References in new Disney Movie ad

[Mac]

I think a lot of people here will enjoy this new ident for the TV Channel, Sky Movies Disney:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6vtPn4pNBU

I thought it might be fun to see if we can find all the Disney references from beginning to end between us all. I've spotted loads already, but I won't post again till tomorrow because I don't want to spoil the game before anyone else has watched and paused through it themselves. I've certainly missed some, (I can't quite make out a few of the signs and some of the architecture is immediately familiar, but I can't say exactly which movie right away).

[Professor Bluteau]

This is simply fantastic and a must-watch for any Disney fan! I look forward to comparing notes once everyone's had the chance to spot the references.

Thanks for posting. 

[Mac]

O.K, here's what I spotted starting from the opening with Tower Bridge.

Tinker Bell from Peter Pan zooms past and will do again throughout the ad
Dumbo flies in silhouette in the sky
The Little Mermaid Ariel sits on a rock in the Thames
We then see a Pirate Ship. Not sure if it specifically matches any one Disney ship. I immediately think of Peter Pan due to the london setting, but the flag has a skull and cross swords (not bones) which I think is more Pirates of the Carribean.
101 Dalmatians is referenced with the couple walking all the puppies.

The shop:
This heavily references Cinderella: It's called The Glass Slipper Curiosity Shop, Cinderella is outside, blue birds fly past and the slipper itself is in the window.
The shop is on Cherry Tree Lane (Mary Poppins)
The Door Bell is Eeyore's Tail (as in the 2011 Winnie the Pooh film)
In the left window:
An 'Eat Me' plate of food and Mad Hatter's Hat (Alice in Wonderland)
A Clock, Teapot and Candlestick (Cogsworth, Mrs Potts and Lumiere from Beaty and the Beast)
In the right window (the Magic Mirror from Snow White)
?? A vase of blue flowers (anyone get this reference?) ??
The bow from Brave
??In both windows is a mural of a tree (is this from Tangled?)
??On the Oustide Wall are 5 posters and notices. Hard to read, but the biggest, nearest one is I think Mr Incredible  tucked behind it are Dumbo and I think another Incredible pic?? The two which are furthest away I can't make out. Does one say 'Found' and have a picture of Nemo??

Next to the shop:
Nana (from Peter Pan)
A fence and gate with not so hidden Mickeys and a big M for the Mouse

Behind the shop:
A sign reads 'Scales and Arpeggios' (Aristocats)
A building with a wall of doors from Monster's Inc
A building called the Hi Ho-Tel (Snow White ref) being climbed by Elastigirl from The Incredibles
In the clouds we can see Olympus (Hercules)
Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael fly from a window.

Next we pan past a recreation of the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp
On the table is the apple from Snow White
In the foreground are red roses (Alice in Wonderland Ref?)
In the background are clouds which match Andy's wallpaper in Toy Story
Pride Rock (The Lion King)
Rapunzal's hair falling from a tower (Tangled)
A hedge maze (Alice in Wonderland)

Next we see Belle reading a book (Beauty and the Beast) near her are the rose from the same film,
a Sword in the Stone
and a sign reading '100 Aker Wood' (the Winnie the Pooh films)
Are the trees and plants behind her from anything specific?
In front of all this is a reference to Alice in Wonderland with the White Rabbit and watch

A Reference to Up is found in the muliticoloured balloons which briefly fill the screen

In the distant street:
A neon sign for the Cozy Cone Motel (Cars)
A sign featuring Wall•E and Eve
A sign for the restaurant in Monster's Inc (which in turn is a reference to Ray Harryhausen)
A glass carriage and horse (Cinderella)
A sign reading 'Axiom (Wall•E)  didn't quite catch what word is flashing below 'Axiom'
A sign with The Incredibles logo
Flashing sign reading Flynn's (the arcade in TRON)

??Can anyone make out any of the other signs or recognise anything else here? Couldn't make out the street sign under Flynn's
I did wonder if the tower from Wreck It Ralph was behind the Neon Pixar signs, but I think it's just a tall building.

