The Ultimate Walt Disney Company Performances Bracket -- Round One, Day Twenty-Three

Wrong lever!

I don’t get nostalgic for a lot from the 1980s, but man, those sunglasses that Paul Newman is sporting are really badass, no? (Or is it just the whole “Paul Newman wearing sunglasses is instantly badass” part?)

Anyway, even though it’s too early in the morning for me to think too deeply about any new wardrobe choices, it’s just the right time for us to start voting in some new matchups in the first round of the Ultimate Walt Disney Company Performances bracket.

So let’s go!

(3) Jeremy Irons, The Lion King vs. (62) Craig Ferguson, Winnie the Pooh (2011): Craig Ferguson: great talk-show host, and a fine update for Owl in the underrated 2011 film. But this one goes to Jeremy Irons, and it’s not a tough call at all. You know what to do.

(30) Lisa Kudrow, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion vs. (35) Ben Burtt, WALL-E: I will give this one to Lisa Kudrow, but just by a hair or two. On one hand, yes, Ben Burtt’s vocal work as WALL-E is limited to only a handful of words, or sounds, or whatever. On the other hand, when we do hear WALL-E communicate, it’s all the more impactful for how limited it is. And yet, I will not deny that Lisa Kudrow’s charms are plenty in the fun 1997 comedy Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

I can see this being tough, but that’s your call. Who are you voting for?

(14) Paul Newman, The Color of Money vs. (51) Sarah Silverman, Ralph Breaks the Internet: I like Sarah Silverman as Vanellope just fine in the 2018 sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet (arguably, I like her a bit more than in the original film), but Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson is one of the great and undersung lead performances in Martin Scorsese’s filmography. I won’t pretend his work is better than in the original drama The Hustler, but he’s excellent in the 1986 sequel. Give it to the pool shark.

(19) Eartha Kitt, The Emperor’s New Groove vs. (46) Robert Newton, Treasure Island: Two exuberant and flamboyantly villainous performances are going head to head here. It’s a fun matchup, even though you and I both know that Eartha Kitt is going to win. (And she should, when all is said and done.) I do want to acknowledge Robert Newton’s very foundational performance as Long John Silver, both because it came in the first fully live-action Disney feature film and because a lot of what we take for granted today in terms of pirate-style performance tropes are thanks to what Newton did.

But still. Kitt as Yzma. We know she’s winning, right?