It's been a long time since I did a list like this. And I like making lists. And this one is short enough that I will almost definitely finish it.
So I know this board loves Disney. And I've seen at least one Best Voice Actor Ever contest while I was here. But one of the biggest points of contention on this boards seems to be about the Disney princesses and their songs/voices. I got to thinking recently as I was listening to one of these lovely ladies sing a live performance on YouTube: what does actually make a great vocal performance? So here is my list of who I feel are the 20 most memorable voice performances from women in that area.
A disclaimer: some of these choices are a little oddball and obscure. One of them isn't even technically Disney. Forgive me in advance. I tried to make a good balance between what I thought of their singing voice AND what I thought of their speaking voice in their respective movie, but because of this, I did have to cut some characters I love simply because they don't ever sing (although I kind of cheated on #15, you'll see), as I tried to limit this to characters who sing AND speak.
Some (but not all) of the more obscure examples of Disney femme fatales that DIDN'T make the cut but could've include Duchess (The Aristocats), Maid Marian (Robin Hood), Nora (Pete's Dragon), Big Mama (Fox and the Hound), and Phil Collins.
#20 - Niketa Calame, Moira Kelly, Sally Dworsky, and Laura Williams as Nala - The Lion King (1994)
Best Song: Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Whew. That's a lot of names to look up. And to be fair, this was a tough one, and a lot of others could've taken this #20 spot. Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas was one that I didn't mention in the original post that almost made it here instead, and Nora from Pete's Dragon almost made it based on Candle on the Water alone. But I settled on Nala.
Now, let's hit the negatives first. This is a character that should have been far more memorable than she actually was. For a movie with such a large supporting cast, one of my biggest complaints about The Lion King is that it didn't share the spotlight enough - really the only characters anybody actually remembers from this movie are Simba, Mufasa, Scar, Timon, and Pumbaa. Well, guess what - there was a love interest, too! And guess what - she's not bad! Not nearly memorable enough, but not bad.
One bonus is that even though there are literally four different voice actresses playing this role, you don't notice at all. Unlike both Simbas, the singing voices sound close enough to the speaking voice not to be distracting, and her verse in Can You Feel the Love Tonight is admittedly gorgeous. She's also a more classic Disney princess archetype than Sally or...chick-who-sang-Candle-on-the-Water (I know, I know, I could just look up a few inches since I already looked up the name, but I'm feeling REALLY lazy today), which helps in the frame of reference of this list.
But she's not higher simply because the character of Nala, despite solid vocal performances from the entire women's soccer team involved, is fairly bland and unexplored. Young Nala: "Hey, I'm a troublesome young girl who tags along and...stuff". Adult Nala: "Stop being a troublesome young man and help us kill Scar and...stuff". Not bad, but the actresses don't really get much to work with, and there's nothing to particularly set them apart from the crowd.
#19 - Ilene Woods as Cinderella - Cinderella (1950)
Best Song: Sing Sweet Nightingale
Here's another one who might have benefited from a slightly meatier role. Cinderella is the kind of character who's just along for the ride and doesn't really do anything. I like Cinderella because she's one of the only early Disney princesses to subvert the idea of the high soprano songbird Disney princess and replace it with a warmer alto tone. Sadly for her, though, after Disney's death, this sort of became the standard as Disney movies got more and more Broadway-influenced, and she's since been overshadowed by other voices that stand out from the crowd more.
However, that doesn't mean she's not excellent. All you have to do is look up "Sing Sweet Nightingale" (that's actually kind of like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, where you have no clue where the comma is supposed to go...), or "So This Is Love" (even though the Prince's voice kinda sucks), and you can tell. Particularly the former, where she gets to harmonize with herself, and you can really tell how great her warm, classical tone and slow vibrato really are. Ilene Woods really does have a great voice.
Unfortunately for her, she just doesn't get to stand out too much, and it's not necessarily her fault. I've always thought Cinderella was kind of a bland character, and Ilene Woods plays her off that way, particularly when she's speaking. I've always kind of hated the way she speak-sings in rhyme in "A Dream Is A Wish" at the beginning of the movie - I just don't like that kind of pandering, over-the-top delivery. It sounds very kids-movie to me.
But what puts her on the list really is the warmth of her singing voice. Her speaking performance isn't anything to write home about, but those lovely tones I was talking about in "Sing, Sweet Nightingale/Sing Sweet, Nightingale" are enough for her to need to be on any Top 20 list. I just couldn't justify bumping her up any higher than that, due to being outshone by the competition.