We then move past a closer building.
In front of it are:
Moving traffic cones (Toy Story 2)
Marching workers (Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs) I like how they cast cartoon shadows
This building also contains Jasmine who shakes Magic Carpet out the window before it flies away (Aladdin)
A sign reads 'Geppetto and Son' (Pinocchio)
Other signs read "Wallaby Way" and "P. Sherman", in the window we can see a fish tank (all references to Finding Nemo)

We see the next building is Gusteau's outside of which are cooking utensils, a chef's hat and Remy (Ratatouille)
Herbie zooms past (from The Love Bug films)
We see a gargoyle (pretty sure this is a reference to the Hunchback of Notre Dame and that's Notre Dame Cathedral in the background)
Duchess and O'Malley are on a roof (The Aristocats)
?? I think I recognise the building they are on. Is it in Monster's Inc??
Inside the building is Mickey Mouse himself

In silhouette we see the Chimney Sweeps dance as Mary Poppins flies
Lanterns float by (from Tangled)

What did I miss?

[Professor Bluteau]

It's a real pity this got lost amongst all the April Fools, as this is more fun than all of them put together! You've spotted most of what I spotted, and a few more besides.  In addition, though...

The setting being London could itself be seen as a reference to any number of Disney films, such as Peter Pan and numerous others.

Behind Tower Bridge you can see St Paul's Cathedral, which is where the Bird Lady sits in Mary Poppins.

???I'm not sure whether the red double-decker is a specific reference or not.

The "bow from Brave" may or may not also be a reference to Robin Hood.

The sign from Wall-E reads "Axiom Cruises".

I think the lanterns around 0:45 are a reference to both Tangled and Mulan, but I may be wrong.

???At the same point, there's someone looking out of the window at the bottom of the screen, but I can't say for certain who it is.

Just below the moon (and "to the right"), there's a particularly bright star in the sky - Peter Pan?.

???And then there's that red double-decker again, which makes me convinced it's a reference, but I can't for the life of me place it!

I'm sure there are more, and there's a lot I can't make out on a computer screen. I'll have to keep an eye out for the ad on TV. But very well done on your list - I was convinced that no-one else would have noticed some of the things I'd picked up on (Toy Story clouds, Cherry Tree Lane sign etc.), but I've well and truly been put in my place!

[Mac]

Thanks for bumping the thread past the April Fools threads and for your comments. Glad you're having fun with this. You spotted some things I didn't.

I think the London setting was chosen for several reasons, but primarily because Sky Movies Disney is a British channel. When the channel was launched a year ago this ad played on T.V (I just re-watched it for the first time and had forgotten just how similar it is with many scenes in the ident recalling directly back to this ad):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEOPPmgON9I

It's specifically aimed at a British market with the message of the ad being 'Disney magic is coming to you and your families here in the UK (subscribe now!)'. The new ident continues the theme of the brand and a fantasy version of London is also a good fit for Disney. As you said, many of their movies are set there, plus it is a modern urban setting with a long history, making it good for references for everything from fairy tale stuff, other worldwide cities and modern, shiny Pixar stuff.

I also think some of the references in the new ident are deliberately a bit vague, so that they can relate to whatever Disney movies people are most familiar with to give a Disney feeling without people having to get a reference (e.g the pirate sip may make people think of either Peter Pan or Pirates of the Caribbean.

I didn't make that St Paul's/Mary Poppins connection. Well done!

Not sure if the Double Decker bus is a specific reference either. Perhaps there's one in the live action 101 Dalmatians (I saw it too long ago to remember). I seem to remember the cover to the DTV Dalmatian cover had a double decker bus in it (Never actually sat and watched a DTV sequel though). Or perhaps it's just a call back to the earlier sky ad when the bus is magically branded like Lightning McQueen?

I think the bow is a closer match to Merida's from Brave rather than any in Robin Hood. On closer inspection, however, it's not an exact match. Perhaps it's deliberately up to the viewer's interpretation?

Axiom Cruises, of course! Thanks for that.

I know what you mean about the lanterns. I still think it's more specifically related to Tangled because many of them have that sun symbol on, but there are a lot of lanterns in Mulan too. Hmm.

I completely missed the bright star! My first thought is the wishing star from Pinocchio, since that's so iconic to Disney. However, since you pointed out the positioning I can't deny it could refer to Peter Pan. Maybe it's Evangeline or Ray from Princess and the Frog? Or it could just be some royal dead guy from the past watching down on us?

Yes! There is someone looking out the window as the lanterns float by. But who? Could it be the young Tiana from Princess and the Frog? I really don't know!

