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.

Review: "Disney/Pixar's Soul"

On December 25th, 2020, Disney/Pixar’s Soul was released to Disney+. Originally slated to be released to theaters, it was moved to Disney+ due to the pandemic. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score, as well as Golden Globe Awards in the same two categories. Three years later, the film was finally released to theaters on January 12th, 2024. Here’s my review: 

Synopsis: Joe Gardner is a part-time middle school band director who possesses an exceptional piano-playing talent. While grateful for the opportunity to be employed at the school, his real life’s ambition is a professional performing gig, preferably in Dorthea Williams’s New York City nightclub. When he finally auditions, he lands the gig, but his excitement causes him to accidentally fall into a sewer, where he finds himself disembodied. As he struggles to “reembody” himself, he begins to examine his life which is a poignant challenge to how he views himself.

Pixar’s current head of animation, Pete Docter, co-wrote and co-directed “Soul.” In addition to “Soul,” Docter is also known as the screenwriter/director of Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), and Inside Out (2015), the latter two of which also won the Best Animated Feature Oscars. Taking that body of work into consideration, there’s no denying that Pete Docter knows how to make animated movies that inspire audiences to feel soul-based emotions. “Soul” is no exception and is distinguished from the others in the sense that “Soul,” rather than a story about children being looked after by the main protagonists, it’s a story about an adult struggling inside himself.

“Soul’s” all-star voice cast includes Oscar-Winner Jamie Foxx as Joe Gardner, Oscar-Nominee Angela Bassett, Emmy-Winner Tina Fey, Tony-Winner Daveed Diggs, Graham Norton, and Emmy-Nominee Phylicia Rashad. Pete Docter shares writing and directing credits with Kemp Powers, who received a Best Adapted Screenplay Nomination for 2020’s One Night in Miami and who also directed 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Mike Jones also co-wrote the film and the following year Jones co-wrote Luca (2021) for Pixar which also received a Best Animated Feature Oscar Nomination. (Like “Soul,” “Luca,” and Turning Red (2022) also were released as Disney+ exclusives, but both will be released to theaters this year, “Turning Red,” on February 9th and “Luca,” on March 22nd.)

Overall, “Soul,” is a wonderful and beautiful film. It inspires us to consider doing what we love or what we’re passionate about in our lives, but also to recognize that life on Earth entails all kinds of “purposes,” and it’s meant to be lived to the fullest. Being open to new things is important, but we need to also see that many “seemingly boring” or mundane parts of our lives can also carry great meaning. It’s a more unconventional message for an animated film and continues to show how Disney/Pixar poses our thinking on important topics.

Review: "Wonka"

In 1964, Roald Dahl published the beloved children’s novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A smashing success, Dahl published a sequel: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator in 1972. “Chocolate Factory,” had two film adaptations: the movie-musical Willy Wonka the Chocolate Factory in 1971 and the non-musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005, as well as a stage musical adaptation which premiered in London’s West End in 2013, and on Broadway in 2017. Warner Bros. Studios, who previously distributed the 2005 film adaptation, have just released Wonka (2023), a movie-musical prequel describing how Willy Wonka came to be a chocolatier. This is my review:

Arriving in England, Willy Wonka is a naive, but ambitious young adult who is determined to make his living as chocolate seller. Despite being illiterate and of little means, his determination and optimism are unrelenting, as he aspires to sell chocolate to please his diseased mother. While most of England thinks that his obsession with selling chocolate puts his sanity in question, Wonka manages to befriend five people, each of whom had their dreams cast aside, including a young orphaned girl named Noodle. His friends agree to help him pursue his dream of selling chocolate illustriously in exchange for his help pursuing their dreams. Noodle also helps him learn to read and write and the process.

Although “Wonka,” was written exclusively-for-the-screen, and is not based on any book, it nonetheless features the same iconic character and it manages to entertain surprisingly well. As a musical, it recalls more of the 1971 film than the 2005 film, but it gives the vibe of a book coming to life on film. It is released under the production of David Heyman and the direction of Paul King, both of whom previously collaborated in their same respective roles in Paddington (2014), Paddington 2 (2017), and the upcoming Paddington in Peru (2024). King also co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Barnaby and Heyman is also known for producing the entire Harry Potter film series (2001-2011).    

