I once ran a Disney round at a pub quiz in Harrogate and watched a table of six grown adults — average age probably forty-five — nearly come to blows over whether Dumbo's mother had a name. (She does. It's Mrs. Jumbo. The argument lasted three minutes and got louder than I expected for a Wednesday night.) That's the thing about Disney: it strips away all the pretence. Accountants, teachers, retired plumbers — the moment the word "Hakuna Matata" appears on a question sheet, everyone's seven years old again and absolutely convinced they know best.
What makes Disney such brilliant quiz material is precisely the gap between what people think they know and what they actually know. Everyone has seen The Lion King. Far fewer can tell you the name of Scar's hyena trio without prompting, or which year the original Fantasia was released. There's also the generational fault line that opens up at a quiz table — the grandparent who remembers Snow White in cinemas, the thirty-something who grew up with The Little Mermaid, and the teenager who thinks Frozen is a classic. All three are simultaneously overconfident and wrong about something. It's glorious.
What I've put together here is fifty questions across five rounds designed to cover the full sweep of the Disney universe. You've got Classic Disney Films for the purists, Disney Princesses for the people who've watched Tangled more times than they'd admit, Pixar Films because yes Pixar counts, Disney Villains because honestly the baddies are the best characters, and Disney Songs and Music to finish things off with something everyone thinks they'll ace before immediately blanking on a lyric they've sung a hundred times.
One practical note: if you're using these for an actual quiz night, I'd suggest not putting the Villains and Princesses rounds back to back — they attract very different energies at a table and it helps to break them up. Also, a word of warning from experience: Disney questions provoke disputes. Have a printed answer sheet ready because someone will absolutely contest Q31. I've included a fun fact under each answer so you've got something to read out as a follow-up, which quietens a room down beautifully when things get heated.
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Round 1: Classic Disney Films
We're starting with the bread and butter — the hand-drawn, golden-era and silver-age films that built the whole Disney empire. Don't let the familiarity fool you though. Questions about films people know really well are often the most divisive, because everyone's certain they're right and at least one of them isn't. I've kept it broad enough to span from Snow White right through to the early 2000s.
1. In which year was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released in cinemas?
✓ 1937
💡 Snow White was Disney's first feature-length animated film and cost around $1.5 million to make — a colossal sum at the time.
2. What is the name of the toy store in the 1996 Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame — wait, wrong film. Name the elephant with the oversized ears in Disney's 1941 animated classic.
✓ Dumbo
💡 Dumbo is one of Disney's shortest feature films at just 64 minutes and was made cheaply to recover losses from Fantasia.
3. What breed of dog is Pongo in 101 Dalmatians?
✓ Dalmatian
💡 The 1961 film features 6,469,952 individual spots on all the Dalmatians combined, according to the animators' own count.
4. Which Disney film features the song "When You Wish Upon a Star"?
✓ Pinocchio
💡 "When You Wish Upon a Star" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1940 and became Disney's unofficial anthem.
5. In The Jungle Book, what kind of animal is Baloo?
✓ A bear (specifically a sloth bear)
💡 The 1967 Jungle Book was the last Disney animated film personally supervised by Walt Disney, who died before its release.
6. What is the name of the young deer in Disney's 1942 film Bambi?
✓ Bambi
💡 Bambi took five years to produce. Disney hired live deer to be kept at the studio so animators could study their movement up close.
7. In which city is The Aristocats set?
✓ Paris
💡 The Aristocats was the first Disney animated feature to be greenlit after Walt Disney's death, with production beginning in 1967.
8. What is the name of the fairy in Peter Pan?
✓ Tinker Bell
💡 Tinker Bell was reportedly animated using live-action footage of actress Margaret Kerry as a reference model for movement.
9. True or false: in the original 1959 Disney film, Sleeping Beauty's real name is Aurora.
✓ True
💡 She's also known as Briar Rose, the name she uses while living in hiding in the forest with the three good fairies.
10. Which 1994 Disney film is loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet?
✓ The Lion King
💡 The Lion King was originally titled King of the Jungle during development. It became Disney's highest-grossing traditionally animated film.
Round 2: Disney Princesses
Right, here's where tables split cleanly into two camps: the people who can name every official Disney Princess in order and the people who are quietly googling "is Moana a Disney Princess" under the table (she is). There are more officially recognised Disney Princesses than most people think — and a few characters people assume are on the list who technically aren't. I'll leave you to argue about that afterwards.
11. Which Disney Princess is the first to have a child in her film?
✓ Ariel (she has a daughter, Melody, in The Little Mermaid II — but the first princess shown as a mother in an official sequel)
💡 Ariel actually doesn't have a child in the original 1989 film — Melody only appears in the 2000 direct-to-video sequel.
12. What is the name of Cinderella's fairy godmother's magic spell — and what does Cinderella's dress turn into at midnight?
✓ Her ball gown turns back into rags (her original dress)
💡 Cinderella's iconic blue dress has shifted between blue and silver in various Disney merchandise, causing long-running fan debate.
