1. Bambi's mother (RIP) can be seen roaming the forest near the Beast's castle at the beginning of the movie.
2. The Latin phrase "Vincit qui se vincit," which appears on the stained glass at the beginning of the movie, is basically the moral of the story: It means "He conquers who conquers himself."
3. The faded sign Maurice encounters while lost in the woods points to cities in Southern California: Anaheim, home to Disneyland, and Valencia, home to the California Institute of the Arts, where many animators study.
4. The illustration in the book Belle reads at the fountain looks a LOT like Beauty and the Beast itself. And the caption? It translates to "Prince Charming."
5. The scene in which Belle sings on the hilltop above her village is a direct nod to the opening scene of The Sound of Music.
6. When the townspeople sing, "She's nothing like the rest of us," they're not wrong: Belle is the only villager wearing blue, further emphasizing her ~difference~.
7. Speaking of Belle's blue outfit, animators drew her to look like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. #Twinning
8. But that's not the only Oz connection: In the makeover scene, the Beast bears an uncanny resemblance to the Cowardly Lion.
9. In the final scene, the guests were left unanimated in order to save money. [Insert Frozen joke here.]
10. Animators also reused 30-year-old animation from Sleeping Beauty, and we've got the receipts to prove it:
11. Among the many taxidermy animal heads on "macho" man Gaston's walls is...a frog. 🐸👀
12. The Beast had quite the art collection in his castle: That's Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring behind Cogsworth!
13. Also in the Beast's castle: other beasts! The terrifying statues and gargoyles are scrapped early versions of the title character.
14. If you look closely, the winding crank on the back of Cogsworth's head is a near-perfect Mickey.
15. The mouse ears appear again at the top of the bell jar and in the molding at the top of the library.
16. Disney used real smoke in the Beast's transformation scene — except it was reused footage from the production of The Black Cauldron.
17. Finally, while we never see Gaston go splat after falling, the skulls in his pupils are meant to confirm his death. 💀💀
