Return to Disney
“Return to me, oh my dear I’m so lonely. Hurry back, hurry back. Oh my love, hurry back. I’m yours.” Dean Martin sang these lyrics in a song back in 1957. The song that reached No. 4 on Billboard’s chart of “Best Selling Pop Singles in Stores.” The song would stay with Emmy and Golden Globe Nominee Bonnie Hunt all her life, becoming the inspiration for her romantic comedy Return to Me (2000) nearly 43 years later. Hunt wrote, directed, and starred in the movie, which featured a stellar cast. Many of the film’s actors have done Disney Animation, and were frequent collaborators with Hunt, herself a frequent Disney voice-over artist.
Bonnie Hunt played the role of Megan Dayton in “Return to Me.” She made her Disney debut providing the voice of Rosie, the Black Widow Spider, in A Bug’s Life (1998). The year after “Return to Me,” she voiced Flint, the monster in charge of the Practice Simulation in Monsters, Inc. (2001). In addition to voicing Sally Carrera the Porsche in Cars (2006), she also wrote additional screenplay material the film. Then, she lent her voice to Dolly the Doll in Toy Story 3 (2010), which reunited her with co-star from The Green Mile (1999), Tom Hanks. She reprised her role as Sally for Cars 2 (2011), voiced Mrs. Graves the teacher in Monsters University (2013) and most recently portrayed Judy Hopps’s mother, Bonnie Hopps, in Zootopia (2016). (She played Sally again in Cars 3 (2017)). She has also voiced Aunt Tilly in the Disney Junior Series, Sofia the First (2013-present) and is currently set to reprise her role as Dolly in Toy Story 4 (2018). Hunt’s friend and writing partner, Don Lake, co-wrote “Return to Me,” also portraying the man with the hair transplant, and voiced Judy Hopps’s father, Stu Hopps in “Zootopia.”
David Duchovny played Bob Rueland in “Return to Me,” and David Alan Grier played his good friend Charlie Johnson. In addition to “Return to Me,” both had reoccurring roles on Bonnie Hunt’s sit-com, ABC’s Life with Bonnie (2002-2004). Marianne Muellerleile, who played Sophie in “Return to Me,” also had a reccurring role on “Life with Bonnie,” and she also played Sister Dominick on the Disney Channel Show, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2005-2008).
Minnie Driver played the character of Grace Briggs in “Return to Me,” and voiced Jane in Disney’s Tarzan (1999). Joely Richardson, who played Bob Rueland’s wife, Elizabeth Rueland, also starred in Disney’s live-action adaptation of 101 Dalmatians (1996). While both Driver and Richardson speak with American accents in “Return to Me,” both actresses in real life are natives of London, England and “Return to Me,” is their only collaboration with Bonnie Hunt.
Jim Belushi played the role of Megan’s husband, Joe Dayton in “Return to Me.” Like Hunt, Belushi had his own ABC sit-com, According to Jim (2001-2009). Belushi also voiced Benny the squirrel in the Disney animated film, The Wild (2006), starred in the live-action film, The Underdog (2007), and has done numerous work on live-action Disney channel shows as well.
The four elderly men in “Return to Me,” were portrayed by Carroll O’Connor, Eddie Jones, Robert Loggia, and William Bronder. “Return to Me,” was O’Connor’s (Grace’s grandfather, Marty) final film. He passed away one year after its release. Robert Loggia, who played Angelo in “Return to Me,” voiced Sykes in Oliver & Company (1988). Both he and William Bronder passed away last year, seven months apart from one another. Eddie Jones, who played Megan’s dad, Emmett in “Return to Me,” also played Malcolm in Disney’s The Rocketeer (1991).
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