OK, this and the one that come after it are two oddball choices. I admit that, all evidence considered, it is unlikely that Angela Lansbury has ever been young enough to be considered a "princess". She's much like Maggie Smith in this regard. They've just always been old. However, her two major Disney roles always carry a special place in my heart, and it's BECAUSE of her lovely voice. For that reason, I place her on the list.
Of course, I'm talking about Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, but also Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. In both films, in my opinion, she's practically the best thing about them, and even in the latter, where she is clearly not animated, it's her voice that does all the work. Those of you who have never heard the magical "Age of Not Believing" ought to give it a listen right now: . It's a beautiful song, sung beautifully by Ms. Lansbury. I've got nothing but positive things to say about her.
Why, then, is she only at #18? Well, for one thing, putting her on the list in the first place is kind of cheating, particularly when I'm not crediting her for any one specific role. But the main reason is that...well, she's always Angela Lansbury. She's handicapped by the same thing that makes her wonderful: you can't hear that voice and NOT think "Angela Lansbury". She never disappears into Mrs. Potts, it's always her rather than the character singing "Beauty and the Beast". Although I wouldn't have it any other way.
This is a difficult one to explain because it's such an oddball choice, but I felt the need to include her and so I did. She, specifically, will always have an honorary place as a Disney princess in my heart. /sappy
I will respond in kind by saying I also have a clear #1, but the rest of my Top 10 were very hard for me to place in order, because I adore them all. Just goes to show how leet I think the Top 5 are.
#17 - Shelby Flint and Eva Gabor as Disembodied Voice and Miss Bianca - The Rescuers (1977)
Best Song: Someone's Waiting For You
I love The Rescuers. I think that it's one of the truly underappreciated, overlooked classics of the Disney canon, and it's one of my Top 10 animated films ever. I think it is a beautiful movie, for many reasons - the art design being a large factor in this, yes, but another chief reason is just the sound of it. The entire film not only looks and feels like a cohesive whole, it sounds like one. The muted, understated performances of Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor give The Rescuers a truly unique character in the canon, and the extra-narrative songs sung by Shelby Flint are underrated gems in their own right.
First of all, we have Eva Gabor's Bianca, who, somewhat similarly to Nala, is kind of overshadowed a little bit. But she's the perfect complement to Bob Newhart's voice - there's something about both of them that is both strangely and beautifully understated, and really adds to the connection between the two characters beyond what's actually on the page. Though, like Nala, perhaps not the most memorable of characters or performances, it's something subtle that simply works for me. I've only seen The Rescuers a handful of times compared to the Disney Renaissance films, as I only saw it for the first time a few years ago, but even though it's been a couple years since the last time, I can still hear what their voices sounded like in my head with tremendous clarity.
And then there's Shelby Flint with the songs. One of the only pitfalls that obstructs me from putting this ranking higher is really that this is another oddball ranking that I'm cheating with a little bit, as these really are two separate people accomplishing two entirely separate things. (I swear, the upper echelons of this list are more normal things you all will have been waiting for.) But for such a forgotten soundtrack, there are some great songs here - especially the beautiful "Someone's Waiting For You" - and their success in the context of the film is in large part due to Shelby Flint's similarly understated singing voice and gorgeously-nuanced performance of said songs.
So while this may not make anybody else on the planet's list, I really wanted to make it come across how memorable these two really made The Rescuers for me, and I would've been remiss to not give them an honorary position near the opening of this list. The movie truly wouldn't've been the same without them, despite so many other good things about it. Seriously, if you haven't seen The Rescuers recently, and don't really remember it, I'd implore you to watch it again. For my money, it really is a minor Disney masterpiece.
#16 - Irene Bedard and Judy Kuhn as Pocahontas - Pocahontas (1995)
Maybe this one will spark some discussion. Pocahontas is a weird one in the Disney animated canon, that admittedly I have not seen for quite a while. I've been doing a (very) slow watchthrough of the entire Disney canon over the last couple years (I told you it was slow) and I suppose this is coming fairly soon, which is good, because I remember very little about it.
Very little, that is, except Pocahontas and John Smith, who I remember well enough to talk about. Irene Bedard does a decent job as Pocahontas' speaking voice. Though I've always found her to be a bit bland as a leading Disney character (I feel like Mel Gibson has more charisma as John Smith and steals her spotlight a bit, at least in my memory), she certainly never irritated me, and plays the part serviceably. A few scenes I always seem to remember her giving a really good performance in are the "If I Never Knew You" scene with John Smith in the tent, and the "NO!" at the end of "Savages" - in both instances she was understated, yet effective.
