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

In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.

My friends, the day is here. We have arrived at the Final Four of the Ultimate Walt Disney Company Performances bracket. Hard though it may be to believe, we started the new year and the new bracket off with 256 performances, and months later, we’re here with just a quartet of finalists.

Four brilliant performances have made it this far, and I will freely admit that there have been a handful or two of surprises along the way. To reiterate the biggest shock: no Bob Hoskins in Who Framed Roger Rabbit! I know that’s not super-recent news, but I did very much expect Mr. Hoskins to make it to the finale.

Alas, he won’t. From all the various and sundry live-action and voice roles here, there’s just a handful for you to choose from. Will today’s match be hard? That’s up to you. Let’s vote!

(2) Amy Adams, Enchanted vs. (1) Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins: So we have here two genuinely, unquestionably iconic performances from two legendary actresses. There are, as I am sure you’re already aware, a great number of similarities here.

First, it’s two brilliant performances that serve as each actress’ breakout role. In Julie Andrews’ case, the role of Mary Poppins was her big-screen debut (at least among on-screen roles, though I feel safe we can essentially ignore her voice dub in a 1952 English-language version of La Rosa di Bagdad, an animated film I wager most of you did not realize existed until right now).

Second, it’s two performances in films that feature both animation and live-action. Julie Andrews, of course, had to interact with hand-drawn animated characters, while Amy Adams has to do so with computer-animated characters like Pip.

Third, it’s two performances bolstered by memorable songs, though I think many of us would agree that the songs in Mary Poppins are just a bit more iconic. (Hell, Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken might agree with that for all I know.)

Fourth, these are award-worthy performances. Julie Andrews rightly won the Oscar, and Amy Adams, of course, didn’t even get a nomination, which is baffling to this very day. (Quick, without looking it up: who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2007? And who was nominated? Having seen all five of the nominated performances, I am 100% convinced that Adams should’ve been nominated and won over all of them. Maybe Laura Linney in The Savages and Julie Christie in Away from Her make a run at it instead. Maybe.)

My point here is this: for me, at least, this is a tough match. I still recall very vividly watching Enchanted in theaters, and very specifically getting hooked by Amy Adams as a performer with Giselle’s exuberant realization that her love interest’s more dour personality is making her angry. The moment where she says, “You just make me…oh…so…angry! Oh! I’m angry!” is a funny enough line, but man, the emotions she whirls through so clearly and quickly in about five seconds is a hell of a thing. (I don’t think I realized until afterwards that I’d seen Adams in a supporting role in Catch Me If You Can, in which she nearly steals the film from Leonardo DiCaprio. She’s a chameleon.)

But, as I have said before in this bracket, Julie Andrews is Julie Andrews, and Mary Poppins is Mary Poppins. If I’d had to guess from the start of this bracket who would make it to the Top Two, honestly, I would have been wrong. Because it would’ve been Andrews and Hoskins. Will I be half right?

Well, that’s your call. I’m glad I don’t have to vote. But you do. Good luck!