The Voice-Over Bracket, Round 2 -- Day 2

A new day means a new set of matchups for all of you to vote on via Twitter. But what would I vote for if I could?

Well, read on.

(1) Jeremy Irons, The Lion King vs. (9) Tony Jay, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

I said as much during the first round, but Jeremy Irons’ performance as Scar — even though it’s not fully completed, seeing as he wasn’t able to perform the entirety of “Be Prepared”, which remains one of the oddest bits of post-production trivia in Disney history — is the reason why I built out this bracket. I do think Tony Jay delivers an incredible performance as one of the most fascinating and complex villains in Disney history. Frollo’s a dynamic and three-dimensional villain whose motives you understand even if you know he’s a horrible human being. Tony Jay, of course, sings all of “Hellfire”.

But I’m still voting for Jeremy Irons. The silkiness of his voice, the depth of his villainy, and the fact that he’s one of the funnier Disney villains — and one of the last funny Disney villains — gets my vote.

(5) Eartha Kitt, The Emperor’s New Groove vs. (4) Keith David, The Princess and the Frog

First, I should acknowledge that I am fully prepared for Keith David to lose this battle. Someone, when I first unveiled the overall bracket, pointed out to me on Twitter that if any of the top seeds may lose, it could be Irons when he inevitably goes up against Eartha Kitt in the next round. Kitt’s a legend, and she’s very funny as Yzma. But — and this is key — because of the haphazard and rushed production process for the 2000 film in which she appears, we never got to hear the song she sang in the final product. Compare that to the great character actor Keith David, whose work on “Friends on the Other Side” is next level.

Dr. Facilier is one of my favorite modern Disney characters, in no small part because David leans in hard to the charisma and frustration of a man living in the French Quarter in the 1920s, angry to see another rich white man take leadership where he feels he should be stepping in. Both great performances and strikingly animated characters, but I’m voting for the bad doctor.

(11) Gilbert Gottfried, Aladdin vs. (3) Jonathan Freeman, Aladdin

This is a fun battle, because it’s — I think — our first in-movie matchup. Which of the bad guys from Aladdin should move on? Gottfried won in a mild upset in the first round over James Woods’ performance as Hades, and I am fully aware (and I fully understand) that part of his victory was as much for the voice work as for…who Gottfried’s competition was.

Moving on, I must vote…for Jonathan Freeman. While both Freeman and Gottfried are a lot of fun as Jafar and Iago — they have a weirdly co-dependent relationship that’s built out in separate recording booths — I gotta stick with the guy whose voice is so distinctive that Iago himself impersonates it at one point. Jafar all the way.

(10) Richard White, Beauty and the Beast vs. (2) Pat Carroll, The Little Mermaid

These are both great performances. Let me emphasize that here. I know some of you are going to pull for Pat Carroll as the first Renaissance-era campy villain, and I get it. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” is an excellent piece of music, and Carroll’s sly and sneaky throughout both the song and the whole film. A great performance. But Gaston, to me, is one of the purely brilliant character conceptions in full from the Disney canon. Richard White is not a household name — he’s primarily a stage actor — but his booming voice brings to life one of the most odious and sadly recognizable villains Disney ever had.

And “Gaston” is, as the children say, a banger that slaps.

I vote for White.