Big Ben is a well-known clock tower located in London, England and a prominent world landmark. It has four clock faces (one on each side) with all the twelve Roman numerals in a traditional fashion. It is elaborately decorated and includes symbols related to the four nations of the United Kingdom, the Tudor dynasty, and a Latin inscription to Queen Victoria. It also has the power of light only during the nighttime. The tower stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side. The dials of the clock are 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter. Although many people use the name "Big Ben" to refer to the clock tower, it is used for the tower's large bell, while the tower itself is called the "Elizabeth Tower".
It has been featured in various Disney media over the years.
Peter Pan, Wendy, John, and Michael Darling land on Big Ben's minute hand to get their bearings to find Never Land. A small replica of Big Ben can be seen in the Darling household at the end of the film where it rings in a slightly high-pitched chime compared to the real big one with a deeper pitch. This version of Big Ben was also featured in the Kingdom Hearts video games in the Peter Pan-based world of Never Land.
After a thrilling air chase, Basil and Ratigan battle among Big Ben's gears. The climactic battle starts near the center of the tower, but goes all the way to the hands and concludes when the bell chimes, rattling Ratigan and causing him to fall to his death.
Big Ben is both seen and mentioned in this movie. After the song "Cruella De Vil" finishes, it airs on TV after the title What Makes Big Ben Tick? and chimes out loud, resulting in the animals' friendship changing back to their behavior of what they really are (the cat was the predator to the yellow bird, and the fox was the predator to the goose). This makes nearly all of them get away. Fortunately, Dr. Pavlov saves the furry white rabbit and notices how loud and unique the sound pattern is. Pavlov's assistant claims it was Big Ben coming from the television, thus causing Pavlov to realize that the chimes jolted the animals' brainwaves back to what they used to be. Afraid of what will happen to his former patient Cruella, Pavlov furiously grabs his assistant and informs that the secret should not get out, and that it never happened. Inside Chloe Simon's office, when the window is open, Big Ben chimes out loud, resulting in Ella De Vil gradually reverting back to Cruella.
Big Ben appears twice on the show: the first time is a small cameo in "A Hard Day's Knight", the second time is in "Elementary My Dear Stacy". The episode "Elementary My Dear Stacy" has Perry the Platypus and Agent Double 0-0 arrive at Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz's London lair underneath Big Ben. After making fun of Agent Double 0-0's name, Doofenshmirtz revealed his plan to launch Big Ben into orbit and land it outside Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated's main building so that he did not have to look at his tiny watch. Agent Double 0-0 ridiculed Doofenshmirtz's plan, saying that he could just buy a bigger watch or a wall clock. The scientist felt launching the famous landmark into space was easier than going into a store and picking one of those out.
Agent Double 0-0 was using his watch laser to open his and Agent P's traps. Since it was taking so long, Perry figured out that he can throw a nearby brick on the remote control and release the trap. Once free, Agent Double 0-0 climbed up through the inner workings of Big Ben to go undetected and surprised Doofenshmirtz. Agent P decided to take the elevator instead. The water slide Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher had on it was destroyed from the clock tower launching off but never left London.
During the closing credits of the episode, at 7:45pm inside Big Ben, Double 0-0 was still trying to reach the ladder from the pendulum. He then managed to get out through a door under the hands and looks at his watch to find out how much time he has been in there but complained about it being too small.
Shortly after showing Ebenezer Scrooge the joys of the holiday season and the poor living conditions of his underpaid clerk, Bob Cratchit, the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge inside Big Ben and shows him the evils of Ignorance and Want, specifically in what peril poor people will end up in should him not change his ways. During this segment, Ignorance grows up to be a ruthless thug who ends up behind bars. Want grows up to become a cackling hag who is thrown into an asylum. Whilst this is happening, the ghost erodes into a skeleton which then disintegrates into dust. Scrooge's shadow then changes into the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
In the film, Big Ben is renamed "Big Bentley", and is the place where Professor Zündapp and the lemons hold Mater, Finn McMissile, and Holley Shiftwell captive, planning to have them crushed by the tower's gears as its clock ticks. Grem and Acer later use the tower as a hiding spot for preparing to kill Lightning McQueen on the World Grand Prix racetrack around London with an electromagnetic pulse generator, but nothing happens due to McQueen not being supplied with Allinol, the fuel he chose for the race that can explode when in contact with an electromagnetic pulse. Going with their back-up plan, Grem and Acer leave Big Ben, but not before telling Mater they placed a bomb in the pits. With machine guns shredding through his ropes, Mater frees himself once Grem and Acer are gone, and exits the tower to warn McQueen's friends, reluctantly leaving Finn and Holley behind. Before the two of them can get crushed, Holley finds the clock's battery and reverses it with her taser, thus turning back the time on the clock, and she and Finn drive forward so that a gear on the other side of the tower cuts through their ropes. However, before they leave the tower, they find Mater's air filter, having been replaced with the bomb, and rush out to warn him that the lemons have tricked him.
The design of Big Ben in the film consists of Bentley grilles and hood ornaments,[1] and unlike its real-life counterpart at the time, it has an elevator rather than a staircase. Beneath the dials is a Latin inscription saying, "God Salvage Crown Victoria the First", which is a reference to the Ford Crown Victoria.[1] According to production designer Harley Jessup, the size of the tower was increased by around 250 percent to make it big enough in the Cars world, and "even the clockworks, which would fit in a conference room, were scaled up by at least 50 times their normal size."[2]
Big Ben appeared on the show when Baelfire expressly uses Peter Pan's Shadow, hoping to return into his original world, Fairytale Land. However, he falls into Never Land.
In the episode One Man Band (episode) when Mickey is running through London and the Queen's guards are about to seize him, Big Ben chimes and causes them to get startled and shake from it chiming. Big Ben is then shown zooming in going "Bong!" as the view zooms in on the Palace of Westminster with the whole place shaking.
Big Ben appears as the fourth level in the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions of 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue.
With help from Yvonne (a bat), Domino/Oddball make their way up Big Ben before they battle Cruella at the top, who is flying a helicopter built by Professor Farzboom. Domino/Oddball can use Big Ben's bell to disrupt the helicopter, and catapult fruit against Cruella. They then contact the "Twilight Bark" from the top and are told to meet Fluffy at the Royal Museum.
Big Ben is a part of the simulations Mater, Finn, Holley and their friends run in courses set around London. Here, it is closer to the other landmarks than in real life.