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Bridge's avatar

I had been mulling a long dissertation for this matchup as I had been expecting it as the Championship. I’d planned to discuss these two performances and their importance to their respective eras of the Walt Disney Company, how they each contributed to the revival of a struggling brand both financially and as a cultural touchstone, how they can be argued as highlights for each performer despite long and varied careers, etc.

Instead, a personal anecdote that for me says it all: when my son was but three years old, my wife and I decided one sunny Saturday morning to show him Mary Poppins. He had never sat still for more than five minutes of a non-animated film or television show in his life, but we thought we’d give it a try. He sat, enrapt, for the entire duration; when Julie Andrews appeared, his eyes were wide. If that is not the strongest endorsement for the magic of the film and her performance, I’m not sure what is.

He discovered cinema that day.

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Nick's avatar

"It’s a brilliant performance as much for what he does as for what his absence meant in the execrable first direct-to-video sequel. ... The Genie is a Poochie-level character:"

And, of course, was voiced by Poochie in said execrable first direct-to-video sequel.

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