Meaningful Name / Animated Films

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• All Creatures Big and Small: Finny, one of the film's main characters, is of a fictional species called Nestrians. Note the "nest" in "Nestrian"; Nestrians are stated to be good at building their own nests, which Finny and his dad are shown doing several times.
• Back to the Outback: Played with. Chaz officially introduces Maddie as "Medusa" in her first appearance in his show, almost certainly after the figure from Greek mythology, famously depicted as a monstrous woman with snakes instead of hair. While he likely thought it was a fitting name seeing how deadly taipans can be, even going so far as to call her a monster, Maddie doesn’t really share any traits with her namesake other than eating meat and being a snake.
• The Book of Life:
  • "Manolo" is a common nickname for "Manuel"^note A bit like "Jack" being a common nickname for "John" in English., an also common Spanish male name which etymological origin means "God is with Us". It alludes to how La Muerte and Xibalba were involved in Manolo, (and by extension, the lives of his family and friends), because the two Gods made a bet that involved him. Word of God says the name was chosen for him because it has the English word "man" in it, which represents his Everyman qualities.
  • Chakal means Jackal in regular Spanish terminology, but in Mexican slang, the word can mean '"the top" or "cool". It can also mean "someone who takes advantage of of others through force."
  • Chato means different things in Spanish depending on the context, it can mean short/blunt, flat, snub-nosed, or dear (as in the one you love).
  • "La Muerte" is Spanish for "the death."
  • "Xibalba" was the Mayan term for the underworld.
• The Disney Animated Canon has a few. In Beauty and the Beast:
  • Belle means "beauty", Lumiere is a candelabra, Cogsworth is a clock, Mrs. Potts is a teapot, Chip has a chip in him...
  • LeFou's name sounds similar for "the fool", indicating his clownish and stupid behavior. In addition, as a Bilingual Bonus, the names translation from French means "the mad, the insane, or insanity", hinting that he is Gaston's Psycho Supporter.
  • The Beast's official name (first given in an online quiz and then later confirmed by both Paige O'Hara, who voices Belle in the animated film and it's two interquels, and Dan Stevens, who plays the Prince/Beast in the live-action version) is Adam. It literally means "Man" in Hebrew (which makes sense, considering that in the Bible, Adam is the first man — and first human being, for that matter — created by God).
• Child of Kamiari Month: Kanna's name is derived from Kannazuki — the Japanese name for October, with it being noted that in the Izuno province it's called Kamiarizuki in reference to an annual festival said to mark gathering of the gods and determine the fate of Japan for the following year. It turns out that Kanna must gather food offerings and deliver them to Izumo-taisha Shrine for said feast, and her mother named her with this destiny in mind.
• Encanto:
  • "Dolores" means "lady of sorrow". Dolores Madrigal is sorrowful over her prophecy that the man of her dreams would marry someone else.
  • Camilo's name sounds similar to "chameleon"; fitting for a character who can shapeshift.
• From Epic (2013), a ronin is a samurai without a lord to serve. Fittingly, Ronin goes through most of the story without a queen to command him.
• Finding Nemo: Nemo is Latin for nobody and it doubles the meaning of the title, because Marlin also finds the courage to be not-so-overprotective towards to his son. The name also alludes to Captain Nemo. It could also be a reference to "anemone" (the habitat of clownfish).
• The Fox and the Hound: Tod is Scottish for "fox"; however, Widow Tweed named him that because he's "such a little toddler." Vixey's name comes from "vixen", which is a female fox.
• Tip from Home (2015) gives great tips to Oh throughout their journey. Also, her full name, "Gratuity" is another term for "tip". Invoked by Oh himself, claiming he got his name from how the rest of the Boov respond to his presence: "Oh...".
  • Her pet cat, Pig, is named because his tail is curled like an actual pig, not to mention his eating habits. His Establishing Character Moment also has him eating out of an ice cream tub and emerging with strawberry ice cream covering his nose in the style of that of a pig.
• Hoodwinked!:
  • The trope is crossed with a Cutaway Gag, and is Invoked and lampshaded by Red Puckett:
    Red Puckett: They've got this all wrong, Mr. Flippers. [Flippers steps over to her]
    Nicky Flippers: Oh, I don't know. You look pretty dangerous to me. What's your name?
    Red Puckett: Red.
    Nicky Flippers: And why do they call you that?
    Red Puckett: Why do they call you Flippers?
