Picture the scene, you’ve got a little one hyped to see Goofy. They’re prepped and ready for them to come into a show. And then the character announced is… Dingo. Huh? Who the heck is Dingo?
Actually, that is Goofy! Many common Disney characters have different names in French, and of course these names are used around Disneyland Paris. The good news is that in character meet and greets if the character and their attendants know they’re meeting a family that speaks English, they’ll use the English name (and sign that too). But on signs, merchandise, shows and in announcements don’t be surprised at some unfamiliar names! If you have people in your family who may be upset or confused about an apparent change of name it may be worth warning them in advance.
To help people out when planning a trip to Disneyland Paris, below is a table of common Disney character names, and their French equivalent… with some notes about why the change! (Because I’m a nerd and find that interesting). If there’s a common character who is not in this list it’s because their name is used the same in Disneyland Paris than in the USA, UK and other English speaking countries. (So Mickey Mouse is still Mickey Mouse!) Having said that this isn’t an exhaustive list of every Disney character imaginable so I’m sure there’s some I’ve missed!
So if you want to know who you’re saying ‘Bonjour’ to, read on!
| English Character Name | French Character name | Notes |
| Buzz Lightyear | Buzz L’Eclair | Eclair is French for lightning, so the name has nothing to do with cream filled pastries. Sorry. |
| Captain Hook | Capitaine Crochet | Crochet is literally the French word for hook! I wouldn’t ask him to help with your craft project though… |
| Chip ‘n’ Dale | Tic et Tac | The pun for Chip n Dale doesn’t work in French, so Tic et Tac is used instead! |
| Cinderella | Cendrillon | The story was first published as ‘Cendrillon’ – in this case ‘Cinderella’ is the translation! |
| Cogsworth | Big Ben | In the French version Cogsworth is instead named after the famous London clock! |
| Eeyore | Bourriquet | From the French for small donkey or ass (the animal not the other kind…) |
| Goofy | Dingo | The word ‘goofy’ doesn’t mean anything in French as it does in English for being silly etc. The French name is taken from ‘dingue’ which means crazy! |
| Huey, Duey and Louie | Riri, Fifi and Loulou | Not entirely sure of why the name changes, although Riri does mean laugh! |
| Lightning McQueen | Flash McQueen | Not sure why the name is changed to another English word unless it’s because they didn’t want two characters with ‘eclair’ in the name (see Buzz Lightyear above) |
| Mad Hatter | Le Chapelier Fou | A literal translation of Mad Hatter (although the word ordering is different) |
| Maleficent | Malefique | Both names are taken from the latin for cursed |
| Mike Wazowski | Bob Razowski | Not found a reason for this name change but I kinda love it anyway! They sound like a great double-act. |
| Moana | Vaiana | This is actually a change in many European countries. Many say the change is due to a trademark issue in Europe. Others point out that there’s an Italian actress with the name Moana who has appeared in some very, well, un-Disney films! |
| Mr. Smee | Monsieur Mouche | Mouche is French for ‘fly’ so he’s Mr. Fly! Not sure if that’s because of his great dress sense or not… |
| Piglet | Porcinet | A play on the word for ‘piglet’ in French! |
| Rabbit (from Winnie the Pooh) | Coco Lapin | ‘Lapin’ is French for Rabbit. In the French version of the stories Rabbit just seems to have picked himself up an extra name! |
| Rapunzel | Raiponce | The French name for the character in the original story. Interestingly the film was called Raiponce and not Tangled in France too! |
| Scrooge McDuck | Balthazar Picsou | I’ve read that the French name means ‘Coin pincher’ although I haven’t been able to confirm that! |
| Seven Dwarfs (Dopey, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Doc, Sleepy and Sneezy) | Les Sept Nains (Simplet, Timide, Joyeux, Grincheux, Prof, Dormeur et Atchoum) | In this case ‘Sept Nains’ is the literal French translation of ‘Seven Dwarfs), and the individual names are puns on their character traits in French! |
| Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) | La Belle au bois dormant (Aurore) | A translation of the English to French. Although as the first known version of the story is in French, it’s really the English that’s the translation! |
| Snow White | Blanche Neige | Literally ‘snow white’ in French! |
| Tigger | Tigrou | A play on the French for ‘tiger’ (tigre) |
| Tinkerbell | Clochette | Clochette is a French word for bell! So she’s the bell fairy |
| Winnie the Pooh | Winnie l’Ourson | The French name means ‘Winnie the Bear’. Guessing ‘pooh’ just doesn’t translate well… |
I hope that helps folks! If I notice any more name changes on future trips I’ll add them to the list. Are you looking forward to meeting Bourriquet, Dingo and Bob on your next Disneyland Paris trip?
Magically Different Mouse 
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