The Beauty And The Beast Easter Egg You Missed In Aladdin

When it comes to Easter eggs in movies, Disney is no stranger to littering its feature films with little surprises for audiences to spot. Heck, before they were acquired, the many branches of the House of Mouse have long made an effort to feature the occasional nod to other titles in their unique worlds that only the most devoted fans will enjoy discovering. Every chapter of Star Wars, morsel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and part of Pixar landscape has, at some point over the years, had at least one Easter egg. 

At Disney, some of the most beloved animated films have snuck in little cameos or blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments that refer to other feature films that came before them. This is especially true of a particular animated movie, a classic that comes with a carpet ride known as "Aladdin." Loved by many thanks to an incredible voice performance from the late Robin Williams as Genie, the 1992 film is a crucial entry in the Disney Renaissance, a time when the company was unstoppable with a streak of box office hits. Crammed with great songs, stunning visual effects that hold up, and Williams turned up to 11, "Aladdin" managed to squeeze in a cameo from a character found in "Beauty and the Beast." Kind of.

Checking the criteria of a top-level Easter egg, there's a nod to the 1991 Disney animated feature "Beauty and the Beast" in "Aladdin." The Easter egg in question is on screen for just a few seconds, but it's unmistakable once you see it. Shortly after the 45-minute mark, a scene opens with the Sultan stacking toys. A variety of animal figurines are piled on top of one another, and as the camera quickly pans up, you can see a Beast figure on the left side of this tower. He's there, cape and all, poking his monstrous snout out from all the rest of the relatively normal-looking playthings. Be our guest and take a look for yourself over on Disney+.

While this film is giving the nod to the Disney movie released just one year earlier, "Beauty and the Beast" may have done the same for "Aladdin" in the previous year. During Belle's trip to the bookshop in the movie's opening number, she discusses a book she recently read with a plot that sounds very familiar: "Well, it's my favorite! Far off places, daring sword fights, a prince in disguise ..." (via Radio Times). This is essentially the story of "Aladdin" as our titular street rat disguises himself in the far-off city of Agrabah. While it's unclear if this line was intentionally crafted as a nod to a yet-to-be-released Disney movie, it's just further proof that when it comes to keeping us intrigued, Disney has had it down for years.