2012’s “Wreck-It Ralph” knocked it out of the park with exciting, entertaining storytelling and enough video game references to make a superfan’s head spin. We were treated to the crossover to end all crossovers - at least we THOUGHT - in the Bad-Anon support group sequence. You want Clyde, the Pac-Man ghost? Sonic the Hedgehog’s Dr. Robotnik? Super Mario Bros.’ Bowser? Street Fighter's Zangief and M. Bison? Yup, all there. But then the 2018 sequel happened, and reminded everyone that Disney owns EVERYTHING we love. At the Oh My Disney pavilion on the Internet, you can spot Iron Man, Buzz Lightyear, Kermit, R2-D2, and even super-niche characters like Humphrey the Bear and the Ranger. That’s not even counting those epic Disney princess scenes. Oh, right, AND a Stan Lee cameo. Seriously, watch this movie at half-speed.