Jim Varney: Even Another Unsung Disney Legend

When Pixar first began assembling the voice cast for Toy Story (1995) in the early 1990s, they cast Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. After the leads were cast, the studio knew they needed other actors who had exceptional comedy skills to voice all of the supporting characters. Cleverly, they cast John Ratzenberger as Hamm, the late-great Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, and Wallace Shawn as Rex. Let’s not forget they cast another late-great, Jim Varney as Slinky Dog. His story is short, but fascinating:

Jim Varney was born in Lexington Kentucky on June 15th, 1949. As a young boy, he began imitating cartoon voices. When his mother discovered his talent, she enrolled him in children’s theatre. While attending Lafayette High School, he entered drama competitions where he won state titles. This indicated that he had officially found his calling. 

Jim Varney first found work as a performer when he was cast as a regular on the show Johnny Cash and Friends (1976). He also found roles on Operation Petticoat (1977-1978) and Pink Lady (1980). When neither of these shows were big hits, Varney decided to team up with friend/advertising executive John Cherry III to develop the character of Ernest P Worrell, a buffoonish, but tender-hearted character who began his career in commercials. The very first “Ernest” commercial was filmed in 1980, advertising the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who, at the time, were making an appearance near Beech Bend Park which is near Bowling Green, Kentucky. This appearance led to more commercials for Chex Cereal, Coca-Cola, and Taco John’s.

These appearances were so successful, that Varney and Cherry were later hired by the CBS Network to make the series Hey Vern, It’s Ernest (1988). “Vern” was Ernest’s unseen neighbor, who unfortunately doesn’t think particularly highly of him, and always slams his front door in his face, which was a situation originally started on all the Ernest commercials. While Ernest never managed to talk to Vern, whenever he would underscore the value of a product on his commercials, he would say the trademark catchphrase “KnowwhutImean?”

The series was canceled after just 13 episodes. Despite that misfortune, Cherry and Varney both brought Ernest to the big screen multiple times, beginning with Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam in 1985, and Ernest Goes to Camp in 1987, which would be Varney’s very first appearance for Disney, as the film was produced by Touchstone Pictures and released under Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, two subsidiary production companies owned by Disney. The next three “Ernest” films Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest Goest to Jail (1990), and Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) were all produced by Touchstone and released under Buena Vista. They were all decent money-makers, but critical flops.

Regardless, Pixar knew that Varney had a funny voice and would be a perfect fit for the character of Slinky Dog in “Toy Story,” which was a blockbuster smash hit when it was released on November 22nd, 1995. When he voiced Slinky for the first time, he recorded the catchphrase “Golly bob howdy,” which was a reference to Ernest. Prior to “Toy Story,” Varney also starred in the feature film adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) based on the ‘60s sit-com the same name, which coincidentally was one of Varney’s favorite shows a child. Varney portrayed Jed Clampett, the role originated by Buddy Ebsen in the show.

Jim Varney also made an appearance on Disney’s Hercules (1998-1999) television show and reprised the character of Slinky Dog in Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 2 in 1999. He died of lung cancer on February 10th, 2000 at the age of 50. He had made two films that were released posthumously, Miramax’s drama-comedy Daddy and Them (2001) and Disney’s animated action-adventure Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), in which he voiced the goofy, Jedediah Allardyce “Cookie” Farnsworth. Both movies were dedicated in his memory and “Atlantis,” was also released to theaters on June 15th, 2001, which would have been Varney’s 52nd birthday.

Jim Varney’s career is forever synonymous with the characters of Ernest P. Worrell and Slinky Dog in “Toy Story 1 and 2.” After his passing, Pixar cast Blake Clark as Slinky Dog, who ironically was a close friend of Varney’s. Clark gave a eulogy at his funeral in which he described Varney as “a good man and one of his best friends.” (Since then, Clark has voiced Slinky in Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story 4 (2019) and in all the short films produced in-between.) Fans of Jim Varney wish they could have had more than him.

