Have you noticed that Mickey Mouse and other Disney animal characters have four fingers instead of five? 

If you’re a Disney enthusiast, you’re obviously aware of the celebrated legacy of Walt Disney. The brainchild behind the iconic Disney Parks as well as the creator of the beloved cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, his innovations have continually entertained generation after generation. Over the years, many Disney characters have achieved cult status and won over adoring fans. But there are still some intricate details about these cherished characters that even the most ardent fan may not know.   

For instance, did you know that Mickey Mouse was created as a proxy for another Walt Disney creation called Oswald, the Rabbit? Or that he originally went by the name Mortimer, before he was renamed Mickey upon Walt Disney’s wife, Lillian’s, insistence? While we’re on the topic of Mickey Mouse, it’s interesting to note that his first few film appearances were in black and white. It was only in 1935 when technicolour was introduced that his trademark characteristics of black eyes, a round nose and white gloves were added. Here’s another fascinating piece of trivia—Mickey Mouse and many other classic Disney animal characters possess only four fingers instead of five. Why is this? Let’s tackle this question together. 

It's cost-effective 
You read that right. Money is a major reason why Disney animators, over the past century, have designated their classic animal characters only four fingers. Before computer animation became the norm, most designs were hand-drawn. This was a taxing process; drawing one less finger per hand saved the animators’ precious time and effort, and in turn, reduced costs. In fact, Disney’s celebrity animator and voice artist Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, who is the creator of the series Phineas and Ferb once told BBC, “When you’re having to animate 24 drawings per second, dropping one finger makes a huge difference.” So, even though it may not be a big deal for you and me, it sure matters a lot to the animators! 

It's the right geometry 
Before you’re confused about this one, let’s set the record straight—we’re talking about cartoons here. And for most of them, four fingers are certainly more suitable than five. For instance, many classic Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Goofy, are derived from animals. This means that their body parts are primarily circular in shape. And circular fingers are aesthetically more pleasing when they come in a group of four instead of five. Read what the maestro himself, Walt Disney, had to say on this matter: “Using five fingers would have made Mickey’s hands look like a bunch of bananas.” That’s not a very appealing sight, is it?   

It retains the element of fantasy 
Four fingers instead of five is a little unrealistic, isn’t it? But perhaps this is exactly what the animators were gunning for! The less realistic a cartoon appears, the more elaborate the element of magic and fantasy attached to it. It’s also a smart way to distinguish Disney’s human characters from the animal ones. For instance, the human Aurora from the classic Sleeping Beauty has five fingers, while Donald ‘Duck’ has only four! Now, over to you! Prove your Disney smarts by listing down all the characters that possess only four fingers.