Sister Act Does Disney
On May 29th, 1992, Touchstone Pictures released Sister Act (1992), the story of lounge singer Delores Van Cartier who hides out in a convent after witnessing a terrible gangster crime. Initially she had trouble fitting in, but ultimately befriends the other nuns and becomes their choir director. The film was critically well-received and a financial success, spawning a sequel the following year. It received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy for Whoopi Goldberg for her performance as Delores Van Cartier. In 2010 the film was readapted into a Broadway Musical which played for a total of 561 performances and received five Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Musical. Many of the principal stars of the film have unique connections to Disney?
Whoopi Goldberg played the lead role of Delores Van Cartier in “Sister Act.” Afterward, Goldberg provided the voice of Shenzi the Hyena in The Lion King (1994), and it’s direct-to-video sequel, The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004). She starred in Hollywood Pictures’ The Associate (1996) and Eddie (1996), and played Queen Constantina in Disney-ABC’s/Whitney Houston’s made for television production of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella in 1997. In ’98 she starred opposite Michael York in Disney-ABC’s made for television movie A Knight in Camelot. She also provided the voices Miss Mittens in the direct-to-video sequel Snow Buddies (2008) and of Stretch the Octopus in Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 (2010). She made cameos in the direct-to-video film A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) and The Muppets (2011) and has lent her voice to several Disney television shows, including Bear in the Big Blue House (1997-2006), Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013-2014), The 7D (2014-2016), and Miles from Tomorrowland (2015-present).
Harvey Keitel played Delores’s ruthless criminal of a boyfriend Vince LaRocca in the film. In addition to that role, he played Agent Peter Sadusky in Disney’s National Treasure (2004) and it’s sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007).
Wendy Makkena played the timid Sister Mary Robert in “Sister Act.” For Disney, she played the role of Jackie Framm, mother of Josh Framm in Disney’s Air Bud (1997). Even though in the movie, her character learns to overcome the stage fright of singing in front of the convent, Wendy Makkena’s singing voice was dubbed by singer Andrea Robinson, who also dubbed her singing voice again in the “Sister Act,” sequel.
Kathy Najimy played the role of the relentlessly optimistic Sister Mary Patrick in the movie. Following this film, Kathy Najimy starred as Mary Sanderson opposite Bette Middler as Winifred Sanderson in Disney’s Hocus Pocus (1993). She starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie The Scream Team (2002) and most recently lent her voice to the character of Mary in Disney/Pixar’s Wall-E (2008). Najimy has lent her voice to the Disney television shows Hercules: The Animated Series (1998-1999) and The Legend of Tarzan (2001-2003), and she appeared in an episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2005-2008), voiced a character in the direct-to-video sequel Brother Bear 2 (2006), and played the Evil Queen in the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants (2015). Besides reprising her role in the sequel to the film, Kathy Najimy also reprised her role as Sister Mary Patrick in singer Lady Soul’s music video “If My Sister’s In Trouble.”
Dame Maggie Smith portrayed Reverend Mother in the film. She starred in the 1997 Hollywood Pictures film Washington Square (1997) and voiced Lady Blueberry in the Touchstone Pictures Animated Film Gnomeo and Juliet (2011) and will be reprising that role for the upcoming sequel, Sherlock Gnomes (2018). You might also recognize Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film franchise (2001-2011) or as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the PBS series, Downton Abbey (2010-2015).
Mary Wickes played Sister Mary Lazarus in “Sister Act.” For Disney, she was hired to provide the live-action modeling for the character of Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1961) and voiced Laverne the Gargoyle in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), though she tragically died on October 22nd, 1995, before finishing recording all her lines. (Jane Withers finished the rest of Laverne’s dialogue.) In between those two roles, Mary Wickes starred in Disney’s Napoleon and Samantha (1972) opposite Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster and Snowball Express (1972) opposite Dean Jones and Nancy Olson. She also played Katie on The Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1996). Wickes is no stranger to playing roles whose main setting was a convent, having played Sister Clarissa in The Trouble With Angels (1966) with Disney Legend, Hayley Mills, and its sequel, Where Angels Go Trouble Follows (1968). Wickes also acted the role of Marie Murkin in the NBC Series, Father Dowling Mysteries (1989-1991).
Most of these actors, reprised their roles in the sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). (James Coburn, who played the new main antagonist in the sequel, played the owner of the El Sleezo Cafe in The Muppet Movie (1979), voiced Henry J. Waternoose in Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. (2001), and portrayed Thunder Jack in Snow Dogs (2002)).
All of these actors have other roles that they are well-remembered for, but each of their roles in “Sister Act,” will also continue to be treasured.
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