Review: "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F"

“Trust me,” are the last two words spoken by Eddie Murphy at the end of the first Beverly Hills Cop. Released on December 5th, 1984, it ended with his trademark mischievous grin, as his buddies Sgt. John Taggart and Detective Billy Rosewood are tailing him to the Beverly Hills city limits. The first film of this series was a critical and commercial success, and two sequels followed, Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987 and Beverly Hills Cop III in 1994. 40 on, Netflix has released the fourth installment, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, on July, 3rd, 2024. Here are my thoughts:

Axel Foley has been summoned to return to Beverly Hills when the life of his estranged daughter, Jane Saunders has been threatened due to her work as a lawyer. In doing so, he reunites with old pals Chief John Taggart and Billy Rosewood, and together they discover the mystery behind Jane’s predicament—and it’s bigger than they could have imagined. As Axel struggles to uncover everything, he makes new friends and enemies along the way.

Eddie Murphy continues to make audiences laugh after a nearly 50-year-career in show business. He has created many indelible characters, from Axel Foley in the Beverly Hills Cop Franchise (1984-2024), to voicing Mushu in Disney’s original Mulan (1998) and Donkey in Dreamworks’ Shrek Franchise (2001-2010), to all the members of the Klump family in his remake of The Nutty Professor (1996) and it’s sequel, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000). He’s also been very good in roles that aren’t so funny, having gotten an Oscar Nomination for his Supporting Performance as James (Jimmy) “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls (2006). There’s no denying that Axel Foley is one of Murphy’s most endearing characters. Outwardly he appears as a rude, roguish rebel of a police officer who lives in his own world most of the time. But he’s lovable—we can tell on the inside he’s a bighearted man who cares deeply for the well-being of his friends. This sequel movie underscores that description, though slightly differently. It’s the first time we see Axel Foley as a parent.

In addition to the return of Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, “Axel F,” also sees the return of John Ashton and Judge Reinhold as Axel’s pals Chief John Taggart and Billy Rosewood, as well as Paul Reiser as Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman and Bronson Pinchot as “Serge,” both of whom also provided laughs in the previous films. Jerry Bruckheimer, who co-produced the first two “Beverly Hills Cop,” films (though not the third) with Don Simpson, returns as producer. The film is directed by Mark Molloy who makes his feature film debut. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kevin Bacon star as new characters Detective Bobby Abbott and Captain Cade Grant. The film’s music was composed by Lorne Balfe, who also composed the music for this year’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) as well as Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and last year’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (2023). (Clearly he’s good at composing music for reboot films!)

Eddie Murphy made it abundantly clear in an interview in The New York Times Magazine that he dislikes being challenged career-wise, but simply prefers to do things he knows would work. The interviewer asked him why, to which he replied “Because first and foremost I’m trying to be funny for my audience. You want to do stuff that you know is going to be funny for them.” “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” is a funny film for all fans of the series to appreciate, and they can also appreciate Eddie Murphy personally. And…the fifth “Beverly Hills Cop,” film is also in development!

Review: "Disney/Pixar's Inside Out 2"

On June 15th, 2015, Pixar Animation Studios released their 15th animated feature released under the Walt Disney Pictures label, Inside Out. It was a blockbuster smash, grossing $858.8 million dollars at the box office, earning positive reviews from critics and audiences alike—receiving two Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Feature (winning the latter!). Nine years later, Pixar has released a highly anticipated sequel to the film, Inside Out 2 (2024). Here is my review: 

Riley Andersen recently turned 13 years old. Each of the emotions in her brain: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger, continue to run the brain’s control center. As Riley continues with teenage development, she learns that her two new best friends, Bree and Grace, are preparing to move away from San Francisco and that their Summer Hockey Camp trip will be the last time they get to hang together. As a result: new emotions enter the brain’s control center: Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment, and Nostalgia. 

The first “Inside Out,” was special in the way that it portrayed competing and layered emotions: from leaving the familiar to the nervousness and excitement of a new place. “Inside Out 2,” is different from its predecessor because it’s about young kids maturing into teenagers. As that happens, they can become so overwhelmed by anxiety and insecurity, or just envy of those around them. As they start to loose their “sense of self,” they find that the friends/family who care about them help them get their true identity.