The film’s all-star cast stars Oscar-Nominee Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka and Calah Lane as Noodle. Oscar-Winner Olivia Colman plays Mrs. Scrubbit, the film’s main antagonist who holds Wonka, Noodle, and all their friends hostage at her boardinghouse and does everything she can to keep them from pursuing their dreams. Emmy-Nominee Jim Carter portrays Abacaus Crunch, one of the friends who is determined to get back to the family he was separated from. The film is Edited by Mark Everson who also edited both the “Paddington” movies. Neil Hannon wrote the films songs.

All in all, “Wonka,” is a great film, reminding us of “Teamwork makes the dreamwork.” Whether your family is biological or not, we all hope to find a team that always has your back. It’s a rare thing to see such a strong message like that in a movie-musical.

Review: "Disney's Wish"

Review: “Disney’s Wish”

In commemoration of its 100th Anniversary, the Walt Disney Company released their latest animated movie-musical, Wish, on November 22nd, 2023. Here’s my review:

Asha lives with her mother, Sakina and her grandfather, Sabino, in the fictional kingdom of Rosas, an island in Mediterranean Sea, ruled by King Magnifico. Sabino’s lifelong wish is to be the kingdom’s Official Musician. Asha, with the help of her pet “talking” goat Valentino, is determined to see that wish granted as a present for his 100th birthday. When she discovers, however, that Magnifico has possessed “all the wishes” and the kingdom and refused to grant them, Asha finds herself going on an adventure to save the kingdom and ultimately grant their wishes.

Disney’s Wish (2023) was released posthumously after the passing of the late-great Burny Mattinson, who worked as a storyboard artist on the movie. Mattinson was originally employed by the Walt Disney Company in 1953, making his very first contribution on Lady and the Tramp (1955), as an inbetweener Artist. He remained with Disney for the next seven decades of his life, contributing a wide variety of contributions. (Mattinson directed Mickey’s Christmas Carol, released in 1983, earning a Best Animated Short Film Oscar Nomination.) There is a tribute to him in the film’s end credits.  

 

As a production, “Wish” uses beautiful CGI animations with breathtaking watercolor backdrop paintings. It also includes wonderful songs written by Benjamin Rice and Julia Michaels (who made her movie-musical writing debut writing songs for this movie. And of course it provides the excellent animation and music we expect from Disney. It also features a top notch voice cast. 

Oscar-Winner Ariana Debose is the voice of Asha, Emmy-Nominee Chris Pine is King Magnifico, Four-Time-Tony-Nominee Victor Garber voices Sabino, and Emmy-Nominee Alan Tudyk as Valentino. The film’s screenplay was co-written by Jennifer Lee (Head of Disney Animation and Oscar-Winning Producer of Frozen (2013)) and Allison Moore who makes her Disney-writing debut. Chris Buck (who produced and also directed “Frozen”) and Fawn Veerasunthorn share directing credits in the movie. Veerasunthorn previously worked as a story artist on Disney’s Moana (2016) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), the sequel to Wreck-It Ralph (2012). She also was Head of Story on Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)).

Wish is an inspiring story about finding the courage and the confidence and whatever else it takes to pursue your own life’s wishes and being in control of your own future. In other words you are the person you need to chase your dreams—don’t rely on others to grant your wishes.

“Wish,” is worth of every Disney fans viewing because although it is not quite the game-changer that “Frozen” was, fans can also catch clever “Easter eggs” from other Disney movies within the story. Walt Disney himself was quoted as having said “All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them,” and this film is about finding that courage and maintaining it within yourself which no one should ever be afraid to do.

Mickey Rooney: A Long Career

Few Hollywood legends have begun their careers as children and been able to maintain a life-long career. Mickey Rooney, however, first began acting at the age of 6, and remained in the business until he passed away at the age of 93, an 87-year-career! His birth date was on September 23rd, and in recognition, I thought it would be fun to acknowledge his fascinating Disney connections, which go beyond just film and television appearances.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was a cartoon character originated by Walt Disney, though Disney lost the rights to the character because of a copyright infraction with Universal Studios. Universal began producing “Oswald” shorts in 1928 and they added sound to their cartoons also and even decided Oswald should have a voice. (This, however, was just after Disney had invented “sound within cartoons,” in Steamboat Willie (1928)). Mickey Rooney was fortunate enough to be cast as the voice of goodhearted, but clumsy rabbit, voicing him for two shorts, The Hare Mail and The Fisherman, both were released in 1931. Prior to Rooney’s voice, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was also voiced by Pinto Colvig, Disney’s future voice of Goofy, in 1930.