And that seems to be the main thing about this lower part of the list - the word "understated". That these people are making it onto the list in the first place means that I like understated performances. But in animation, there comes a point where subtlety just doesn't play, and I think Pocahontas might be treading this line a little too finely. Which is especially interesting and jarring considering the soundtrack is one of Disney's two Menken/Schwartz collaborations, which means the songs have about as much subtlety as the train explosion scene from Super 8, if the train explosion had been caused by a mob of Xenomorphs from Alien, riding into town on the backs of Tolkien oliphaunts.
Which brings me to Judy Kuhn as Pocahontas' singing voice. Now, being the Broadway musicals guy that I am, I'm quite familiar with Judy Kuhn's work, and to be honest, I'm usually not a big fan. But her voice is what carries this movie. They were very smart to give her a part in practically all of the major songs - it's such a great marriage of song and singer that I almost have to assume that Alan Menken wrote the songs with specifically Kuhn in mind. She's phenomenal.
So what's holding this back? Mostly Irene Bedard. Though she works, she's never anything spectacular like Judy Kuhn is, and there's at least one example ahead of her in the list where both the speaking voice and the singing voice are on the same kind of top tier that Judy Kuhn is in this role. Honestly, this is a film that I feel would've done much better as a Broadway musical than as a movie (something that Hunchback of Notre Dame, the other Menken/Schwartz collaboration, already accomplished a decade ago overseas, which has yet to be translated back into English). In a musical, you get at least an extra hour to flesh out characters, write more songs, and just tell a deeper story, and truly, I think that's what Pocahontas needed to truly shine, as a story AND as a character. What was there wasn't bad - it was what wasn't there that made Pocahontas not live up to its true potential.
Some good choices so far. I'd say the voicework for Pocahontas is a bit too low though. I'll have to see what else you put in front of it, but her songs (and really there are too few in the movie itself) are really powerful out of a princess-archetype character.
This is the song where I really think Judy Kuhn sounds phenomenal. When I think of Pocahontas as a character, I don't think of "Colors of the Wind", I think of the much more inspired vocal performance that is "Just Around the Riverbend". I don't particularly like Colors of the Wind, but on Just Around the Riverbend she really kills it. I just re-listened to that song, and it's possible that I ranked Pocahontas one or two spots too low. I'll stand by it, though, if only because I just love the ones in front of it that much more.
I definitely agree that her songs are really powerful, though. As I said, I'm not usually a big fan of Judy Kuhn (hated her as Cosette, her live Broadway performances on YouTube are only so-so...really the only other thing than this I'm really a fan of is her playing Florence in Chess, and that was in the Broadway cast which was yuck apart from her anyway). But I love her here. Really I think Bedard just drags the character down a bit.
I've also never seen/listened to the stage version of Lion King. I should really get on that.
#15 - Darleen Carr as Shanti - The Jungle Book (1967)
Best Song: My Own Home
I expect to catch some s*** for this one.
But honestly, even though this voice actress literally sings only one song in the movie, and doesn't show up until the last five minutes, her song has made such an impression on me. It's one of those songs that I really wish had more to it, because the actress's performance is so entrancing. She makes more of an impression on me with one song than the rest of the admittedly-wonderful people so far (with the exception of Judy Kuhn) manage to make across an entire film.
So what makes her so good? Well, I don't even really know - there' just a je ne sais quoi quality to the singer's voice and to the music that makes the scene so alluring, so mysterious. With one song you can totally understand why Mowgli is so instantly entranced by this girl he's only seen this once. With one song I'm suddenly more invested than I have been for most of the rest of the movie, and it leaves off on a great note.
I put this mostly on Darleen Carr's wonderful performance of the song. A little high for just one song? Yeah, maybe, particularly when the song itself isn't necessarily one of the most notable things ever. But damn it, when someone leaves me wanting more so much based on a single song, I think that's worthy of recognition.
Huh. I didn't see that one making the list, but I actually like its placement. As soon as you mentioned it was from The Jungle Book I tried to remember what song you were talking about and couldn't quite place it. As soon as I remembered how it went, it got stuck in my head. It's a pretty mesmerizing song, actually. And I agree, I wish it had more to it.
I mean, I wouldn't place her performance over Judy Kuhn, but I like her inclusion in the list.
I'd like to point out again that if I were ranking JUST Judy Kuhn, the performance would be a lot higher, but that didn't seem fair up against so many people who also provided speaking roles, which is why I decided to combine them into roles as a whole. 's too bad, but that's just how I feel. I've always been bored with Pocahontas as a character, and her speaking voice doesn't help her in that regard for the most part.
