The Ultimate Walt Disney Company Performances Bracket -- Round One, Day Twenty-Six
Step in time, step in time, step in time, step in time!
Care for a caramel apple, friends? I can just hear Timothy Spall’s intentionally bad Russian accent as he offers a dangerous fruit to an innocent maiden. But we’ve got at least one more bad accent to consider today.
Ready? Let’s get to the polls!
(8) Bill Murray, Rushmore vs. (57) Bette Davis, Return from Witch Mountain: Bette Davis was an icon beyond compare. But Bill Murray in Rushmore is both — within the film itself — incredibly funny and — within his larger career — incomparably important. Wes Anderson helped shift his career, it’s true, but Murray does it himself as Herman Blume. A great performance that gave him a second wind in his later years. (And he should’ve gotten an Oscar nod.)
(25) Timothy Spall, Enchanted vs. (40) Oprah Winfrey, Beloved: Are you feeling enchanted or beloved? Glibness aside regarding the two one-word titles, I am unwavering in my love of Timothy Spall’s supporting work in Enchanted. (He, Adams, and Marsden are tied for top performer in my mind.) Spall’s line reading alone of “Sire, do you…like yourself?” is enough to get my vote. Oprah will have to manage with being eliminated in the first round.
(9) Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins vs. (56) George C. Scott, The Rescuers Down Under: Multiple things, as they say, can be true. Dick Van Dyke’s British accent in Mary Poppins is truly, hilariously bad. George C. Scott’s work as Percival C. McLeach in The Rescuers Down Under is notably terrifying, as you would expect from an actor of his weight and timber. And I’m still giving this to Dick Van Dyke, whose exuberance is so remarkable that I cannot help but be charmed by him, goofy faux-Cockney accent and all. He’s throwing his whole body into each line reading, each song, each dance number. It’s a hell of a thing to watch.
(24) Auli’i Cravalho, Moana vs. (41) John Candy, Cool Runnings: Part of me wants to give this to John Candy just because, as noted yesterday, I very much miss John Candy. Part of me remembers that I like Moana as a film a good deal more than I like Cool Runnings, and the latter film is not the best possible showcase for John Candy’s talent. But…I also feel more confident in his chances here than in yesterday’s matchup.
It’s a toss-up for me. How about you?
Since I haven't watched Enchanted or Beloved, I went with my favorite overall performer. Timothy Spall takes it based on his work as the hangman in Pierrepoint and as Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd, a film I watched while on vacation in WDW. That's going to have to do.
As a huge Cool Runnings fan that last match up hurts my soul because I just can't go against Moana, Auli'i is so great as that character.