Movie-Reference Refreshments at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World is home to amazing lands and attractions inspired by some of its best and most popular movies. It is also home to outstanding restaurants and stands featuring delicious food and beverages. Put those two things together, and it’s truly magical!

You don’t have to look too hard to find dishes and drinks that are themed to Disney-owned properties, like Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. But some even take it a step further by including items on their menu that are specifically referenced in those movies. Let’s take a look at some of the top movie-reference refreshments you can find throughout WDW.

Please Note: Not all dining locations are currently operating due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Grey Stuff 

When song-writing legends Howard Ashman and Alan Menken composed the line “try the grey stuff/ it’s delicious/ don’t believe me/ ask the dishes” for the song Be Our Guest in the modern classic Beauty and the Beast, it left a generation of kids wondering: what exactly is the grey stuff? The Imagineers finally answered that question with the opening of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom in 2012 – it is a delicious whipped cookies & cream-flavored mousse that is grey-ish in color. It is now available for fans of all ages to try, both as the filling of an adorable white chocolate “Chip” cup at Be Our Guest Restaurant and as the topping of a tasty cupcake at Gaston’s Tavern.

Ratatouille 

While we all wish we could dine at the world-famous Gusteau’s, at least for now we’ll have to settle for just trying the titular dish from this Pixar film. Available at Chefs de France, in the France Pavilion at EPCOT, ratatouille is a traditional French meal consisting of vegetables like eggplant, squash, zucchini, and more, stewed in a savory sauce. At a critical point in the movie, Remy, with the help of Linguini, prepares this dish for notorious food critic Anton Ego, who overwhelmingly approves. Give this meal a try and I bet you will too! Bon appétit!

Lunch Box Tarts & Tater Tots 

The popular Lunch Box Tarts and Potato Barrel tater tots available at Woody’s Lunch Box at Hollywood Studios are both subtle nods to the original film, but you have to be a pretty hard-core fan to catch them. As Andy plays in the opening scene of Toy Story, Woody saves the day by defeating One-Eyed Bart (Mr. Potato Head), and sends him to jail exclaiming, “Say goodbye to the wife and tater tots!” Later, when Sid is in the midst of torturing Woody in his bedroom, his mom interrupts by calling “Sid, your Pop Tarts are ready!” Pretty obscure references, sure, but they also make total sense to include here with the overall “elevated kid food” theme of the restaurant.

Blue Milk 

From the moment Luke Skywalker is seen drinking a strange blue beverage at his home on Tatootine early on in Star Wars: A New Hope, fans became very intrigued by the drink. Now known to be blue bantha milk, the beverage became quite famous, though no one could actually taste it until Galaxy’s Edge opened at Hollywood Studios. Now, you can order blue milk, which is a plant-based blend of coconut and rice milk with fruity flavors, throughout Batuu, at both the Milk Stand and Oga’s Cantina. It’s just one more detail that makes you feel as if you have really stepped into the world created by George Lucas.

Num Num Cookie

The Incredibles 2 finds baby Jack-Jack unable to control his many burgeoning powers, while Mr. Incredible struggles to handle the situation. The only thing he finds to help is feeding Jack-Jack a constant stream of delicious chocolate chip cookies, which he refers to as “num num cookies”. At the Neighborhood Bakery in Hollywood Studios, you can purchase one of these massive chocolate chip cookies to enjoy. They are the perfect blend of warm, crunchy, and gooey. Make Jack-Jack proud by indulging in this incredible treat!

“Poison” Apple 

A poisoned apple is famously used by the evil queen in an attempt to kill Snow White in Disney’s first animated feature film. You can taste your own (obviously not poisoned) “poison” apple during the Story Book Dining at Artist Point, located at Wilderness Lodge resort. The restaurant is themed to look like an enchanted forest, and typically serves as a character dining location. Included on the dessert menu is the “poison” apple, which consists of a dark chocolate apple mousse with a sour center, as well as another movie reference: gooseberry pie, which Snow White cooks for the dwarfs when she stays with them. Even better, both are included with your meal, so you don’t have to choose!

Walt Disney World has created spaces for us to get lost in our favorite stories. But none of that would be complete without the accompanying food and beverage that we’ve come to associate with those films. These are a few examples of how Disney has expertly included references, some subtle and some much more obvious, to their movies throughout their menus.

What other specific movie-reference refreshments can you think of at WDW? Let us know in the comments!