The Ultimate Walt Disney Company Performances Bracket -- Round Three, Day Five
Pull the strings!
I’ve noted already in this round that many great voice performances made it to the third round, a delightful surprise to be sure. I will acknowledge that while at least one voice role is going to survive from today’s set, I am…real worried that it may just be the one! A shame, because I kinda think the voice roles in today’s set of matchups outpace many (if not all) of the performances among live actors.
But enough teasing — let’s start voting!
(1) Tom Hanks, Toy Story vs. (17) Jason Lee, The Incredibles: Two great voice performances from the world of Pixar enter the thunderdome, but just one can leave. And for me, it’s time to send Jason Lee packing. He’s one of the few great villains in Pixar’s filmography, but Sheriff Woody is the model Pixar protagonist and I can’t send him home just yet.
(8) Charles Grodin, The Great Muppet Caper vs. (9) Phil Harris, The Jungle Book: It all comes down, for me, to one thing. Phil Harris sang “The Bare Necessities” and Charles Grodin did not. So Phil Harris gets my vote.
(29) Martin Landau, Ed Wood vs. (13) Samuel E. Wright, The Little Mermaid: Samuel E. Wright gets this one for me, for much the same reason as I voted for Phil Harris above. When you get two all-timer songs in the same performance, and knock each of them out of the park, you get my vote.
(5) Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther vs. (21) Richard Kind, Inside Out: I imagine that Chadwick Boseman will get this one, and I don’t blame you for voting in his favor. I do want to acknowledge that Richard Kind is excellent as Bing Bong, a role that’s all but impossible to make non-saccharine, but he finds a way. I won’t be sad if he pulls off an upset, though I doubt it will happen.
How did Martin Landau/Bela Lugosi end up facing Sebastian? I loved singing along with the crab, but he is NOT getting my vote. One character here requires a nuanced and skillful performance that lifts the character beyond the ordinary, one requires great pipes and a talented songwriter. Take that into consideration when you vote. It's about the performance, not which film you prefer (though for me it's the same). I know which one I prefer.
I am shocked and maybe slightly appalled that Martin Landau is losing this one. Yea, Samuel Wright sings two classic songs. But Landau embodies a richly scripted role with both pathos and silliness at the same time, a man who spent his whole life embodying an inflated sense of his own persona, even as his reality deflated around him. It’s all-time great territory for me, and sure, I like “Under the Sea” as much as the next guy, but c’mon.