Disney Facts! Volume 2

Facts 301-330: Doctor Strange Themed Page

Things are about to get a little... strange ;)

I finally saw it last night and I absolutely moved it! So here are some facts about everyone's favourite magical super hero, Doctor Strange

Fact #301
Benedict Cumberbatch received help with finger-tutting movements from dancer Jayfunk, to make the spell-casting gestures look fluid and agile. 

Fact #302
Although this is Doctor Strange's first outing in a MCU solo movie, the character has been teased in earlier movies. In Thor; the Orb of Agamotto can be seen among the treasures in Odin's treasure chamber. In Thor: The Dark World, the Crossroads is among the various phrases written on Selvig's chalkboard; the Crossroads is an other-dimensional reality that has a prominent role in the "Doctor Strange" comics. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Jasper Sitwell mentions Stephen Strange as one of the high-risk targets that HYDRA keeps under surveillance.

Fact #303
In the comics, Stephen Strange had a younger sister named Donna, who died when he was young, and motivated him into becoming a doctor. Lulu Wilson was cast as Donna in the film and shot some scenes, but they were cut out for running time purposes.

Fact #304
While filming, Benedict Cumberbatch walked into a comic book store, in full costume, and bought an actual Doctor Strange comic. 

Fact #305
Doctor Strange's creators, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, based his appearance on Hollywood actor Vincent Price. The character even bears the middle name of Vincent.

Fact #306
Director Scott Derrickson is a big fan of Doctor Strange, and spent his own money on a concept video he pitched to Marvel so that he could get the job of directing the film.

Fact #307
Scott Derrickson admitted that the MCU films dedicate little time to developing antagonists, so he just hoped to show Kaecilius's point of view, describing the character as a "villain of ideas with watertight logic,".

Fact #308
Astrophysicist Adam Frank served as a science consultant on the film, to advise on how to portray changes in the human experience of space and time. Frank also helped Marvel conceive their ideas for the multiverse, as well as suggest dialogue and belief stances for the characters.

Fact #309
Scott Derrickson wanted to feature the dream demon Nightmare and his world the Dream Dimension, but decided to save him for a sequel.

Fact #310
In designing the Eye of Agamotto, creator of Dr. Strange Steve Ditko drew inspiration from the real world charm The All Seeing Eye of the Buddha, known among the Buddhists as The Amulet of Snail Martyrs, a Nepali symbol meant to protect its wearer from evil.

Fact #311
Near the start of the movie when there is a wide shot of the Manhattan skyline, Tony Stark's Avengers building can be seen. 

Fact #312
In the comics, the Ancient One is an old man; in this film, the Ancient One is played by a woman. This was a deliberate decision as Scott Derrickson felt the Ancient One was a title rather than a person. Additionally this was also intended to avoid the risk of portraying any negative racial stereotypes, as the appearance of the Ancient One in the comics is based around the Tibetan Monks.

Fact #313
Cinematographer Ben Davis cites the Disney experimental film Fantasia as a visual influence on the film: "It has a very psychedelic grounding, and most of the work is about other dimensions."

Fact #314
According to Kevin Feige, the concept of magic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is inspired by The Matrix and the fantasy works of Stanley Kubrick and Hayao Miyazaki. 

Fact #315
According to James Gunn, Stan Lee's cameo in the film is one of the four Lee cameos that was filmed in one day itself. Gunn said that he only filmed three, being this film, Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 and another title that he did not reveal. Several one-liners with Lee were filmed and considered, but the one that appears in the film was chosen by Scott Derrickson himself.

Fact #316
The scene where Stephen trains his broken hands by writing his name over and over comes from 'J. Michael Straczynski''s "Dr Strange" comic.

Fact #317
At one point, Doctor Strange considers using an axe as a weapon. This is a homage to the 2016 "Doctor Strange" comics, where he was severely depowered and took to wielding an axe, called Angarrumus.

Fact #318
In a fight, Master Mordo has a relic that he calls the Staff Of The Living Tribunal. In the comics The Living Tribunal is an incredibly powerful cosmic entity.

Fact #319
When Dr Strange begins to experiment with the Eye of Agamotto and the Time Spells in the Book of Cagliostro, the focus of his practice is an apple, symbolically the representation of Forbidden Knowledge.

Fact #320
The design of Dark Dimension is based on the works of Steve Ditko for Dr. Strange comics in the 60s. Ditko was co-creator of Dr. Strange together Stan Lee in 1963.

Fact #321
Just before he crashes, Dr. Strange is told about a "22 year-old woman with schizophrenia with an an electronic implant in her brain struck by lightning." This is a reference to the superhero Madalyn Joyce, also known as Miss America who, in the comics received superpowers when an experimental electrical device her uncle was testing was struck by lightening. In the comics: Miss America is now the identity of another superhero called America Chavez, who inherits the original America's powers.

Fact #322
The first building-bending battle between Kaecilius and The Ancient One was filmed on the road Great Scotland Yard in Central London. Opposite the end of the street (but not visible during the scene) is the Sherlock Holmes pub on Northumberland Street.

Fact #323
Rachel McAdams' startled reaction in the broom closet was genuine, since the mop handle fell completely by accident, and scared McAdams almost out of her skin. The director decided to keep the reaction in the film, since she never broke character.

Fact #324
This is the fourth film in Rachel McAdams's career in which she plays a love interest to a man who can travel through (or otherwise manipulate) time.

Fact #325
The Zealots' makeup took between two to three hours to apply.

Fact #326
Doctor Strange is repeatedly addressed as 'Mister' by other characters. This is a homage to the original concept of Dr. Strange, where the creator Steve Ditko was initially willing to name the character as 'Mr. Strange', but later changed it since it sounded similar to 'Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards)'.

Fact #327
Cumberbatch also portrays, uncredited, the villainous entity Dormammu. The actor suggested he take on the role to Derrickson. The director agreed, elaborating that the casting implies that Dormammu does not have a normal physical form in his own dimension, and so is simply imitating Strange for their confrontation. To create the character, Cumberbatch provided motion-capture reference for the visual effects team, like he did for Smaug in The Hobbit.

Fact #328
Doctor Strange is just the second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to not have a kissing scene after Guardians of the Galaxy.

Fact #329
Doctor Strange is just the second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to not have a kissing scene after Guardians of the Galaxy.

Fact #330
The second time that Strange goes into the library to request reading material on astral projection from Wong, he calls Wong "Beyonce" and finds it hard to believe that Wong had never heard of her. A little later when Strange is opening gateways in the library in order to "borrow" more books, Beyonce's song, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" can clearly be heard coming from Wong's headphones.

BONUS!
During the mid-credits scene, when Doctor Strange ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) is talking to Thor he can be seen wearing yellow gloves as an homage to his comic book costume, where he had to wear them to protect his hands.

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I hope you all enjoyed these facts as much as I did!