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royally odd

Here’s the one thing you probably haven’t noticed about Disney characters…can YOU spot it?

You probably didn't notice as a kid, but perhaps we don't know them as well as we think we do

Although our beloved Disney characters are usually based on humans and share our characteristics, it seems they are missing one tiny (but very important) detail.

If you take a closer look, it's probably a lot more obvious than we realised.

 Can you spot the missing detail?
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Can you spot the missing detail?Credit: Disney

That's right - our fave princesses are missing fingernails.

They may have brightly coloured hair, huge glistening eyes, and sometimes supernatural powers - but not a single cuticle.

It makes us wonder: why were they looking for Prince Charming when they are clearly missing something more important?!

Is it another unrealistic beauty standard, or a strange mistake?

 No wonder Mulan looks so upset...
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No wonder Mulan looks so upset...Credit: Disney

It seems that Mulan could do anything; from pretending to be a boy to join the military, fighting mercilessly with a sword, and even saving The Emperor.

But there was one thing she couldn't quite do - grow fingernails.

 The lack of fingernails trend even dates all the way back to Snow White
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The lack of fingernails trend even dates all the way back to Snow WhiteCredit: Disney
 Princess Tiana is hardworking and ambitious, but still lacks one essential element
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Princess Tiana is hardworking and ambitious, but still lacks one essential elementCredit: Disney

Even some of our modern princesses haven't found the missing piece of the puzzle.

The decision to remove the fingernails (or not include them in the first place) could have been made because the characters were female; as other male characters still bear the trait.

The hyper-masculine Gaston from Beauty and The Beast seems to have nails...sometimes.

 Gaston has fingernails in this shot, whereas Belle is often without them
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Gaston has fingernails in this shot, whereas Belle is often without themCredit: Disney

The reason behind the un-drawn fingernails is believed to be due to how costly and time-consuming it is to create an animated feature.

The cost-cutting strategy was used when artists decided it was faster and cheaper for them to draw only four fingers rather than five, which is why Mickey Mouse is missing one himself.

But it looks as though the artists may have had some spare time with certain characters, as  points out, the characters aren't completely without fingernails all the time.

 However, moments later he is suddenly without them again
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However, moments later he is suddenly without them again
 Malificent had some impressive talons
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Malificent had some impressive talonsCredit: Disney

The plot thickens (and becomes more confusing) when it seems that female villains have the best manicures in the land.

Malificent herself sports a nude pointed nail for her close up.

While it may bug us for a little while, we're sure it won't spoil our Disney viewing forever.

Since we may never know the real reason behind the fingernail conspiracy - we will just have to live with the mystery.

For more inside the Disney universe, take a look at the top secrets behind Disney World Florida.

And

And if you're looking for Disney merch, check out this adorable Aristocats homeware from Primark.

Take a look at Disney World's upcoming Star Wars hotel which will be connected to the theme park Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge