The Voice-Over Bracket, Round 1 -- Day 5

Today, we’ve got a good mix of old-school and newer performances to get through in the latest set of matchups.

For my own part, I spy at least one lower-seed victor.

(1) Sterling Holloway, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh vs. (16) Pinto Colvig, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

One of the self-imposed rules of this bracket is that I limited myself to one performance per actor. Some of the actors in this bracket, of course, have only ever been in one Disney/Pixar animated movie, or they’ve only ever played one character. But then there are actors like Sterling Holloway, whose face you may not recognize but whose voice I presume you already know if you’ve found your way to this newsletter. From the stork in Dumbo to Kaa in The Jungle Book, Holloway is one of the all-time invaluable voice actors in the Disney stable. Pinto Colvig is too, to be clear; he’s the original voice of Goofy, and his performance as the irascible Grumpy is one of the great delights of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. (While I admire the film, and appreciate its artistry, I gotta be honest: not a ton of great vocal performances.)

But if I’m picking just one performance, I must go with the silly old bear himself, Winnie the Pooh. Holloway’s soft, lilting voice is a perfect match with the tub of fluff. While Jim Cummings has taken over duties as Winnie over the last four decades, there’s only one Winnie (and winner) here.

(8) Bruno Campos, The Princess and the Frog vs. (9) Larry Roberts, Lady and the Tramp

The thing about romances in Disney animated films is that they tend to lean harder on the female character than the male character. This isn’t automatically a bad thing, but the romantic leads in Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, the aforementioned Snow White, and others are typically not up to snuff. It is here that I must point out two things, one obvious, one less so. First, these brackets always come down to my personal preference. Second, I tried — as much as possible, though not for every film — to have at least one actor or actress from memorable, iconic Disney animated films.

Which brings me to Larry Roberts and Bruno Campos. Now, Campos is my pick here — Prince Naveen has a clear arc in the film, and Campos does an excellent job of making him a charming cad who grows up by the conclusion. It’s a loopy, lighthearted, charismatic performance. So too is the case for Roberts as the Tramp. Maybe I’m just a sucker for male leads who lean further into charm than being understandably morose. (This is, by the way, as much as I can explain why Robby Benson’s quite good performance as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast isn’t in the bracket.) But I like these two a lot, and think they’re two of the strongest male leads in Disney animation.

I vote with Campos — he sells the shift in Naveen better than Roberts does with the Tramp.

(5) Dwayne Johnson, Moana vs. (12) John C. Reilly, Wreck-It Ralph

So, we have our first lower-seed victory of the day here. I’m on record — a lot, if you’ve tolerated my tweets and writing long enough — as a largely unimpressed viewer of Wreck-It Ralph. If we were simply talking about the movies here, I’d pick Moana every time. And Dwayne Johnson is very good as Maui, too. But the one thing that works, and works amazingly well, in Wreck-It Ralph is John C. Reilly’s nuanced and three-dimensional performance. I think it’s the epitome of dangerous messaging that Ralph’s journey is one of acceptance, and that trying to be anything other than his prescribed role would cause the destruction of his entire universe. (This works slightly better in the sequel, if only because Ralph’s acceptance is less about being a “bad guy” and more about being a genuinely bad friend.)

But Reilly’s performance as Ralph is excellent. Sorry, Mr. The Rock. I stick with Reilly.

(4) Anika Noni Rose, The Princess and the Frog vs. (13) Irene Bedard, Pocahontas

As you almost certainly know by now, I adore The Princess and the Frog. And Anika Noni Rose, it should be noted, is singing her own songs in this wonderful 2009 film. So let’s get the obvious out of the way — I’m voting for Rose here. I do want to give some credit to Irene Bedard, who does as good a job as possible with an unfortunately underwritten title character. Both Pocahontas and The Princess and the Frog, at the time, seemed like something of an apologia to a marginalized group that had previously been treated nastily by early Disney animation. In some respects, Pocahontas is an accomplished film. Its visuals are striking, and many of its songs are well-written and memorable. And Bedard is quite good…in a thankless role. (The respects in which the film is not great come down to its script.)

Even if I liked Pocahontas more, or if I liked the character more, I’d give this to Rose for at least one reason: one of these actresses sang their own songs, and one did not. And “Almost There” is a hell of a piece of music that Rose knocks out of the park. Just listen to that last note she holds, and bow down before her talent. I vote for Rose.