“Inside Out 2,” reunites the first film’s all-star voice cast of Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, and Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Riley’s Parents, Jill and Bill Andersen. Lisa Lapira and Tony Hale voice Disgust and Fear, respectively, replacing the first film’s Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader; and Kensington Tallman replaces Kaitlyn Dias as the voice of Riley Andersen. Maya Hawke voices Anxiety, Ayo Edebiri plays Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos portrays Ennui, Paul Walter Hauser does the voice of Embarrassment, and June Squibb plays Nostalgia. The film is directed by Kelsey Mann, who makes his feature film directorial debut at Pixar, and it is executive produced by the first film’s co-writer/co-director Pete Docter. Docter is also Pixar’s current head of Animation and was the writer/director of Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), and Soul (2020) (the latter two of which also won Best Animated Feature Oscars). The film is co-written by Mann, Dave Holstein, and Meg LeFauve who co-wrote the first film with Docter.

“Inside Out 2” cleverly reunites the iconic characters from the first film and tells another humorous and uplifting story that all fans can enjoy. It has currently grossed $1.015 billion dollars, and been critically and publicly well-reviewed. Whether or not it will be accoladed or even receive a third installment remains to be seen. Overall, Pixar has undoubtedly hit another home run with “Inside Out 2.”

It's a Small World With a Big Story

1964 is typically remembered by Disney fans as the year of Mary Poppins (released in August of that year). It was also the year of many other movies: The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, The Moon-Spinners, The Sword in the Stone, The Three Lives of Thomasina, to name a few. 1964 was also the debut of a beloved Disney Park attraction. It’s a Small World premiered at the 1964 New York World’s Fair on April 22nd, 1964, then opened next month at the Park. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, let’s examine the production that went into the making of this beloved attraction.

Beginning with its artists: Mary Blair created the ride’s overall design and color styling. Blair had previously been an art director on Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953). Walt Disney was very fortunate to have Mary Blair’s talents in both his movie studio and his theme park designing as she was one of the very few women working in the animation industry. The characters in each scene were sketched by Disney “Nine Old Men” member, Marc Davis, and built by WED (Walter Elias Disney) Enterprises Designer, Rolly Crump, who also designed toys and additional figures in each scene. Davis’s wife, Alice, supplied the costumes for each character.

When Walt Disney first began developing the idea for “Small World,” the working title for the attraction was “Children of the World,” and his original plan was to have each of the characters sing their country’s national anthems simultaneously. When Walt discovered that resulted in a cacophony, he summoned his composer/lyricist team Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman and told them “I need one song that can easily be translated into many languages and be played as a round.” They immediately got to work, balancing writing this song with the songs they were writing for “Poppins,” (including “Chim-Chim Cher-ee,” which won the Best Original Song Oscar). As soon as they had written the song “It’s A Small World,” Walt changed the name of the attraction.

The boats in the ride were built by an amusement park design and manufacturing company called Arrow Development, which was founded in 1945 and went defunct in 1981. Besides “Small World,” Arrow Development built Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, King Arthur Carousel, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and a wide variety of other beloved Disney Park attractions. It is unfortunate that they are no longer in business, but their talents certainly did add to the magic of Disneyland.

“Small World,” opened at the ’64 World’s Fair alongside three other Disney-produced attractions: Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, The Magic Skyway, and The Carousel of Progress. All four transitioned to Disneyland, though only the primary two are still in operation at Disneyland today. 

Review: "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire"

“When there’s something strange in you’re neighborhood, who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! When there’s something weird and it don’t look good, who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!” 

For the past four decades, movie buffs have been spellbound by the “Ghostbusters” franchise, beginning with the release of the first Ghostbusters (1984), which will turn 40 on June 8th of this year, and featuring an Oscar-nominated with the aforementioned lyrics by Ray Parker, Jr. Since the release of “Ghostbusters 1,” additions to the franchise have included animated television series: The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991) and Extreme Ghostbusters (1997) a female reboot Ghostbusters (2016) and three sequels to the original film Ghostbusters II (1989), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) released on March 22nd, 2024. Here are my thoughts:

Callie Spengler has relocated from Summerville, Oklahoma with her children, Trevor and Phoebe, and boyfriend, Gary Grooberson, to the beloved “Ghostbusters” firehouse in New York City. There they learn more secrets of Callie’s deceased father, Egon Spengler, including how and he his teammates: Raymond Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Winston Zeddermore started their old business and how they’ve managed to keep it going today. As they work together to trap new ghosts, they ultimately get in trouble with the law, headed by the mayor of New York City, who happens to be a former “Ghostbusters” enemy, Walter Peck. 

