Disney Illusion Island is an unorthodox entry in the House of Mouse's catalog of games. It places Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Minnie on a mysterious island filled with new faces and lore. Like most modern Disney products, though, it holds a heap of references.
Numerous Easter Eggs lie within this quaint quest. Some are from Disney's history, but many more pay tribute to various aspects of the gaming industry. That would be weird enough, but most of these callbacks hide beneath the surface. It's certainly a departure from the company's usual MO, as the references are often loud and in your face. Disney Illusion Island is refreshing in that respect. The fact that its Easter Eggs aren't obvious means that it's more rewarding to uncover them.
Wish Upon A Shooting Star
From the ground up, the Monoth society seems like a poor man's Disney. The locals make that clear with their introduction. When players first see their palace/bookcase, it's in a grandiose shot where the camera slowly pans in from the front. A shooting star then soars above as if on cue. The imagery deliberately steals from the House of Mouse.
One of the company's popular promos features the Disney castle (inspired by the palace in Cinderella). The camera pans out instead of in, but the shot still shows the shooting star at the end. The sequence has only gotten more elaborate as the years have passed. By comparison, the Monoth rendition looks like a cardboard standee.
TBD
To defeat Disney Illusion Island's supposed villains, the heroes must seal them away with a spell. The incantation is strange, however. The characters repeatedly say, "Teebeedee." These may sound like random noises, but they're actually a callback to the marketing.
The announcement trailer includes them (in a manner of speaking). The commercial initially goes through the typical routine of showing the style and story; however, when it comes to the release date, it's unclear. All viewers get is "TBD 2023." Minnie points out how unhelpful that is, and she's right. That's probably why the developers have her second-guess the spell in a similar exchange.
GPS
This Easter Egg may be unintentional. In the beginning, the Disney icons wonder how they all got to Illusion Island. Goofy pulls out his personal GPS ("Goofy Positioning System"), but it's unlike any such device that viewers have ever seen. It looks more like a miniature game system.
More specifically, it resembles the old Tiger Electronics games. These cheap toys were released to coincide with upcoming movies or TV shows. They also cranked out copies of popular games. Consumers then played a watered-down minigame using still images sequentially lit up onscreen. Goofy's GPS has one of those very sprites, and it even sports the themed exterior seen in each Tiger unit.
Again, this could be a massive coincidence. Let's not forget, though, that Tiger minigames functioned as collectibles in Kingdom Hearts 3. Maybe Disney is trying to bring them back into the public eye.
Heroic Legends
When explaining why he brought Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy to Illusion Island, Toku asserts that they are proven heroes. He then mentions several previous adventures to support his claim. These include fighting as musketeers and clashing on top of a beanstalk. That rings familiar to both the characters and the audience.
Toku is referencing movies and specials involving these characters. The Three Musketeers and Jack & the Beanstalk are the most notable examples. The filmmakers take fairy tales or other iconic stories and portray the characters using Disney mascots. Sure, it's little more than a gimmick, but it creates some amusing what-if scenarios. This moment would have been an opportune time for a Kingdom Hearts callback, but alas, no. The battle-hardened heroes of that series would be too overpowered for Illusion Island.
Spindle The Hedgehog
The heroes encounter many bizarre enemies on this journey, but among the more annoying are spiked foes called "spindles." These little blue boogers are covered in spines. Their signature attack is to spin at super speed, turning their bodies into living buzzsaws. As irritating as this is, it also evokes memories of another furry fighter.
Spindle must be Disney's take on Sonic the Hedgehog. The Blue Blur routinely spins in the same way, bashing bots and other baddies threatening his home. Considering the Sonic series got its start in 2D platforming, the callback in this title can't be an accident. Of course, that's not the only genre gem that Illusion Island pays homage to.
Throw Them A Rope
In addition, the developers also pay tribute to Spelunky. In that game, players have a supply of ropes. They can use these items to ascend or descend various platforming environments. This is particularly helpful for co-op exploits. One player can reach a point and lower a rope so that their partner can catch up. It's a convenient way to keep friends together if one isn't as accomplished in side-scrolling platforming.
That philosophy extends to Illusion Island. If one or more characters can't jump to a higher spot, an ally simply lowers a rope. The mechanic isn't as versatile as Spelunky's climbing, yet it's helpful nonetheless. Honestly, it's more in-character for Mickey and friends since they're usually joined at the hip, they'd be loath to leave anyone behind.
Disney Illusion Island is available on the Nintendo Switch.