Top 10 Disney/Pixar Scenes You Didn't Know Were Recreations

This is one famous fall we’ve seen before. In the third installment of the “Toy Story” franchise, Woody and his friends find themselves in Sunnyside Daycare. All of the toys like the daycare at first – that is, all of them except Woody, who tries to make it back to Andy’s house. He makes a daring escape, involving everything from running across the roof to getting stuck in a tree via kite. He almost tumbles to his demise, but is serendipitously saved by the pull string on his back. The moment is similar to one in the first “Mission Impossible” movie, where Ethan Hunt almost hits the ground mid-mission, but is saved just in time.

At one point in Marlin and Dory’s quest to find Nemo, they meet Bruce and his cohort of sharks, who have made a valiant effort to quit eating fish for good. But, when Bruce smells blood, he goes after Marlin and Dory, chasing them through an old ship in the hopes of snagging a bite. He rams a door open and says, “Here’s Brucey.” Horror fans will recognize the reference from Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, “The Shining.” Of course, the quote is from the moment Jack axes down a door to get to his wife, sticks his head through the splinters, and maniacally says, “Here’s Johnny!”

The first of the “Toy Story” movies is chock-full of references and recreations. There’s the nod to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when Buzz is almost bulldozed over by a globe, and Sid’s carpet looks remarkably close to that of the hotel’s in “The Shining.” But this time, we went with a different horror reference – “The Exorcist.” Who could forget the famous scene in that horror classic where a possessed Regan’s head twists all the way around while the rest of her body stays stock still? Certainly not the “Toy Story” creators. When the toys decide to teach Sid a lesson, they scare the living daylights out of him by taking a page out of “The Exorcist’s” playbook.

Trust Disney to take something horrifyingly grotesque and make it funny – although, it’s still pretty scary if we’re being honest. In the 1958 sci-fi horror film, “The Fly,” a scientist named André accidentally turns himself into – you guessed it – a fly. In one scene, André is trapped in a spiderweb, desperately squeaking, “Help me, Help me,” as the spider advances on him. Fast forward roughly 40 years later to “The Emperor’s New Groove,” and the scene is recreated. After Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama, he finds himself in a jungle and happens upon a fly trapped in a spiderweb. That fly shrieks André’s same plea.

“We’re sorry Dave, we’re afraid we can’t do that.” Can’t make a list without this entry, that is. In the Pixar film “WALL-E,” AUTO is the robot pilot for the spacecraft known the Axiom, and, although he seems like a good guy at first, he’s later revealed to be the main antagonist of the film. AUTO is deliberately modeled after another very famous robot villain: HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Much like AUTO, HAL follows his programming at all costs – even if it means resorting to less than friendly behavior. The two robots also look remarkably close in design, which makes this quite the nice homage.

If you thought the first “Toy Story” was a tribute machine, wait until you see the second one. From the very beginning of this beloved sequel, recreations abound – from the tunnel and the score that plays when Buzz meets Zurg being reminiscent of “Space Odyssey” to Woody’s “Vertigo”-esque fall into a trashcan. But this reference is our favorite. When the gang meets Tour Guide Barbie in a toy store, Rex tries to catch up with his friends as they zoom away from him in a car. The scene includes a shot of Rex in the side view mirror, just – albeit not as scary as – the T-Rex chase in “Jurassic Park.” They even included the detail of the side mirror’s warning phrase!

If there’s one thing we learned from watching (and rewatching) “Zootopia,” it’s that those creators were big into famous figures. There’s a cute moment where we meet Walter – or rather, Woolter – and Jesse in a very fun nod to “Breaking Bad” but, for this one, we had to go with the Don. In “Zootopia” one of the main characters we meet is a very important man by the name of Mr. Big. Of course, the hilarity here is that he’s an arctic shrew, but he does have some pretty big shoes to fill; those belonging to none other than the biggest mob boss of them all, “The Godfather’s” Don Corleone. It’s all there – the suit, the voice, the “day my daughter is to be married.” It’s a perfect tribute.

“Hercules” is a criminally underrated Disney movie, so we’ll forgive you if you don’t totally remember its plot. Our titular character seeks out a satyr named Phil to help make him a true hero. Phil initially refuses, but then relents – mirroring a similar mentor/mentee relationship in the 1984 “The Karate Kid.” An iconic training montage follows, featuring some karate poses on the beach at sunset. It’s a scene “Hercules” recreates for its own awesome training sequence, this time with Phil, Herc, and Pegasus. It’s a little on the nose, but we love it.

Making a grand entrance is an important skill, whether you’re an astronaut or a monster. In “Monsters, Inc.,” Sully and Mike go to work everyday to collect the screams that the monster world uses for energy. Mike and the rest of the assistants prep their monsters’ work stations, and then… the big guns enter. Sully and the rest of the scary monsters make their dramatic entrance into the room, a very clear homage to the moment when the astronauts in “The Right Stuff” strut their stuff. What’s more intimidating, we wonder? Space travel or scaring children? The world may never know.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Your Worst Nightmare,” “Mulan” (1998)
Mushu Does His Best Rambo

“You Wouldn’t Hit a Guy with Glasses, Would You?” “Wreck-It Ralph” (2012)
Ralph Would Totally Hit the Joker

Mater Phone Home, “Cars” (2006)
Mater Flies Across the Moon Like E.T.

The Duke of Weselton’s Dance, “Frozen” (2013)
Weselton Has Clearly Seen Arrested Development

The Falls, “Up” (2009)
Paradise Falls or the Lost World?

“The Incredibles” has a couple of fun spoofs scattered throughout its run time. The first comes during the noir-like flashbacks depicting superheroes in their prime. The announcement that Mr. Incredible is being sued looks a lot like the announcement for Charles Foster Kane’s death in “Citizen Kane.” But our favorite involves a mirroring scene featuring the great Samuel L. Jackson. In “The Incredibles,” Frozone and Mr. Incredible are mistaken for burglars. When a cop tells Frozone to freeze, he tells the cop he needs a drink of water and slowly reaches for the water dispenser. It’s very similar to a moment in “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” where Jackson’s character does the same for a payphone. You just can’t beat Sam!