Who doesn’t love a good blooper? After all, even the best of us makes the occasional misteak…er…mistake. It’s always fun to get a glimpse behind the scenes and see some of the material that didn’t make it into your favorite film. Disney movies are no exception, whether it be in the form of Star Wars, Marvel, or even the animated classics. What’s that? How can there be an animated blooper? Patience. We’ll get there. Because this week we’re taking a little tour of our favorite Disney bloopers.
A Bug’s Life
Let’s start right out the gate with an animated blooper reel. It sounds like a crazy concept. How exactly does an animated film have outtakes? And yet, that’s exactly what the world saw at the end of Pixar’s 1998 masterpiece A Bug’s Life.
Ok. If you want to quibble, they aren’t REAL bloopers. During the credits, the creators included a series of scenes intended to resemble the classic gag reel. In one scene, Flik (the film’s hero for those who don’t recall) is about to take flight and shouts, “To infinity and beyond!” before breaking into laughter and apologizing. In another, we see the character of Dot “forgetting” her lines. Woody, from Toy Story, even makes a brief appearance holding a clapperboard on screen as the director yells out, “Action!”
Toy Story 2
The gags at the end of A Bug’s Life were such a hit that they became a recurring bit for Pixar. An outtake reel would be used in 1999’s Toy Story 2, with more scripted “mistakes”. Keeping with the self-referential humor, Flik and Heimlich of A Bug’s Life make an appearance, with Flik mistakenly believing that he has arrived on set for the filming of A Bug’s Life 2. (As you watch the movie itself, play close attention at the 36:45 mark…the part where Buzz and the gang are on their way to Al’s Toy Barn and are crashing through the shrubbery…and you can see a VERY tiny Heimlich on one of the leaves – this is the very blooper that we just discussed, and an early example of a Pixar Easter Egg!) The audience is also treated to scenes of Woody photo bombing Buzz’s scenes, various pranks the characters played on each other, and several takes ruined by burps and a bit of flatulence.
The best bit might just be the sight of Mrs. Potato Head loading a seemingly endless stream of items into Mr. Potato Head’s storage compartment. Along with his angry eyes (just in case), she loads him with cheese puffs, a key, a golf ball, play-doh, a bouncy ball, and some monkey chow (you know…for the monkeys), as well as a whole host of other items.
Aladdin
One of the classics of the Disney Renaissance, Aladdin has it all–brilliant music, gorgeous animation, and a story full of action, romance, and comedy. The latter is mostly provided by the legendary Robin Williams. His performance as Genie is truly unforgettable. Williams’s madcap energy brought the character to life in a way that no other performer could have accomplished.
As brilliant as his final performance is, what didn’t make the big screen is just as entertaining. A quick search of YouTube provides the opportunity to see some of the brilliant footage. They aren’t bloopers so to speak. Just documentation of his freewheeling improvisations as he bounces through a variety of impressions and jokes. You can even see some of the concept sketches that artists built around the bits, many of them transforming Genie into the various celebrities he impersonates.
Thor: Ragnarok
While we’re on the topic of improvisations, let’s jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans of Thor: Ragnarok have likely heard the story that the movie’s hilarious “Let’s do ‘get help’” scene between Loki and Thor was improvised by actors Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. But that wasn’t the only scene where performers just riffed while the cameras were rolling.
Jeff Goldblum, who performs as the Grandmaster, is one of the most unique personalities in Hollywood. A delightfully eccentric character who almost seems more Muppet than human. Don’t believe me? Check out “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” on Disney +. It’s delightful.
In a scene not included in the final movie (but preserved for posterity online), Goldblum ad-libbed a scene where he attempts to pantomime a variety of gestures while quizzing his guard as to their meaning. It’s pure Goldblum (which really should be its own adjective), and hilarious.
Star Wars
The Star Wars universe is huge, a sprawling space full of fascinating characters, bizarre creatures, and a never-ending struggle between the forces of light and darkness. In a place that big, it’s inevitable that a bit of hilarity will creep in.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, do yourself a favor. Sit down at your computer, type “Star Wars Bloopers” into a search engine and prepare to spend the rest of the day immersed in the results. From A New Hope through The Rise of Skywalker there is a treasure trove of outtakes. A particularly amusing scene finds Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi doing a little dance as he cruises along in his speeder. Another involves Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. His character is rigged up to “fly” and ends up dangling and twisting in the air.
A personal favorite is a scene that finds George Lucas “berating” C-3P0 for his…um…robotic performance, claiming he’s not getting enough expression or emotion from the character.
Doctor Strange
Once you’ve finished watching through the Star Wars scenes, treat yourself to the bloopers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are some very funny scenes from each of the movies, but I’m particularly taken with those that come from Doctor Strange.
Watching actors like Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikelson, and Tilda Swinton break into spontaneous dance, make faces at the camera, and generally fool around is particularly entertaining given the gravitas of their characters in the film. It’s also fun to watch Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor go through countless takes of the character Baron Mordo tossing Stephen Strange a bo staff, which he seems singularly incapable of catching. That said, the best might be Cumberbatch jump scaring Rachel McAdams during a scene featuring Strange’s hospitalization.
Those are just a few of our favorite bloopers and outtakes from the world of Disney, but you can hear more by listening to our recent episode of the Celebrations Podcast where we talk about our favorite bloopers (and speaking of Thor and Loki, check out our newest episode where we talk about our Marvel Disney Wish List!). Give it a listen to hear Tim Foster, Lisa Mahan, Jamie Hecker, and the rest of the Celebration gang chat about the subject. Complete with bloopers of course!
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