Johnny Simmons

Further proof that I’m especially unreliable; I posted the last entry of Encore’s Greatest Voices in August. It’s now December and I’ve yet to give you the top 10 – until now. Excuse my general capriciousness, but here are the top 10 – finally.

There was something a little off about Susan Sarandon in Enchanted, and I still can’t put my house on it. She has a silky voice that has the potential to be unsettling, so perhaps it was the obvious villainy of her character that didn’t quite work. However, in James & the Giant Peach she uses her voice to create a character that may be evil, and then again might not be. There something especially exotic about her Miss Spider and she emerges from a varied cast of hilarious misfits as the most interesting.

                                            

If Addison DeWitt is proof of anything it’s that George Sanders can be unctuous and still appealing, and that’s essentially what Shere Khan is. There’s something chilling and yet alluring about his baritone voice, and his penchant for elongating vowels is just hilarious (but still disturbing). Shere Khan is not exactly the most rounded character, and he’s probably not the most interesting character in The Jungle Book, but Sanders voicework is still amazing.

                             

Ah, Streep. Yeah, I don’t go crazy over her every move like this guy (or this one) – or anyone really, but when she lands it – she’s phenomenal. Really, if I used to count animated performances eligible she’d have made my top 3 last year for Best Actress. There’s just something especially charming, witty and downright irresistible.

                          

In the face of Disney’s numerous villains I’m always surprised that Audley’s Maleficent is not remembered more often. Visually, she’s the most memorable to me and I have a slight hunch that every female animated villain uses her voice-work as a paradigm for their performances.

                               

Ursula is especially quotable, and especially frightening too; but she’s still also much fun. She’s still sort of pathetic in her own way, and Carroll milks it for all the delicious campiness it’s worth. A few call it their favourite, and I can’t fault them – she’s phenomenal.

                                 

Williams’ over-the-top, bipolar craziness works perfectly for the role. His name is not the in the film’s title, but the Genie’s hilarious nature is one of the most significant things about Aladdin. It takes the role of the chatty sidekick to another level and gives Williams a chance to use his voice-impersonations without being gratuitous.

                           

I always wish that Ellen would do more movies. Her off-kilter humorousness is a specific charm of hers, and like most comedians it’s found in her voice. Is Finding Nemo Pixar’s masterpiece? Maybe, though I don’t especially go crazy over it. But DeGeneres’ charm is irresistible, and she easily emerges as not only the greatest Pixar creation, character wise, but the greatest Pixar actor, voice wise.

                                

I really can’t account for how often Hercules is forgotten when one remembers Disney’s animation from the nineties and beyond. Perhaps, it’s the fact that the story has been told so often – but really, that logic seems a bit flawed – so I can’t be certain. Still, Egan’s Megan – a damsel in distress, who’s not quite a damsel but certainly is in distress, is a joy to watch/listen to. Her voice is just an octave lower than the typical Disney heroine, and with her questionable past she’s not a typical one really. It’s a shame she only gets one number, but she sells the dialogue just as wonderfully to.

I shall forever champion the brilliance that is Corpse Bride, it’s remembered for its visual brilliance, sometimes for its music but rarely for its acting which is top notch. It also happens to be my favourite HBC performance in a Burton film, which is not quite the backhanded compliment it sounds like considering some of the good things they’ve done together.

Predictable? Perhaps, but can you really blame me? Scar is the ultimate bad-guy, and perhaps it’s because I’m a stealth baddie myself (possible), but I find him too be – arguably – the most sympathetic character of the film. There’s just something poignant (even if in a clichéd way) about being the forgotten child, the eternal bridesmaid, and what not. And I’m damned if he doesn’t make even the most rote of lines resonate. (“I killed Mufasa, anyone?) So, Irons takes the crown for Encore’s Greatest Voice.

                              

So, now that I've finally revealed the list, which voices would rank at the top of your imaginary list of Greatest Voices?

