![]() ![]() Menken agrees the film is something of a “bromance” between the two characters. While “Aladdin” is ostensibly the story of a pauper trying to woo a princess, it is the friendship between Aladdin and Genie that really gives the movie its heart. (Will Smith, who played Genie in the 2019 live-action remake, was “stylistically perfect,” adds the composer). His performance was “just the most brilliant thing you’ve ever seen, amazing,” says Menken. Having expected a jazz singer to step into the role, Menken admits he was “thrown” when Robin Williams was first cast - until the comedian got into the recording booth. Genie, the magical funster from Disney’s animated feature “Aladdin,” was not originally supposed to be blue but Black, inspired by musicians such as Fats Waller and Cab Calloway, says composer Alan Menken, who first developed “Aladdin” as a musical alongside lyricist Howard Ashman. Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Evere Her nanny “kind of coaxed the children along by making a game out of things,” he says. He credits Andrews with making the character more appealing than in Travers’ books. “Walt was very, very proud of ‘Mary Poppins,’” says animator Eric Goldberg, who is part of the studio’s creative legacy team and was just a kid when the original movie was released. Banks,” starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney in 2013 and “Mary Poppins Returns,” starring Emily Blunt in 2018.Īlthough Travers complained about Disney’s first adaptation, the studio undeniably created an enduring hit, thanks in large part to the iconic, umbrella-toting character. The original movie, co-starring Dick Van Dyke as chimney sweep Bert, spawned a hit Broadway musical in 2004, followed by the making-of movie “Saving Mr. ![]() Travers’ book that is packed with hummable tunes, including “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” courtesy Richard M. Julie Andrews won an Oscar for her performance as the titular “spoonful of sugar” loving nanny in “Mary Poppins,” a 1964 Disney adaptation of P.L. Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection “Lest anybody forget, Minnie has been around as long as Mickey,” says longtime Disney animator Eric Goldberg, noting she also first appeared in “Steamboat Willie” in 1928. “I always joke that Mickey is a mutual friend that we all know and love.”Īnd then there’s Minnie, the yin to Mickey’s yang. “It’s this story of a little guy going on to do great big things,” Iwan says. There’s good reason that entertainment publications such as Variety have long referred to the company as the Mouse House.īret Iwan, the voice of Mickey since 2009, believes the character’s humble beginnings - so similar to Walt’s own - make him relatable to all ages. Technically, Mickey Mouse is not the first animated creation from the fledgling Disney studio - that would be Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - but the character with the distinctive ears took off in ways his toon predecessor never did, fueling the company to great economic heights, frequently with girlfriend Minnie by his side. To gain additional insight into the enduring appeal of these iconic creations, we drew upon interviews with studio insiders and those involved in the making of the projects. The list, presented chronologically, incorporates animated and live-action characters from the studio’s early days up through the pandemic era. There are no “Star Wars” figures or Marvel superheroes, as those were developed well before Disney bought the respective companies behind them, but Woody and Buzz from “Toy Story” are, as that Pixar movie was made under a co-production deal prior to the company being acquired by the Mouse House. In choosing Disney’s most iconic characters, we considered - and debated - which among the studio’s many concoctions had the greatest lasting impact. has brought to life many of cinema’s iconic and revered fantasy figures - from a plucky mouse with a signature chuckle to princesses, rakish pirates and even walking-and-talking skeletons - and birthed a host of stars through its small-screen programming. During its first 100 years, the Walt Disney Co.
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