    [Cuts to Flippers on the dance floor at a disco club, wearing a flashy white suit; as the crowd chants "Go Flippers!" in the background, he does a backflip]
    Nicky Flippers: Uh, no reason.
    Red Puckett: They call me "Red" because of this red hood I wear.
    Nicky Flippers: What about when you're not wearing it?
    Red Puckett: [quietly] I usually wear it.
  • Boingo doesn't get his name because he's a rabbit. It's because of the distinct "boing" noise that he makes when he hops.
• Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon. "Astrid" is an old Norse name meaning "Divine Beauty." Hiccup is clearly awestruck during her introduction in the first movie, and Snotlout also tries to get her attention. Astrid is also partnered with a Deadly Nadder, the most beautiful dragon species. Her name may also be a reference to Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, whose fantasy tales are beloved in Scandinavia.
• Dr. Schadenfreude in Igor, which is German for "pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others". The man is an Evil Genius, and his thing is stealing other evil geniuses' inventions.
• The Incredibles:
  • Violet is a "shrinking violet" with issues of shyness, and has powers that include keeping people away with (purple) force fields. Violet could also refer to the fact that she can become invisible, like ultraviolet radiation. It is also the color she favors in her clothing and the purple tinge in her eyes and hair.
  • Dash has super speed. (Brad Bird, on the DVD Commentary, says that this was deliberate; the children were given names, personalities and powers to match their ages.)
  • In the animated short about Jack Jack, he seems to possess many talents, thus making him a "Jack-of-all-trades". The whole many talents thing is confirmed in a big way in the sequel, Incredibles 2.
  • The family's surname, Parr ("par"), reflects how their secret identities are an attempt to blend in with "average" society.
  • Frozone's name is Lucius Best and he's Bob's best friend and was Best Man at his wedding to Helen.
  • Syndrome is Buddy Pine, as in "I cry because I can't be your friend". In addition, he has the same initials as Mr. Incredible: Bob Parr and Buddy Pine. He also has a bad case of hero's syndrome.
  • Edna Mode. "Mode" means 'fashion' in several languages. "Edna" also means "pleasure" in Hebrew — she does enjoy designing. Her name is also intentionally similar to legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head, of whom she is a direct caricature.
  • Mirage. A mirage is something that appears real or possible but is not in fact so. Throughout her first encounters with Mr. Incredible, she masterfully pretends to be something she isn't.
  • In Gazerbeam's civilian identity, Simon J. Paladino, "Simon" means "he has heard" and "paladino" is Italian for "paladin", both referencing his role as not only a super, but an active advocate for superhero rights in his civilian life.
  • Thunderhead was apparently The Ditz. His superhero name is a play on "dunderhead", a generic term for someone stupid.
  • The Underminer appears right on cue to try and undermine the happy ending that the Parr family have earned themselves by demonstrating that there are still active supervillains.
  • Nomanisan Island (No man is an island), which ties into the film's themes of teamwork and family. Attempted in the Spanish translation, where the island is known as Isla Palos Locos ("Crazy Sticks Island", but can also be read as Isla Pa'los Locos, "Island For The Crazy").
  • Continues into Incredibles 2, with the Deavor family being endeavouring. Evelyn's name even sounds like "evil endeavour", and she's the Big Bad. Moreover, The Screenslaver enslaves people via hypnotic screens.
• Inside Out: "The life of Riley" is old slang for a carefree and easy life, and the movie is about the life of a girl named Riley told from the perspective of an Anthropomorphic Personification of carefree living.
• When coming up with names for Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, the animators concluded that Jimmy's dorky, asthmatic best friend should be named Carl Wheezer, on the grounds that, direct quote, "Carl wheezes".
• Kung Fu Panda:
  • Not only does the eponymous panda have a name which reflects his personality yet is contrary to his destiny (Po means "peace"), but his master is named Shifu ("teacher" or "master"). Meanwhile, the facility where the villain is held, Chorh-Gom, means "sitting in prison" while Tai Lung himself translates very close to "Cat Dragon"... the latter having a rather effective if Anvilicious double meaning.
  • "Po" also means "blank"... which is what the Dragon Scroll turns out to be.
  • Oogway (Wu Gui) means "turtle". Tai Lung means "Ultimate Dragon". With a name like that, it's no wonder Tai Lung grew up convinced he was meant to have the Dragon Scroll. What else was he supposed to do with his life, read tea leaves?
  • In the second film, Lord Shen's name means either "divinity" or "flame". The former relates to his quest for power. The latter, quite obviously, is a reference to his obsession with cannons.
