The Disney Legends Bracket -- The Sweet Sixteen
Time to run down who I'd send to the next round.
Well, hi there! As you may have seen a few days ago, I’ve already announced that, starting with the next bracket (I’ll announce it soon, don’t you worry), all the brackets will be moving to Substack.
But we’re in the midst of the Disney Legends bracket, with the Sweet Sixteen starting today.
So for now, it’s time for me to share with you my personal choices for which Legends ought to move onto the Elite Eight. I will remind you that I don’t vote in any of these, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have my preferences.
Anyway, let’s dive in.
Day 1
Julie Andrews vs. Mary Blair: This could have been the toughest matchup of the Sweet Sixteen. (It’s close, but another one is tougher.) On one hand, Julie Andrews only did so much for Disney throughout her career. Mary Blair unquestionably worked on more films and in the Disney parks, and you still see her impact today if you spend time in Fantasyland.
On the other hand, there is no more quintessential Disney film than Mary Poppins, and Andrews’ performance deservedly netted her an Oscar. The impact there, too, is quite clear.
This one’s a coin flip for me. My chaotic side wants Andrews to win because I really want to see a big head-to-head between Andrews and Angela Lansbury in the Elite Eight. My neutral side says it has to be Mary Blair for her distinctive visual style and her impact. It’s a toughie, folks.
Angela Lansbury vs. Paul Frees: This one is not tough. I won’t argue that Paul Frees did more work for Disney than Angela Lansbury did, because if you just compare and contrast filmographies, that is clearly the case. For me, the question is not “Who did more?” as much as “Whose work had a greater impact?” As we’re in the Sweet Sixteen, anything will be challenging now. But when it’s Angela Lansbury against…basically anybody, I am going to vote for Angela Lansbury.
Is it possible that I am partially siding with Angela Lansbury because I’m still heartbroken at her recent passing? I mean…maybe? But I would’ve pushed hard for her to get as close to the finals as possible. Now, if Julie Andrews wins the match above and faces Angela Lansbury in the Elite Eight…well, now, that will be challenging. But this matchup is not.
Day 2
Sherman Brothers vs. Yale Gracey: This is also not a challenging matchup for me. When it comes to the Disney discography, there are a handful of people (OK, men) who are most valuable to having created the company’s sound. The Sherman Brothers are among that handful. Yale Gracey was an excellent Imagineer, but without the Sherman Brothers, there’s a huge musical gap in the company’s history.
Howard Ashman vs. Retta Scott: Hey, you know who else was among the handful of men who helped create this company’s sound? Howard Ashman. I noted as much when I put my thumb on the scale in the last round and no doubt helped him eke out a 7-vote victory, but if Howard Ashman does not work for Disney for a few films, Disney animation is probably dead in the water.
This is not to dismiss the immeasurable work done by the talented animators of films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. But the songs in those films are so wonderful, so powerful, and so influential that they led to the next three-plus decades of modern animation as a whole. The current state of modern animation is a response, in some form, to the work Howard Ashman did on these films. He gets my vote, easily.
Day 3
Tony Baxter vs. Alan Menken: So, I am voting for Alan Menken, for a few reasons. I mentioned above that Howard Ashman basically saved Disney animation, but it would be wildly unfair to imply he did it all on his own. Alan Menken’s music — as eye-roll-y as this phrase may sound, I believe it is true — defined a generation. And while Ashman’s work is remarkable, he died far too young and Menken ended up doing a lot more work for the studio.
Not to discount the many projects Tony Baxter worked on over the decades, but Menken’s work is just so immense and recognizable to people all over the world in ways that I don’t believe are quite the same for Baxter. Also, frankly, at this stage I can’t vote for one-half of a creative partnership and ignore the other.
Ollie Johnston vs. Marty Sklar: I can never guess who will or won’t survive to this level of one of the brackets. But I will freely acknowledge that I expected more of the Nine Old Men of Disney Animation — whose work at Disney spanned film, TV, and theme parks, and is the foundation for so much of what we enjoy today within the company’s output — to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.
Now, you might look at the matchups preceding this one and say, “Well, Josh, what did you expect for real? Look at all the fame-o’s!” And yes, true, many of these names are more recognizable to the layman than Frank Thomas or Wolfgang Reitherman. But still! I maintain my surprise. If I wanted to be truly chaotic and/or hypocritical, I would now reveal that I’m pushing for Marty Sklar in this matchup. But no, I will be pushing for Ollie Johnston. Marty Sklar earned his Legend status, and he was an immensely integral part of the theme parks, but I will stand up for animation any day of the week. I vote for Ollie.
Day 4
Marc Davis vs. Ub Iwerks: Here’s another toughie. This is the most difficult matchup of the Sweet Sixteen. The issue here is not that you can’t make a case for both of these men to move forward. The issue is that…well, that you can make a case for both of these men to move forward. Let’s run down the respective CVs.
Marc Davis is one of the Nine Old Men. He was an animator at Disney through 1961, culminating in his remarkable character animation of Cruella De Vil. Before that? Oh, he just designed a few characters like Snow White, Bambi, Tinker Bell, and Maleficent. After he left Disney Animation, he moved to Walt Disney Imagineering, working on the design of rides like It’s A Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Jungle Cruise, and the Haunted Mansion.
Ub Iwerks was with Walt Disney at the very beginning. In fact, he was there before the beginning — you may have noticed that Disney is trumpeting its 100th anniversary, tied to the date in 1923 when Walt and Roy (brother, not nephew) set up their animation studio. Well, Ub Iwerks was working with Walt in 1919. He co-created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He co-created Mickey Mouse. Though he left Disney through the 1930s, Iwerks returned in 1940, staying at the company for nearly 25 years, working through technological innovations like the multiplane camera, Xerographic animation, and the combination of live-action and animation.
You know how sometimes in the brackets, you’ll think or tweet to me something to the effect of “I can’t choose?” Well, here we are. I can’t choose. My guess is that Marc Davis wins this. But I can’t choose. I’m glad I don’t have to.
Roy E. Disney vs. Ward Kimball: This is slightly difficult, but only slightly. Roy E. Disney was unquestionably an integral figure at the animation studio, especially in the 1980s. As a member of the family proper, he understood the need to maintain the true legacy that the overall company was built upon.
But I’m going with Ward Kimball here. It’s not just that he’s one of the Nine Old Men, and as you saw above, I’m partial to keeping as many of them as possible in the bracket. It’s that Kimball’s impact on Disney animation is more tangible, and his style funny and loose and distinctive. Roy E. Disney helped maintain the legacy of animation, but Ward Kimball helped create it.