Ivan Reitman, who directed “Ghostbusters 1 and 2,” and co-produced “Afterlife,” directed by his son, Jason Reitman, passed away in 2022. “Frozen Empire,” was made as a tribute to the senior Reitman. Ivan was an actor’s director, besides directing the first two “Ghostbusters,” he directed cast members in other projects including: Stripes (1981) which starred Bill Murray and Harold Ramis (“Egon Spengler” and co-writer of first two “Ghostbusters”), Meatballs (1979) which also starred Murray, and Dave (1993) which starred Sigourney Weaver. (“Meatballs,” can be credited for igniting Ivan’ Reitman’s career as a director as well as Murray’s career as a leading man in movies.) 

Futhermore, Reitman directed Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990), and Junior (1994), each of which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Six Days, Seven Nights (1998) starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. The very last film he directed was Draft Day (2014), which starred Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner. He was given posthumous credit for co-producing 

“Frozen Empire” does an exceptional job of continuing to include “Easter Eggs” to the original “Ghostbusters.” While it doesn’t outdo the emotion of “Afterlife,” which was made as a tribute to Ramis, who passed away in 2016, it’s still a very fitting tribute film, continuing the best of the franchise’s legacy.

“Frozen Empire’s” all-star cast reunites Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler, McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard as Trevor and Phoebe, Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson, and once again we see Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts as Pete Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddermore, and Janine Melnitz. The film also brings back original “Ghostbusters” cast member William Atherton as Mayor Walter Peck. The film was co-produced by Ivan and Jason Reitman and Jason Blumenfeld, was co-written by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan and directed by Kenan, who is no stranger to apparitions, having received an Oscar nod for directing the motion-capture animated film, Monster House (2006). The film features a Score by Oscar-Winning Composer Dario Marianelli that continues to pay homage to Elmer Bernstein’s score from the original. The film includes a cameo by John Rothman who played the Library Administrator who summoned the Ghostbusters to catch their first ghost at the very beginning of the original.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” will likely be entertaining for all fans of the franchise. It’s thanks to the reunion of the original cast, plus Jason Reitman’s skills as a producer/director that “Frozen Empire,” and “Afterlife,” continue the groundbreaking legacy of the original.

Review: "Kung Fu Panda 4"

 

DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda,” franchise began when they released the first Kung Fu Panda movie in 2008. It earned them a Best Animated Feature Oscar. Two feature sequels followed, Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) (which also earned a Best Animated Feature Oscar) and Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), along with four short films, three television series and a holiday themed special, Kung Fu Panda Holiday (2010). Throughout the franchise, Jack Black voiced the clumsy but brave, Po, in the feature films, and on the short-lived series Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (2022-2023). After a brief hiatus, Black returned to voicing Po on the big screen in Kung Fu Panda 4 released on March 8th, 2024. Here are my thoughts: 

In “version 4,” Po has now officially become a Kung Fu Master and was elected by his friends and family as the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. He discovers, however, that each of the villains he defeated in the previous “Kung Fu Panda” movies have mysteriously resurrected from the “Spiritual Realm,” and he must figure out how to defeat them all—again…and this time simultaneously. In doing so, he becomes a mentor to a new “Dragon Warrior,” the title that he earned in the first film.

When the first “Kung Fu Panda,” film was released the story of an anthropomorphized Panda Bear who learns Kung Fu was a unique mash-up of a soft and cute Panda Bear as a Martial Arts Champion. Throughout this series, Po has matured in his Kung Fu skills, but he has never lost his sense of humor, making him an endearing character to fans. This time around, seeing Po become a mentor for the first time in his life adds to the entertainment very well.

Along with Black, “Kung Fu Panda 4,” reunites the voice cast of Oscar-Winner Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Ian McShane, and Oscar-Nominee Bryan Cranston along with the additions of Awkwafina, Oscar-Winner Viola Davis and Oscar-Winner Ke Huy Quan. The film is co-directed by Stephanie Stine, who makes her feature film directorial debut, and Mike Mitchell, who previously directed Shrek Forever After (2010) at DreamWorks. (Mitchell also executive produced the movie.) The film was co-scored by Steve Mazzaro and Oscar-Winner Hans Zimmer, who also scored DreamWorks’s The Prince of Egypt (1998) with Stephen Schwartz. 