Also, I'm about to draft the next write-up, but first, a hint:
This singer never did anything major before or since.
Sorry this one took so long. Lost the write-up for it twice because my computer got unplugged and currently has no battery in it. >_> I really need to get on that.
~~~
#14 - Demi Moore and Heidi Mollenhauer as Esmeralda - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Best Song: God Help The Outcasts
This one hurts to put so low. It really does.
Those of you who have been around the board for a while (and by "a while" I mean at least three years or so) may recall that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is unequivocally my favorite movie in the Animated Canon. It's a shockingly stark, dark film for a studio so renowned for being light, cheerful and family-friendly, and it's a huge departure.
Think about it (although I'm sure everybody by this point has): It's a Victor Hugo novel turned Disney. That means that even when we're Disneyfying it, among the things that need to be shown are a mother being murdered on the steps of the world's most iconic cathedral, her grotesquely malformed infant being kidnapped and used as lifelong slave labor, a holy man singing a song called "Hellfire" about raping one of our protagonists, and the intended genocide of an entire culture from Paris by said holy man.
All in the name of G-rated, Disney family entertainment. Add on top of all of this the best of Disney's two Menken/Schwartz collaborations with an intense, demonic Latin chorus and some of the best songs ever written for the Disney canon, and you've got something I'm going to LOVE.
Why is this relevant to Esmeralda? Well, really just to appreciate the pivotal role she plays in all of this, and why her voice is so important. Amidst all this strife, turmoil, and general darkness, "God Help The Outcasts" is the sole beacon of hope that illuminates the movie. (No countering with "A Guy Like You" - THAT is a discussion for another time.) Heidi Mollenhauer does literally the perfect job with this song, really bringing across the pain and suffering this character has been feeling, and the reverent feeling of a prayer, all without sacrificing an ounce of the music's beauty. The way her voice trembles on "I ask for nothing" at the key change, and her last note - both give me chills every time I listen to the song.
So why is Esmeralda so low? Because what I just referenced doesn't match up with the character we're given in the movie at all. There is a huuuuuge disconnect here, and it's supposed to be a character moment, but if we're getting really nitpicky (and we have to because all of these actresses do a fantastic job), that simply can't be accomplished when it is so obviously NOT Demi Moore singing. Demi Moore does fine as the sexy temptress who drives Frollo mad, but when literally her only song is something that contradicts that so thoroughly, there's a disconnect that doesn't really let us feel like it's Esmeralda - rather we hear the beautiful song and enjoy it, but it's not the character moment it was supposed to be because that's the only time we ever see that side of her.
Honestly, I really think Esmeralda should've gotten more songs. In fact, they accomplished that when they wrote the stage version over a decade ago, that's STILL trying to get to Broadway but we'll hopefully finally see on the stage in 2013. I've seen some bootleg recordings of the German production that ran from 1999-2002, and it is a spectacular show. I will definitely travel to Broadway and see it when it's back in English. It really gives a lot more depth to the character of Esmeralda. Unfortunately, it's currently only available in German.
Anyway, it was Hunchback, so I had to ramble on because it's my favorite. That's really all I have to possibly say anyway. My HINT for the next one: We've got another Broadway star going down for #13. Stay tuned!
Oh, man, if Donna Murphy counted....well, let's just say I might have to follow this up with a villains list. I adore Donna Murphy's work. Not only a great Disney performance, but also a great interpreter of Sondheim.
I completely agree with your writeup for Hunchback of Notre Dame. Great underappreciated movie that, if only for the risks it took and its dark undertones (but of course that's not the only reason cuz DAT SOUNDTRACK).
As for the song, it's fantastic except for the last note for me. Feels forced- like someone told her to hit a high note just because she could and not because it was necessary.
#13 - Linda Larkin and Lea Salonga as Princess Jasmine - Aladdin (1992)
Best Song: A Whole New World
Jasmine was a very tough one to place. On the one hand, Lea Salonga is one of the great Broadway voices of today, and A Whole New World is her indelible mark on modern pop culture. On the other hand, we suffer a little bit from Pocahontas syndrome - except, this time, it's not because Linda Larkin is too understated, but a bit overstated. I've always felt her line readings as Jasmine were a little... off, somehow, a little... wrong. Just, like, as an actor, every once in a while she has me saying "that is nowhere near how I would've read the line".