• The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part: Rex Dangervest is a hardened tough guy who serves as a foil to the sweet-natured, idealistic Emmet, who always wears a safety vest. Given that Rex turns out to be a future version of Emmet, it doubles as a Meaningful Rename.
• In The Little Mermaid (1989), Ursula's disguise, Vanessa, derives from the Latin word Vanitas, which means Vanity, Worthlessness, Emptiness, and Nothingness. Although the Vanity part is extremely obvious, the latter three also have a meaning in there as well, as it hints at Vanessa being Eric's false savior.
  • Other examples: Ursula's real name means "she-bear". Triton, Ariel's father, is named for (or is) the son of Poseidon. Sebastian's Overly Long Name has two references to musicians in it, Thelonious for Thelonious Monk and Sebastian for Johann Sebastian Bach. Another one of his names, "Crustaceous" is kind of obvious. He's a crab.
• The Lion King (1994): Almost everyone is named after a Swahili term:
  • Simba means "lion", Mufasa means "king", Nala means "gift", Rafiki means "friend", Sarabi means "mirage", Sarafina (Nala's mother) means "bright star".
  • Subsequent noncanon books written after the first film had Scar's name prior to receiving his scar as Taka which means "trash" or "wanting" in Swahili, which anyone would be quite bitterly put off by. ''The Lion Guard reveals Scar's real name to be Askari, after his ancestor and original leader of the renowned Lion Guard. Word of God Ford Riley on his Twitter says "Scar" refers to both his infamous scar and as a shortened name from Askari.
  • It gets better with some of the other names. Timon means "spirited" and Pumbaa means "simpleton".
  • There are the hyenas Shenzi ("savage, pagan, uncouth"), Banzai ("skulk, lurk") and... Ed (who was named after Ed McMahon, whose job was to laugh at all of Johnny Carson's jokes). There is also a word in English, 'Eddy', which is a synonym of 'whirlpool'.
  • Scar's mate is Zira which means "hate".
  • Vitani (Zira's daughter) is a Portmanteau of vita ("war") and shetani ("demon").
  • Zira's sons are Nuka, which means "stink", and Kovu, which means "scar" and whom Scar chose handpicked to be his heir. (Doubly meaningful when Scar wasn't Kovu's biological father).
• The heroine of Monsters vs. Aliens is Susan Murphy, and at the start of the movie it seems like anything that can go wrong on her wedding day, does go wrong: she finds out her ambitious fiancee Derek wants to forgo their honeymoon in Paris for a trip to Fresno for a job interview, she gets hit by a meteorite, exposure to Imported Alien Phlebotinum turns her into a 49-foot 11-and-a-half-inch giantess, and she gets captured by a Government Conspiracy that eventually drafts her into fighting an alien invasion.
• Chi Fu from Mulan. His name actually means "to pester or annoy" in Chinese.
• The Jerkass villains from The Night Before Christmas are named Mr. Reek and Mrs. Bottoms.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack Skellington takes over Christmas for a year. One meaning of Jack is "supplanter".
• 101 Dalmatians:
  • Cruella de Vil (actually from the original book, The Hundred and One Dalmatians).
  • Horace and Jasper are actually named "Baddun" (bad one(s)), both in the book and the live-action version.
  • Several of the puppies have this, too. Patch has a patch over his eye. Rolly is the fattest of the pups. Freckles has freckles on his cheeks. Lucky has a horseshoe pattern of spots on his back; however, he most likely got his name from the fact he almost died upon being born until Roger managed to give him enough warmth, and Nanny points out he's "lucky to have lived".
• Patlabor: The Movie: The main villain, Eiichi Hoba, was named by the production team after "Jehovah", and the similarity is also noted In-Universe: in Hoba's vision of the film's plot, he has cast himself as God in the Book of Genesis inflicting the Curse of Babel on mankind—read as, using a Computer Virus to make Labors run amok and smash up an urban renewal project he feels is ruining Tokyo. The biblical symbolism in the film was inspired by director Mamoru Oshii noticing that Noa Izumi, one of the heroines, had a similar given name to Noah of the Ark.
• In Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe The native inhabitants of the planet Feebla-oot, which are afear of a large range of things, are called the Cowards. Which in there Language means coward
• The Princess and the Frog has Doctor Facilier. "Facile" is French for "easy", and his speciality is offering people the easy way out of their problems.
• Rango has a few examples:
  • Beans has her name because 'her dad plumb loved baked beans'. She also passes around bean during the campfire scene.