Another thing I spotted which may simply be a detail and not a reference. On the far right of the Curiosity Shop (right under the Cherry Tree sign) is a little design motif. I did check it against the flag emblem on the modern Disney Pictures logo, but it's not that. And speaking of the shop, that vase of blue flowers is really bugging me. Everything other item in the shop is a reference so what is that?

Just as the Up balloons go by, are some of the details actually taken from backgrounds in Disney films or are they just stylistically similar? Specifically – those plants by Belle, the three birch trees and the lamp posts. Really put me in mind of 50's disney, Alice in Wonderland and Lady and Tramp.

And one last thought. The red roses in front of the Lady and the Tramp scene. Perhaps they refer not to Wonderland, but Briar Rose from Sleeping Beauty?

[Professor Bluteau]

As it happens, I'm from the UK, so I've been able to watch this promo in full HD on a big screen this evening. But it's not as helpful as you might think, because there's a sort of paint effect that obscures details, but anyway...

???There's a strange blob to the right of St Paul's at the beginning - I can't make out whether it's building or a mountain or what, but it looks suspicious.

(Those blue flowers are bugging me, too...)

I think the poster on the side of the shop does indeed say "Found" with a picture of Nemo; and I think the one it's touching features a silhouette of Stitch.

The buildings in the background are covered in snow - again, this could apply to any number of Disney films, but perhaps it's to tie in with Frozen.

???There are a couple more signs to be read through the Mickey Mouse gate, but that's going to take someone with better eyes than me!

???What's that at the centre of the maze? I can't make it out.

The name "Brown" can be read on the shop sign nearest Cinderella's horse and carriage. The only "Brown" I can think of is the Professor in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but I may be missing something more obvious.

???Does the sign to the right of "Flynn's" say "Baker St", as in The Great Mouse Detective?

???Right at the end, under the V and I in "Movies", there's a twin-peaked mountain. It looks familiar, and I'm sure I should recognise it, but I don't.

And, now you mention it, the bright star is much more likely to be a Pinocchio reference than Peter Pan.

Like you say, there are so many things that look stylistically like references, but it's hard to be certain. Chances are we're looking too deeply into some, but I'm equally sure we've missed others all together!

[Mac]

That's cool you got to see it on a big screen. I've only got the basic Sky package which doesn't include the main movie channels. I was hoping it'd be shown on Sky One during 100 Greatest Disney Moments (which is on again this weekend if you missed it), but it wasn't.

I think I've identified just about as much as I can without seeing at a higher res or re-watching some of the movies. It does look like it could be Stitch in that poster (my first guess was the cat from Bolt, but didn't say because it just isn't clear enough)

I thought that sign in the street might be Baker St too, but it just isn't clear enough for me. And the 'Brown' sign – no idea what the word to the right of it says or the horizontal shop name beneath it. In the same area there's an oval sign jutting out which is another mystery.

As for the distant mountains/buildings, I'm bad at identifying that kind of thing. I wonder if I'm missing some live action references (I'm way more into the cartoons). I was surprised that the Chronicles of Narnia made it into the Top 30 show, maybe something from those films is in there. No idea what the shiny green bauble thing in the maze is. It makes me think of Return to Oz, but purely because of the colour – I don't remember anything like that in the film (plus it's viewed as a pretty obscure movie now). I tried to think of more big structures and mountains (Witch Mountain, that towery thing in the Underworld of Hercules, Chernabog's mountain in Fantasia), but don't think any of those are in it.

I do think that final 'twin peak mountain' may refer to the mountain and Elsa's pointy palace in Frozen.

[Mac]

Update. Here's a link to higher Res video on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/90478073

It's slightly different though (at least the 100 Akre sign here reads 'zoo')!

The thing in the maze is a tree with red roses (maintaining the Alice in Wonderland theme)

The sign under Flynn's reads Paradise Falls (Up). The sign next to it does read Baker St (The Great Mouse Detective). Still can't work out the 'Brown' and other distant signs.

And another thing. Do some of those plants behind Belle have faces with blobby noses?!

[Takeshi55]

I hate Disney Sky Movies, because it got rid of Cinemagic, the one channel that still showed older Disney Cartoons, other than Disney Jr. And thinks to Cinemagic going, Disney Jr. got rid of the classic cartoons they DID have!