Mickey Rooney made his official Mouse House debut in the original film version of Pete’s Dragon (1977), starring opposite Sean Marshall, Helen Reddy, and Jim Dale. Rooney also appeared in the Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color television movies “Donovan’s Kid,” and “Little Spies,” which aired on television in 1979 and 1986, respectively. In between those television films, Rooney was cast as the voice of the Adult Tod in The Fox and the Hound (1981) opposite Kurt Russell as the Adult Copper and he even made one guest appearance in the third season of The Golden Girls (1985-1992). Three years before he past away, he also made a cameo in the “Life’s a Happy Song,” sequence in The Muppets (2011).

There also was a rumor that Walt Disney named Mickey Mouse after Rooney (later proven false). It was said that Disney ran into Rooney when he was working on Mickey Mouse’s early drawings and the two introduced one another and Disney also asked for his opinion on the drawings. According to IMDB this was proven false, however, because the name Mickey came from the mind of Walt’s wife, Lilian Bounds Disney, who thought Mickey was a better name for a mouse, as opposed to Walt’s original idea, Mortimer. Mickey Rooney’s eldest son, Mickey Rooney Jr., however, later went on to become one of the original Mouseketeers in The Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1958).

Throughout his career, Rooney garnered four Oscar Nominations, winning an Honorary Oscar in 1983, as well as Two Golden Globe wins. He was also known for acting alongside many other legends in the movie It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) and for voicing Santa Claus in Rankin/Bass’s The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), a role that he reprised twice. He starred alongside Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke, and Robin Williams in Night at the Museum (2006) as Gus the Security Guard, a role that he reprised in the film’s second sequel Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), which was released posthumously after Rooney’s and Williams’s, on December 19th, 2014.

Mickey Rooney had an incredibly long career in show business—including some great Disney connections. It’s inspiring that he was able to continue doing what he loved over the course of many decades entertaining multiple generations in the process!

 

Review: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3"

On April 19th, 2002, IFC Films released My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). The film was a sleeper hit, having been produced on a budget of only $5 million but grossing a total of $368.7 million worldwide. The film spawned a television series, My Big Fat Greek Life (2003), which lasted seven episodes, as well as a sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, released on March 25, 2016. The series latest installment, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, premiered in theaters on September 8, 2023. Here’s my review:

Toula Portokalos’s father, Kostas “Gus” Porokalos, has passed away and the tragedy of his passing hasn’t allowed much "together time” for the family since. That being the case, Toula decides to reunite the family together in Greece and hilarity ensues as they all travel together. In doing so, they also wound up discovering some shocking family secrets.

This film is an emotional tribute to Michael Constantine, who portrayed Gus Portokalos in the first two “Greek Wedding,” films. Constantine passed away on August 31, 2021 due to natural causes. It was originally planned for him to star in the third movie, and when he became ill and unable to do it, Vardalos offered to scrap the whole idea of a third film, but Constantine encouraged her to make it anyway. Vardalos’s real father, Constantine Vardalos and Bruce Gray, who portrayed father-in-law, Rodney Miller in the first two “Greek Wedding,” movies sadly also passed away before the release of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” and there are dedications to all three men at the end credits.

Beyond its emotional story, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” will appeal to all MBFGW fans because unlike the first two films, the third film actually takes place in Greece. The script is choppy in spots, and perhaps a little predictable, but it does a really nice job of portraying family complications, and the various ways individuals deal with the difficulties and tragedies of life. It’s all wrapped in a series of fun adventures that highlight the natural beauty of Greece—all in a fun romp.

This film reunites the all-star cast of Nia Vardalos as Toula Portokalos, John Corbett as her husband Ian Miller, Louis Mandylor as brother Nico Portokalos, Tony-Award-Winner Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula, Joey Fatone and Gia Carides respectively as Cousins Angelo and Nikki, and Lainie Kazan as Toula’s mother Maria Portokalos. The film also brings back Elena Kampouris as Toula and Ian’s daughter, Paris Miller, and Alexis Georgoulis, who co-starred with Vardalos in My Life in Ruins (2009) also appears. The film is once again produced by Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Gary Goetzman, and is written and directed by Vardalos, who also wrote the first two films.