13. In Brave, what is the name of Merida's mother after she is transformed?
✓ Queen Elinor (she is transformed into a bear)
💡 Brave was Pixar's first film with a female protagonist and the first to be directed by a woman, Brenda Chapman, though she was later replaced.
14. Which Disney Princess wears a yellow ball gown and famously has a library given to her?
✓ Belle (from Beauty and the Beast)
💡 Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, in 1992.
15. Name the Disney Princess whose hair magically shortens and turns brown when it is cut.
✓ Rapunzel (from Tangled)
💡 Rapunzel's 70-foot magical hair took the animators at Disney an estimated 10 million individual hairs to render digitally.
16. What is the name of Mulan's horse?
✓ Khan
💡 Mulan is loosely based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and is one of the few Disney Princesses not of European origin.
17. Which Disney Princess has a pet raccoon called Meeko and a hummingbird called Flit?
✓ Pocahontas
💡 The historical Pocahontas was around eleven or twelve years old when she first encountered John Smith — quite different to the film's depiction.
18. In The Princess and the Frog, what city does the story take place in?
✓ New Orleans
💡 Tiana is the first Black Disney Princess and the first princess to be shown actively working to achieve her dreams through her own labour.
19. What is Snow White's surname, as given in the original 1937 film's title?
✓ She has no surname — the film is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
💡 Snow White was voiced by Adriana Caselotti, who was paid just $970 for her work and contractually prevented from acting elsewhere.
20. Which Disney Princess film features the song "How Far I'll Go"?
✓ Moana
💡 "How Far I'll Go" was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2017.
Round 3: Pixar Films
Pixar questions are sneakily hard in a very specific way — people remember the emotional beats perfectly but go completely blank on names, dates, and details. Try asking someone the name of the garbage-collecting robot in WALL-E and watch them mime "that little guy with the box shape" for thirty seconds. This round covers the whole Pixar catalogue, so there's something for everyone from Toy Story superfans to people who only watched Up once and are still not over it.
21. In Toy Story, what is the name of the boy who owns Woody and Buzz Lightyear?
✓ Andy (Andy Davis)
💡 Woody was originally written as a ventriloquist's dummy and had a much darker, sarcastic personality in early script drafts.
22. What is the name of the fish that Marlin is searching for in Finding Nemo?
✓ Nemo
💡 Finding Nemo's opening sequence — the death of Nemo's mother — remains one of the most unexpectedly devastating openings in cinema history.
23. In Monsters, Inc., what is the name of the little girl that Sulley and Mike accidentally bring into the monster world?
✓ Boo
💡 Boo's real name is never revealed in the film. Sulley calls her "Boo" and she calls him "Kitty" throughout.
24. Which Pixar film features a rat who dreams of becoming a chef in Paris?
✓ Ratatouille
💡 The rat protagonist is called Remy, and the film's food critic Anton Ego was voiced by Peter O'Toole in a widely praised performance.
25. In which year was the original Toy Story released?
✓ 1995
💡 Toy Story was the world's first entirely computer-animated feature film and grossed over $373 million worldwide on its original release.
26. What is the name of the superhero family in The Incredibles?
✓ The Parr family
💡 Mr. Incredible's real name is Bob Parr. The family's surname is a nod to the word "par" — ordinary, average — which is what they're trying to be.
27. In WALL-E, what is the name of the sleek white robot that WALL-E falls in love with?
✓ EVE
💡 EVE stands for Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator. WALL-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth-class.
28. In Inside Out, which emotion is missing when Riley's core memories are disturbed — and which two emotions go on the adventure together?
✓ Joy and Sadness are the two who go on the adventure together
💡 The five emotions in Inside Out are Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust — originally there were going to be many more.
29. What is the name of the cowgirl doll in the Toy Story films?
✓ Jessie
💡 Jessie was introduced in Toy Story 2 and voiced by Joan Cusack. Her backstory — including the song "When She Loved Me" — reduces most adults to tears.
30. In Coco, what is the name of the Land of the Dead that Miguel visits?
✓ The Land of the Dead (it is simply called that — not given a specific place name)
💡 Coco is set during Día de los Muertos and was made with extensive consultation from Mexican cultural advisors to ensure authentic representation.
Round 4: Disney Villains
Honestly, the villains are my favourite round to write. There's an argument — and I'll make it at any quiz night you care to mention — that the quality of a Disney film is directly proportional to the quality of its villain. Maleficent, Ursula, Gaston: absolute bankers. This round separates the Disney obsessives from the casual viewers, because a lot of villain detail sits in the corners of films people think they know inside out.
31. What is the name of the villain in The Little Mermaid, and what is she?
✓ Ursula — she is a sea witch (and a cecaelia: half-human, half-octopus)
💡 Ursula was partly inspired by drag queen Divine, and her design was influenced by the flamboyant, larger-than-life persona Divine was known for.
32. What does Maleficent transform into during the climax of Sleeping Beauty?
✓ A dragon
💡 Maleficent's dragon transformation is one of the most expensive single sequences Disney had produced up to that point in 1959.
