The Voice-Over Bracket, Round 1 -- Day 8

We’re finally on the last day of the first round of the Disney/Pixar voice performance bracket, which means I get to reveal my votes for the last four matchups.

Ready?

(6) James Earl Jones, The Lion King vs. (11) Albert Brooks, Finding Nemo

I’m going to get this out of the way right now: I’m voting for Albert Brooks here. James Earl Jones’ work as Mufasa is understandably iconic — next to his work as Darth Vader, it’s hard to think of a more recognizable role in Jones’ career. And he’s doing an excellent job as the kindly father figure whose death looms large over the life of our hero. But it’s intentionally a supporting character, one with few dimensions aside from an almost preternatural saintliness. Jones is excellent as Mufasa, but the role is limited.

The same cannot be said for Albert Brooks — who took over as Marlin after William H. Macy was cast and then rejected. Maybe it’s because I’m a neurotic dad, too! But what can I tell you? This is a rich and deep performance (and a hell of a lot more enjoyable than the performance from Ms. “Be Kind But Not When It Comes To My Staff”) that further cements Brooks as a truly gifted performer beyond his capacity for very funny cerebral comedy. Brooks gets my vote.

(3) Paul Winchell, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh vs. (14) Sebastian Cabot, The Jungle Book

Both Paul Winchell and Sebastian Cabot had distinctive, rich voices. There’s a reason you can hear them in a number of Disney animated films, though of course Winchell had the one iconic character to his name before his passing. I like Sebastian Cabot a lot as well — Bagheera is a challenging character to play without seeming obnoxious or annoying, since he’s the No-Fun Squad.

But come on. Tigger is an all-time classic character, and himself a challenging one to get right without sounding annoying in his own right. Winchell displays such exuberance and excitement as the bouncy, trouncy stuffed animal who can’t stop jumping and maybe doesn’t have a terribly solid grasp on what honey is. There’s not much dimension to the character, but Winchell’s just so much fun that he can’t be denied. I vote for Tigger.

(7) Samuel E. Wright, The Little Mermaid vs. (10) Clarence Nash, The Three Caballeros

I could technically have found space for Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse and Pinto Colvig as Goofy in this bracket. They each appear in a Disney animated feature, and with Clarence Nash, too. But I’m not a huge fan of Fun and Fancy Free, not even the “Mickey and the Beanstalk” segment in which they star. Nash, though, always did something truly marvelous with his mouth in performing as Donald. Just watch The Reluctant Dragon — it’s on Disney+ and it’s very weird, and you need to know nothing else — and you’ll see the man himself concocting the strange ducky sounds out of his throat like it’s a magic trick.

I mentioned this on Twitter recently, but I’ve come to terms with the reality that I am weirdly compelled to rewatch The Three Caballeros of late. It’s not my favorite Disney animated film, but it features some of the most alluring pieces of animation and music in the company’s history. Plus, it gives a spotlight to Donald Duck in ways that few other films ever would. Donald appeared in a number of 40s-era Disney films, but this is the one that’s truly special. I expect, to be fair, that Samuel E. Wright will win this poll. He’s excellent as Sebastian, and he gets two killer songs to knock out of the park.

But I vote with the legend.

(2) Hans Conried, Peter Pan vs. (15) Paul Newman, Cars

Paul Newman is one of the greatest of all screen actors. I know this, and so do you. Proof of his talent is the fact that he didn’t phone in what could have easily been a tossed-off piece of work in Pixar’s Cars, which served as the last fiction feature film in which Newman appeared. (Yes, that means Doc Hudson is the last character he ever played, and we’re not going to dwell on it any further.) Paul Newman is a legend. He’s very good in Cars.

But you know where I’m going with this, don’t you? Hans Conried didn’t quite look at all like the terrifying and grandiloquent Captain Hook. (I just recently watched The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T on The Criterion Channel; Conried plays the eponymous doctor in both real-world and dream-world sections, and it was like watching a more flamboyant version of David Hyde Pierce.) His voice, though, was a carefully modulated tool as the nefarious captain — he’s scary in one scene, and disturbingly charming in the next. It’s a multi-dimensional performance that also brings to life one of the most memorable villains in Disney history. Sorry, Paul. I’m with Conried.