Films with Multiple Mentions:

Aladdin (4): Linda Larkin (#32), Jonathan Freeman (#21), Scott Weinger (#20), Robin Williams (#5)

Beauty & the Beast (4): Angela Lansbury (#33), Robby Benson (#25), Richard White (#18), Paige O'Hara (#16)

The Lion King (3): James Earle Jones (#31), Robert Guillame (#23), Jeremy Irons (#1)

The Little Mermaid (3): Jodi Benson (#37), Samuel E. Wright (#13), Pat Carroll (#6) 

Hercules (3): Lilias White &co. (#22), James Woods (#15), Susan Egan (#3)

James & the Giant Peach (3): Richard Dreyfuss (#24), Simon Callow (#14), Susan Sarandon (#10)

Corpse Bride (2): Johnny Depp (#27), Helena Bonham Carter (#2)

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2): Jason Schwartzman (#11), Meryl Streep (#8)

The Jungle Book (2): Phil Harris (#39), George Sanders (#9)

Sleeping Beauty (2): Barbara Luddy (#40), Eleanor Audley (#7)

Wallace & Grommit: Curse of the Were Rabbit (2): Ralph Fiennes (#46), Helena Bonham Carter (#35)

                         

Eleanor Audley: Cinderella (#42), Sleeping Beauty (#7)

Helena Bonham Carter: Wallace & Grommit: Curse of the Were Rabbit (#35), Corpse Bride (#2)

Glenn Close: Tarzan (#47), Hoodwinked (#34)

Robin Williams: Happy Feet (#44), Aladdin (#5)

Quite ironically, Friday 13th comes and my day turns out to be just godawful.I already wrote a number of words on my favourite animated film (REVIEWED), so I shall leave you with a screencap. A masterpiece from Tim Burton.

The countdown continues as we near the top, I feel slightly bad that so many films have repeat entries. Then again, I can't blame myself because they're that good.

“Forgive me, Mr. Claus. I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday. ”

Though I wouldn’t swear that The Nightmare Before Christmas is unparalleled excellence, it is a thoroughly enjoyable film and Sarandon’s protagonist is a significant portion of that. He is funny and endearing, yet maintaining his oddball status.

         

“Don't leave me! Don't leave me! I'll die without you! ”

Teri Hatch…loved her in Lois & Clark, liked her on Desperate Housewives until she turned into the hot mess that is now Susan. She’s not given credit (we don’t really get to see her stretch her legs), but her incarnation of Coraline’s mother and the Other Mother (a.k.a The Beldam) was a brilliant take on a potentially stereotypical villain. Coraline was my favourite animated film last year, and though Fanning’s work as the eponymous heroine was on point it was Hatcher’s layered and terrifying work that stuck with me for weeks after.

“But you're treating them like equals. They're sheep, they're inferior. ”

I’m sorry I couldn’t get a spot for Babe, but consider this a tribute to all the actors there. Babe is just too sweet for words, and Margolyes no-nonsense Fly is an excellent surrogate mother to the orphan pig. She’s stern, but not unloving and she does so well weighing her dedication to her husband against her that of her husband.

        

“Please, there's been a mistake. I'm not dead. ”

At the moment people seem less than enthused about Depp and Burton, no point in dredging up that argument – but I do love Depp’s work as the reticent would-be groom of the eponymous corpse. It’s voicework that’s sometimes forgotten (very subtle) but I think it’s excellent, nonetheless.

       

“Well aren't you just the sweetest space toy I ever did meet! ”

Cusack always was the best thing about the Toy Story franchise, for me. Always a brilliant character actress, her take on the spirited cowgirl in the series was a thing of delight. She knew just how to get on our nerves without being overbearing.

     

“I thought I told you to come down to dinner!”

This is one that’s often forgotten. Beneath the animalistic growl Benson is doing excellent work portraying emotions in the Beast that are bubbling below the surface. His petulance, his nervousness, his ferocity – it’s all done as much through the animation as through the voicework making him just as interesting and as rounded a character as Belle.

     

“Why don't skeletons play music in church? Because they got no organs.”

James & the Giant Peach features one of the strongest animated ensembles, and Dreyfuss' corny centipede is a big part of that.

      

“Correction: I *know* your father..”