All in all, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, is an entertaining movie! It’s probably not quite as exceptional as its predecessors, but it’s a touching way to close the trilogy. 

The Walt Disney Company Veterans: Actors

The year 2023 marks 100 years since the Walt Disney Company was founded. It’s incredible to believe that it’s been a whole century (the official anniversary date is October 16th). There have been countless people since then who have made legendary contributions to the studio, and there are a few who were born around the same time the studio was originally founded. Now in their 90s, I thought it would be nice to acknowledge them and their contributions, beginning with actors: 

• David Frankham (97): Frankham’s most iconic Disney contribution is undoubtedly voicing the courageous Sergeant Tibbs the Cat in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). Prior to that film Frankham also appeared in the live-action Disney Films Johnny Tremain (1957) and Ten Who Dared (1960), where he had the rare of privilege of getting to meet Walt Disney himself while shooting on location in Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah, a privilege that Disney voice actors in general, didn’t get.
• Bob Newhart (93): Newhart’s most iconic Disney contribution is voicing the shy, but soft-hearted mouse Bernard in The Rescuers (1977), a role that he reprised in the film’s sequel The Rescuers Down Under (1990). While it was an important one, it remains Newhart’s only Newhart’s only Disney role. Though, in addition to be a television icon for sit-coms such as The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) and Newhart (1982-1990), he is also children’s/family movie icon for having voiced Leonard the Polar Bear Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) and for portraying Papa Elf in Elf (2003).
• Dick Van Dyke (97): Van Dyke’s iconic Disney role is portraying Bert the Chimney Sweep and Mr. Dawes Sr. in the blockbuster Mary Poppins (1964). Van Dyke also starred in the films Lt. Robinson Crusoe (1966) and Never A Dull Moment (1968) and cameoed as Mr. Dawes Jr. in Mary Poppins Returns (2018). He also portrayed himself, hosting the television special Donald Duck’s 50th Birthday (1984) and narrated the documentary Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001).
• Glynis Johns (99): Johns is currently the oldest surviving Disney Legend at 99. Her best-known Disney performance is playing Mrs. Winifred Banks, mother of Jane and Michael and wife to George Banks in Mary Poppins (1964). Prior to that film, however, Johns also starred in the live-action Disney films The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue, both of which were released in 1953. Three years after those films, Johns made The Court Jester (1956) starring Danny Kaye and future Disney legend Angela Lansbury, and in 1995 Johns appeared in While You Were Sleeping released by the Disney-owned Hollywood Pictures Company and starring Sandra Bullock.
• Nancy Olson (95): Olson was fortunate enough to star in five live-action films for Disney. The most popular is probably when she played the love-interest-turned-wife of Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), because “Absent-Minded Professor,” was the very first live-action Disney film to spawn a sequel, Son of Flubber (1963) released two years later. Olson also starred in Pollyanna (1960), which was the feature film debut of Hayley Mills, Smith! (1969), and Snowball Express (1972), opposite Dean Jones. She made a cameo in Disney’s remake of “Absent-Minded Professor,” Flubber (1997), which starred Robin Williams. Besides her Disney roles, Olson was the inspiration for the song “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” in the Original Broadway Production of My Fair Lady (1955) written by Frederick Lowe and Alan Jay Lerner, having been married to Lerner at the time. 
• Mary Costa (93): Costa’s best-known Disney performance is voicing Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty in Sleeping Beauty (1959). While that is Costa’s only Disney role, as well as the most popular role of her entire career, she had a brief stint in movies, including the romantic comedy Marry Me Again (1953), which was written and and directed by her future husband, Frank Tashlin, who at the time was a former employee of Disney’s. She also voiced to the radio series The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1954) and the radio-turned-television series The Voice of Firestone (1928-1963). As of 2023, Costa remains one of two surviving voice actress of Disney Leading Ladies from films that Walt Disney personally produced. (The other is Kathryn Beaumont who voiced Alice in Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Wendy Darling in Peter Pan (1953)).

I think we have enough legends to close this week, but we will look at more next week. Hope you enjoyed this introduction!