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Revealed
We're not taking the Mickey!

This is the real reason why cartoon characters are only ever drawn with three fingers on each hand

Disney fans may have noticed that the characters have one common quirk

DISNEY animators have made a confession about some of their most-loved characters.

Eagle-eyed film lovers may have noticed that some of the world’s favourite illustrations actually only have three fingers on each hand… and here’s why.

Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh revealed all in an interview with the

Jeff confessed that dropping the extra digit is a major time-saving trick.

He said: “One of the reasons why in animation everyone shortens it to three fingers and a thumb is just simply economy of line.

“When you’re having to animate 24 drawings per second, dropping one finger makes a huge difference”.

 

 Mickey Mouse is one of the lovable characters to have one finger missing from each hand
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Mickey Mouse is one of the lovable characters to have one finger missing from each handCredit: walt disney
 Animators avoid sketching out every single finger as a time-saving mechanism
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Animators avoid sketching out every single finger as a time-saving mechanism

Mickey Mouse, Aladdin’s Genie and the Seven Dwarfs from Snow White are among the characters that don’t have a fourth finger.

Despite this, Disney Princesses seem to be the exception to the rule.

Frozen’s Elsa and Cinderella are among the realistic sketches to have all digits intact.

 The Seven Dwarfs, including Sleepy, also feature the animation quirk
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The Seven Dwarfs, including Sleepy, also feature the animation quirkCredit: Walt Disney Corporation Inc
 Aladdin's Genie's was caught blue handed during this amusing scene
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Aladdin's Genie's was caught blue handed during this amusing sceneCredit: Disney

Talented pair Povenmire and Marsh are currently working on new Disney show Milo Murphy, which launched this week.

Dan revealed that it takes 10 months of hard work to create an 11 minute episode.

He joked: “It’s like having a baby every week but with no epidural.”

Despite the painstakingly long task, the Disney duo believe that animation is “the most fun thing you can do”.

 Disney Princesses appear to be exempt from the rule, including kids' favourite Elsa
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Disney Princesses appear to be exempt from the rule, including kids' favourite ElsaCredit: Disney
 All five of Cinderella's digits were present and correct for the 1950 film
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All five of Cinderella's digits were present and correct for the 1950 filmCredit: Walt Disney

Did this three-fingered revelation blow your mind?

Here's proof that every Disney Pixar movie really is linked.

And we bet you didn't notice the hidden Aladdin references in Disney's Moana. 

Milo Murphy’s Law airs on Disney Channel on Mondays at 5pm and on DisneyLife.

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