How 25 famous cartoon animals compare to their real-life counterparts

Michelle Larkin,Fiona ClairJul 23, 2020, 03:56 IST

They have similar appearances.Disney/iStock

Not all animated animals look like their real-life counterparts.
Artists sometimes take a lot of creative liberties when creating animal characters, but others have similar behaviors as the real animals they're based on.
Remy, Puss in Boots, Sven, and Mr. Fox all look pretty similar to the real-life animals that inspired the characters.
On the other hand, Arthur, Squidward, Donald Duck, and Perry are pretty loose interpretations of their actual counterparts.

Artists tend to take some creative liberties when they developed some of our favorite animated animal characters.

From outrageous sizes to unbelievable abilities, their unusual characteristics are what make these animated creatures so entertaining.

Take a look at some of the most beloved cartoon characters next to their real-life counterparts.

Scooby-Doo is modeled after one of the largest dog breeds.

Scooby-Doo is modeled after a Great Dane. Warner Bros/iStock

The giant crab, Tamatoa, isn't so far off from the real-life crustacean.

Both have big claws. Disney/iStock

Artists took some creative liberties with Arthur the aardvark.

Arthur's nose is very different from a real aardvark's. 9 Story Media Group/AP/M. Spencer Green

Squidward Tentacles isn't a squid after all.

Squidward Tentacles is actually an octopus. Paramount; NOAA

Remy's chef skills aside, he's quite similar to real rats.

They have similar appearances. Disney/iStock

Roadrunners actually run on roads like their cartoon counterpart.

The real animal isn't as colorful. ABC/iStock

Eeyore doesn't have hooves as a real donkey does.

Real donkeys probably don't misplace their tails that often. Walt Disney Pictures/iStock

Sonic the Hedgehog is a bit speedier than real hedgehogs.

Real hedgehogs are not blue. Youtube/Sonic the Hedgehog/iStock

Pumbaa's love for eating insects isn't a typical warthog trait.

Both have similar snouts. Disney/iStock

Without his human clothes, Puss in Boots is similar to a house cat.

He looks like a real-life house cat. DreamWorks/iStock

Jiminy Cricket is a great conscience, but not really a great cricket.

They don't have much in common. Walt Disney Pictures/iStock

Sven is nearly identical to real reindeer.

They both have similar coloring. Walt Disney Pictures/iStock

Mr. Fox is a fairly close animated version of the real animal.

Mr. Fox shares a lot of the actual animal's physical characteristics. 20th Century Fox; RT Images/Shutterstock

Judy Hopps is a little more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed than most rabbits.

Judy Hopps' round face and huge eyes are a little different from a real rabbit's. Disney; Nigel Dowsett/Shutterstock

Real panda bears tend to munch on bamboo, unlike Po, who usually has a taste for dumplings.

Po shares some physical characteristics with real pandas. DreamWorks; Getty

Pascal from "Tangled" was originally supposed to look more realistic, but the animators went for entertainment value over authenticity.

Pascal does change colors like a real chameleon. Disney; Eugen Haag/Shutterstock

Like Emperor Kuzco, llamas are native to Peru.

Kuzco doesn't look exactly like a real llama. Disney; Iryna Savina/Shutterstock

King Julien has the characteristic striped tail of a ring-tailed lemur.

King Julien doesn't act like a real lemur though. DreamWorks; GUDKOV ANDREY/Shutterstock

Donald Duck is based on the largely domesticated Pekin duck.

Donald's features are more human-like than duck-like. Disney; Andi111/Shutterstock

It would be really cool (and slightly terrifying) if they could, but real elephants can't fly like Dumbo.

Dumbo's ears are much larger than a real elephant's. Disney; Pfaffenbach/Reuters

Real great-white sharks aren't "vegetarians" like Bruce and his friends.

The animators did get Bruce's teeth right. Disney/Pixar; Barcroft Media/Getty Images

A recent, animated version of Michelangelo was based on a box turtle.

None of the teenage mutant ninja turtles closely resemble real turtles. Nickelodeon; Simply Photos/Shutterstock

Chipmunks do chirp, but they can't sing like Alvin.

The cartoon version of Alvin and the Chipmunks is far from an accurate depiction of the animal. Universal Studios Home Video; MaryShutterstock/Reuters

BoJack may resemble a thoroughbred horse, but his personality is much more human-like.

BoJack doesn't have that much in common with the famous breed of racehorses. Netflix; acceptphoto/Shutterstock

Perry is nothing like a real platypus.

It's odd that Perry is even in the US, since platypi are only found naturally in Australia. Disney; worldswildlifewonders/Shutterstock

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