  • Spoons likes making a snapping sound with his pair of spoons.
  • Bad Bill is "Really Bad!"
• Ratatouille gives us a few examples, such as the protagonist Alfredo Linguini, a "master chef" whose name means a type of pasta, and the film's antagonists; Anton Ego, who is British critic, who has almost impossible standards and takes offence if someone dares to disagree with his opinions, and chef Skinner, a reference to B. F. Skinner, who invented the Skinner Box, a device for torturing lab rats animal behavioural studies. (Or the name can refer to someone who skins rats.) This being a Pixar movie, it's unlikely that these are the only examples.
• There are a lot of these in the Rescuers series:
  • Evinrude the dragonfly, named after a manufacturer of outboard motors (which he essentially functions as).
  • Cody, which comes from the Irish Gaelic cuidigh meaning to help or to guard.
  • Orville and Wilbur, the two Albatross brothers
  • Madame Medusa, the crazy-haired villain in the first film
  • Heroic white mouse Bianca, whose name means white.
• From The Secret of Kells:
  • The mysterious fairy girl, Aisling, has a meaningful name in more than one way: not only is it an Irish girl's name meaning "dream" or "vision", it's also a kind of Irish poetry that frequently features a woman who represents Ireland itself, while calling back to its previous pagan beliefs. In the film, Aisling serves the same purpose.
  • There's also Pangur Ban the cat, who is named after the oldest known poem written in the Irish language...which is about a cat (a white one like the one in the movie) and was written by a monk.
• Sleeping Beauty:
  • Aurora is Latin for "dawn", which is stated in-universe.
  • Maleficent. This one's straight forward.
  • Maleficent's raven, unnamed on screen but named in production material and subsequent Disney media, is named Diablo, meaning "devil" in Spanish.
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, Dopey, Sneezy, Bashful, Doc.
• In The Steam Engines of Oz, Victoria is a mechanic named 'Wright', meaning 'someone who creates or makes something'.
• Strange Magic: Marianne's name in Latin means bitter and in Russian means rebellious which nicely sums up her personality.
• In Turning Red, a minor character has the name Stacy Frick. "Frick" is often synonymous with "crap", and she is introduced via an Oh, Crap! (or in this case, "Oh, Frick!") moment (catching Mei in her panda form, causing them both to freak).
• Tangled:
  • Inverted with the Stabbington brothers, as they are the ones who are constantly backstabbed by their partner Flynn.
  • Flynn's real name, Eugene, means "well-born", so it's only appropriate that he eventually marries a princess. It becomes even more meaningful in Tangled: The Series, where it's revealed that he's actually the prince of the Dark Kingdom and that his ancestors served as mystical guardians to protect the world from the Moonstone's power.
• In Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas, Toot names a group of puppies Yipper, Nipper, Yapper, Snapper, Clapper and Golden. The last one is so named because he's quiet and "Silence is golden."
• Pixar likes to do this a lot. In Toy Story, most of the toys are like this (including our hero Woody, who is a wooden cowboy puppet). Crosses also to Punny Name territory. Though, they are toys.
  • According to Word of God, Woody's full name is Woody Pride; which refers both to the actor he is named after (Woody Strode) and the pride he takes in being there for Andy.
• Up: The movie title itself. It's literally what the plot is about, going up in the air in a house raised by balloons, and it's where Ellie wanted her house to be above the falls, but it's also Carl's character arc (coming up out of depression and realizing life is still worth living). Also consider the fact Carl seemed ready to die before Russell appeared, so that his whole trip was "going to join Ellie", and the symbolism of going up into the heavens...
• WALL•E has quite a few of these, starting with the title character whose name sounds like "Wally" (and is referred to as such throughout the shooting script). In British English, a "wally" is a foolish or naïve person. Also BURN-E, who sounds like Bernie, the put-upon teacher from The Incredibles. The female robot's name is EVE, and her mission is to help the humans to recolonize the Earth by finding the signs of life. Does it ring any bells? In-universe, WALL•E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class, and MO is the friendly neighbourhood Microbe Obliterator.
• Mr. Grimes of The Water Babies (1978) is filthy both on the skin (he's a chimney sweep) and inside.
• We Are the Strange has "Blue", a depressed emo and "HIM", a chauvinistic and abusive boyfriend.
• In Who Framed Roger Rabbit the Toon Patrol had meaningful names in the script - Smart Ass, Greasy, Wheezy, Psycho and Stupid. And Judge Doom.

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