John
Throughout its history, Disney has created amazing stories that have been by our side since our childhood. Many of their characters have become our favorites, and some of them are really close to our hearts. However, what you probably don’t know is that many of them were based on real people and in some cases, celebrities.
1. The 4 vultures — The Beatles
While producing the animated version of the novel The Jungle Book, Disney and the filmmakers in charge of the adaptation, conceived a rather ingenious cameo of The Beatles. It was 1967 and they were already one of the most popular bands of the time.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr would provide the voices behind the 4 vultures. The animals would also have crazy hairstyles and sing the song That’s What Friends Are For. However, although the band inspired the birds, this was not enough reason to go ahead with the plan.
It’s been said that Lennon preferred to not appear in the film. He explained to the band’s manager, Brian Epstein, that he should tell Disney that it was a better idea to hire Elvis Presley. Due to his decline, the film only shows the vultures speaking in an accent similar to that of people living in Liverpool, with the voices of J. Pat O’Malley, Digby Wolfe, Lord Tim Hudson, and Chad Stuart.