But she does have some good scenes - certainly better scenes overall than Pocahontas has, and she manages to make more of an impression, despite only having one song and not being the central focus of the movie. Who am I kidding, everybody has some good scenes. It's freaking Aladdin; everybody loves Aladdin. Everybody in my generation that I know has great amounts of nostalgia related to this movie - we don't remember the first time we saw it, all we know is that we grew up with it, and it's an unmistakeable part of our childhood.
That includes Jasmine. To a certain extent, when I think "Disney princess", I think Jasmine. In large part, that's due to the aforementioned performance of Lea Salonga, our Broadway belle to whom I was referring. (You can also put your minds at ease that Paige and Susan are still in the running...at least, so far as you know. Muahaha.) "A Whole New World" is perhaps THE Disney song of the generation, even though it's never been my favorite.
But really, what is there to say on this one that's not fairly self-explanatory? Jasmine's sort of your average Disney princess performance, with the exception of a single song, which, though iconic, can only bring her up so far, especially since it's not one of my favorite songs or performances of a single song. We're talking distinctly middle ground on both ends. Lea Salonga is a fantastic performer, but this isn't my favorite work of hers, either. Perhaps we will hear more on the subject later.......
Next HINT: Not technically a Disney princess, but often considered an honorary one among the ranks. Those who've ascertained anything about my tastes could very well be able to figure this one out.
Gotta say, both of these are really, really low. I'm trying to think of 12 better female performances than Jasmine and really struggling to do so without including really odd things.
Gotta say, both of these are really, really low. I'm trying to think of 12 better female performances than Jasmine and really struggling to do so without including really odd things.
The next two you might find kind of odd, but honestly, to me, I look at my Top 10 and don't really see anything that I don't feel truly belongs there. I spent quite awhile deliberating on who exactly I wanted to put in my Top 10 (since there are a plethora of options) and I'm very happy with my choices. I would've loved to put Jasmine and Esmeralda in, but I just ran out of space.
#12 - Meg Ryan and Liz Calloway as Anastasia - Anastasia (1997)
Best Song: Tough, but probably "Journey to the Past".
We have entered a new tier.
From now on in the list, every song works. Both the singing voice and the speaking voice have amazing charisma, most of these folks have multiple songs apiece, and everything just works to the extent that these particular princesses go straight into the "classics" tier. But we've got two oddballs among the ranks before the Top Ten. This is the first one.
Now, honestly, if she was actually Disney, I'd probably put her much higher, perhaps even in the Top 5. Anastasia is a beautiful, underrated classic that rivals all of my favorite Disney movies in scope, animation, storytelling, soundtrack, and just general magnificence. It's my favorite Don Bluth outing (even more than Secret of NIMH), and there's barely anything in it that doesn't work for me. Yeah, darkness generally appeals to me (you may have noticed from Hunchback), and particularly when it's as well-scored as Anastasia is.
And Liz Calloway does a superb job with these wonderful songs. Journey to the Past, Once Upon a December, and Learn to Do It are the three songs she sings, and I look forward to all three of these whenever I watch the movie (not to mention Dark of the Night and Paris Holds the Key, the major ones she doesn't sing in, are also wonderful). This success, as evidenced by the fairly massive fail that was Aaliyah trying to pull these songs off, can be linked quite demonstrably to Liz Calloway's performance. From the abject joy and hope she manages to convey in "Journey to the Past" to the pensive longing of Once Upon a December in about ten minutes of film, she manages to sell every aspect of Anastasia's inner dilemma.
Meg Ryan, too, does a surprisingly superb job as Anastasia's speaking voice. Though the character is really sold with the songs, Ryan brings just the right amount of snark to the role - not too much so as to make her unlikeable, but just enough to give her a compelling amount of character. At no point does she get obnoxious, as snarky animated characters have a tendency to be, and throughout the film you as the viewer are completely engrossed and invested in this completely fantastical (and, frankly, ridiculous) retelling of the story of the Romanovs.
So though I might get a bit of flak for putting her so high, I would argue that if she technically counted in the actual category, she would be even higher. I've never understood the amount of hate this film gets, and I never will, because this is one of those incredibly rare cases of another company "doing Disney better than Disney". A stylistic rip-off? Maybe. But it's so damn good (coupled with awesome Don Bluth animation) that I can't find a thing to complain about. Truly a gem.
Next HINT: For our last non-Top Ten entry, we've got the opposite of Anastasia - someone who technically is a Disney heroine but who no one really associates with Disney.
This success, as evidenced by the fairly massive fail that was Aaliyah trying to pull these songs off, can be linked quite demonstrably to Liz Calloway's performance. Oh thank God. I just cant comprehend how some people like Aaliyah's version better! Well, perhaps I can, but still...the original's waaaay better.