The Lion King is such an excellent film, when it’s time for laughs talk often turns to Timon and Pumba (admittedly good), but for me it’s always Guillaume’s hilarious Rafiki that does all the heavy lifting. He pops in and out (and in again) for a few short moments, but his voicework takes the film to another level. He is simultaneously annoying, perverse, wise and exasperating. Yes, we know these are animals, but we fee like we know this strange monkey.

    

As The Muses (Calliope, Terpsichore, Clio, Melpomene and Thalia

“…And that’s the Gospel Truth.”

I debated whether or not to single them out, but it didn’t make sense. The Muses are all part of the same entity. Voice by a quintet of Broadway voices they’re responsible for the narration of this underrated piece. From Ryan’s spunky soul sister to White's sophisticated headliner they all work in tandem to create some of the most entertaining Disney characters.

“You're speechless, I see. A fine quality in a wife.”

It’s probably difficult to craft a villain unlike anything we’ve seen, and all Disney villains do have that sombre voice in common. But Freeman does his own things with Jafar. He's slimy and he's almost offensive, but he sure is fun to watch.

      

Only two more rounds left? Do you have particular fondness for any of these?

…and I’m not talking about The Nightmare Before Christmas, which he didn’t even direct. I’ve said it before, I’m a fan of Burton even though I don’t love his work wholly. He’s no Scorsese – but, few are. The man has issues, but I think credit should be given where it’s due. It’s ironic somehow that my two favourite Burton pieces are two that I rarely hear people championing. I admitted my love for Big Fish before, and the 2005 magnum opus (I kid you not) that was Corpse Bride appears in my list of favourite films. It holds the distinction of being my favourite animated film. It’s probably not incidental that Corpse Bride features Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp – mainstays of Burton’s filmography. The film introduces us to a young man, something of a simpleton, set to be married. Whilst practising his vows in the forest he mistakenly gives the eponymous Corpse Bride the impression that she is the object of his desire – and thus, the drama ensues.

When we think of things that are Burton-esque thoughts of dark, somewhat macabre humour are evoked. We recall dark and gloomy sets with nary a piece of light, and of course we imagine a fascination with death and such things. Corpse Bride serves up all, and I suppose it’s easy to mistake it for Burton’s lack of wit or unoriginality. Perhaps, but each time I watch this film I’m constantly amazed at the complexity and sensitivity that Burton manages to infuse in an eighty minute animated tale. The atmospheric nature of it probably means that children will be diverted by the look of it, but Corpse Bride is not about the aesthetic – at least, not alone. Helena Bonham Carter is someone I’m very fond of, and her incarnation of the Corpse Bride is the strongest work she’s done alongside Burton – but for the whole animation glitch. There’s something profoundly real about the deliberate self-delusions she yields to and it’s precisely why the film is named after her, even if it takes some time for us to actually meet her. Her poignant departure from the film always moves me, even if it’s just a little too pat.

Speaking of that “pat” ending, I’m well aware that Corpse Bride is not without its glitches – but I suppose the fact that I like it despite them (or maybe because of them) that makes it a favourite of mine. It’s maddeningly short, so that just as you’re about to experience the first swallow of contentment it’s all over. And of course, because it’s animated, there’s the rare penchant to infuse it with some inane form of physical comedy, but Corpse Bride triumphs nonetheless. As someone who’s openly (but not on the blog) disliked Wallace & Grommit I consider it a great disservice to animation and Tim Burton that Corpse Bride lost that Oscar 2005. But, then again, isn’t that the usual? The decade ends and with its apparent sleight of hand in animation everyone remembers Pixar only and the odd Shrek or Fantastic Mr. Fox. When Coraline **came out least year (#3 of 2009) I championed it for its atmospheric similarities to Corpse Bride. Coraline didn’t win the Oscar either, so I guess Corpse Bride isn’t bad company…but it’s unfortunate that it’s rarely remembered when we stop to talk about the aughts and how it changed animation for the better. Corpse Bride is a proud entry in my list of favourite films at #32. Hopefully, I’m not the only one who remembers it with such fondness.