The “Kung Fu Panda,” franchise can now be compared to the “Shrek,” and “Toy Story,” franchise in the sense that each franchise consists of four feature films. (The “Despicable Me” franchise will join those ranks later this year with Despicable Me 4 scheduled to be released July 5, 2024.) Whether or not it will tie with “Ice Age,” franchise, which consists of six feature films, remains to be seen. “Kung Fu Panda 4” could potentially be considered a standalone/spin-off movie, rather than a sequel, with the additions of all the new characters. And while Po’s friends from the original trilogy, “The Furious Five,” make cameos instead of appearing all throughout the movie, it still manages to be another humorous, adventurous, and heartfelt story that all fans can appreciate.

Tony Anselmo: Disney's Next Lucky Duck

Disney cast Clarence “Ducky” Nash as the voice of Donald Duck when he first developed the character, making his screen debut in the short The Wise Little Hen (1934). Disney became intrigued with Nash’s “peculiarly funny” voice as he listened to him on the radio recite the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Nash claimed that he read the poem with the voice of a baby goat. Disney, however, believed it sounded more like a duck, and Donald was soon born.

Nash voiced the irascible, but humorous and lovable duck for 51 years, until his death on February 20th, 1985. When it finally came time for the Disney Studios to find a successor to voice the duck, they cast Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck. Anselmo’s birthday is February 18, so in tribute to the fact that that’s today date, I thought we could explore Anselmo’s career.

Tony Anselmo saw Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964) in theaters when he was four years old, and it was that film that inspired him to become an artist. Although he studied art all throughout his childhood, around the time of his high school career, he also discovered that he could imitate voices and that he liked to imitate his art teachers as well as celebrities. While beginning to take nighttime art classes at local colleges in Sunnyvale, California, he joined the local theatre, and he even began corresponding with a few of Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men, including Ollie Johnston, who advised Anselmo to learn quick sketch, life drawing, acting and design.

Anselmo later learned all that and more when he was invited to attend CalArts, the arts school founded by Walt Disney in 1961. The head of the Character Animation Department at the school was Jack Hannah, the director of the Donald Duck unit under Walt Disney. After just two years at CalArts, Anselmo was invited to transfer to the Walt Disney Studios.

It wasn’t long after his transfer to the studio that Anselmo met and befriended Clarence “Ducky” Nash. Anselmo began learning from Nash how to create Donald Duck’s voice because that was one he didn’t know how to do. Nash had sadly been diagnosed with leukemia at the time and was looking for a successor, which Anselmo initially did not know. He later said “I think, in hindsight one of the reasons why Clarence spent so much time working with me on Donald’s voice and personality before mentioning his plans for succession is that he wanted to make absolutely sure I would do that legacy justice with loyalty before telling me.” It look him a long time perfect Donald’s voice, but ultimately he perfected it just in time to make his “Donald” debut in the television program DTV Valentine which aired on Valentine’s Day 1986.

That same year, Anslemo also worked as both a Key Assistant Animator and a Voice Actor in The Great Mouse Detective (1986), voicing one of Professor Ratigan’s thugs. Just the year prior, he made his animation debut as an Assistant Animator on The Black Cauldron (1985). Anselmo continues to voice Donald Duck today in all of his appearances for the Disney Studios, most recently in the Disney Junior series Mickey Mouse (2021-present) and in the short film Once Upon a Studio (2023). He briefly voiced Donald’s nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the Disney series House of Mouse (2001-2003), and Donald’s sweetheart Daisy in the television special Down and Out with Donald Duck in 1987.

Besides his acting talents, Anselmo is also credited for doing character animation on many beloved characters including: Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (1992), Young Simba in The Lion King (1994), and Flit the Hummingbird in Pocahontas (1995). He received a well-deserved Disney Legend Award in 2009. Looking at his remarkable career, it’s clear that Tony Anselmo has made Walt Disney (the man and the company) proud.