33. Name the villain of The Lion King and his full lion name.
✓ Scar (his birth name is Taka, revealed in later Disney materials)
💡 Scar's name in Swahili is "Taka," meaning "waste" or "desire." He earned the nickname Scar from an injury caused by a buffalo.
34. In 101 Dalmatians, what does Cruella De Vil want to make from the Dalmatian puppies?
✓ A fur coat
💡 Cruella De Vil's name is a pun on "cruel devil" — one of Disney's least subtle but most effective villain naming decisions.
35. Which Disney villain sings the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls"?
✓ Ursula (in The Little Mermaid)
💡 "Poor Unfortunate Souls" was originally written for The Little Mermaid's Broadway stage production before being retrofitted into the animated film.
36. What is the name of the villain in Aladdin, and what is his role in Agrabah?
✓ Jafar — he is the Royal Vizier of Agrabah
💡 Jafar's parrot sidekick is called Iago, voiced by Gilbert Gottfried, who based the voice on his own New York accent taken to extremes.
37. In Snow White, what does the Evil Queen disguise herself as when she visits Snow White with the poisoned apple?
✓ An old hag (or old woman/peddler)
💡 The Evil Queen is never given a name in the 1937 film — she is listed in the credits only as "The Queen" and "The Witch."
38. Which villain in Hercules is the God of the Underworld?
✓ Hades
💡 Hades was voiced by James Woods, who improvised much of his dialogue. Woods has said it's his favourite role he's ever played.
39. True or false: Gaston is the villain of Beauty and the Beast and is killed by falling from the Beast's castle.
✓ True
💡 Gaston is unusual among Disney villains for having no magical powers — his threat comes entirely from ego, physical strength, and mob mentality.
40. In Toy Story, what is the name of the sadistic next-door neighbour child who tortures toys?
✓ Sid Phillips
💡 Sid's skull T-shirt became iconic. A grown-up Sid makes a brief cameo as a rubbish collector in Toy Story 3, which delighted eagle-eyed viewers.
Round 5: Disney Songs & Music
This is the round that finishes every Disney quiz I've ever hosted, and it finishes it loudly. Someone always starts singing. Usually it's the person you least expected. The trick with Disney music questions is that people know the tunes perfectly but the specific details — the composers, the albums, the year — are where it falls apart. I've mixed in some lyric identifiers alongside composer and film questions to keep things interesting.
41. Which Disney film features the song "Let It Go"?
✓ Frozen
💡 "Let It Go" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2014 and has been translated into 42 languages for international releases.
42. Who composed the music for The Lion King, including "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"?
✓ Elton John (with lyrics by Tim Rice)
💡 Hans Zimmer composed the score, but the famous songs were written by Elton John and Tim Rice — a distinction that trips people up regularly.
43. Complete the lyric from Aladdin: "I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, ___"
✓ Splendid
💡 "A Whole New World" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1993 and spent one week at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
44. Which Disney film features the Sherman Brothers' song "A Spoonful of Sugar"?
✓ Mary Poppins
💡 The Sherman Brothers — Richard and Robert — wrote the entire Mary Poppins score. Richard reportedly got the idea from his son's polio vaccination experience.
45. In which Disney film would you hear the song "Colours of the Wind"?
✓ Pocahontas
💡 "Colours of the Wind" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1996 and was performed at the ceremony by Vanessa Williams.
46. Name the composer who wrote the music for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.
✓ Alan Menken
💡 Alan Menken has won eight Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song — more than any other individual in those categories.
47. What is the opening song in The Lion King, sung as Simba is presented to the animals of the Pride Lands?
✓ "Circle of Life"
💡 The opening 3 minutes of The Lion King — the "Circle of Life" sequence — were reportedly completed before the rest of the film went into production.
48. True or false: "Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
✓ True
💡 "The Bare Necessities" lost the 1968 Oscar to "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle, a result many music fans still consider a travesty.
49. Which Disney song begins with the lyric "Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?"
✓ "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid
💡 "Part of Your World" was nearly cut from The Little Mermaid after a test screening where children were reportedly too busy eating popcorn to pay attention.
50. In Moana, which character performs the self-celebrating song "You're Welcome"?
✓ Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson)
💡 Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote "You're Welcome" specifically with Dwayne Johnson's vocal limitations in mind — and Johnson has cheerfully acknowledged those limitations.
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What strikes me every time I revisit Disney's back catalogue for quiz research is how genuinely odd some of it is when you look closely. Fantasia — a feature-length animated film set to classical music with no dialogue, released in 1940 — should not have worked commercially, and by most measures it didn't initially, losing Disney a significant amount of money. And yet it's now considered a masterpiece. There's something about Disney's willingness to make genuinely strange creative swings, buried under all the princess merchandising and theme park rides, that I find unexpectedly admirable. It doesn't come up often at a pub quiz in Harrogate, but I think about it.
If you spot a mistake anywhere in these fifty questions — and I've done my best, but I'm not infallible — drop me a line at hello@simplyquizzes.com and I'll get it corrected. Likewise, if you've got a topic you'd like to see covered, we're always looking for ideas. There are plenty more quiz posts on the blog covering everything from history and geography to TV and sport, so have a browse and see what takes your fancy.