Some Disney movies have been hurt by casting decisions that, in retrospect, just weren’t right for the story. Disney usually finds stellar casts for its animated and live-action movies that elevate the story and thrill the audience, resulting in some of the best Disney movies. However, in some cases, it seems like they went for the most famous person available for publicity reasons instead of conducting an extended search to find the perfect actor.
With several casting choices, it is possible to see why the Disney producers thought it would be the perfect match. It is usually not completely the fault of the actor if they are not given a fantastic script to work with. However, the best and most experienced actors can work within the confines of the story to make the characters their own, suggesting that it would have been possible for a different casting choice to save a certain character and improve the movie overall.
Ralph Breaks the Internet’s marketing made a big deal out of two things: the gathering of all the Disney Princesses and the casting of Gal Gadot. The whole point of Gadot’s character Shank is that she is laid-back and cooler than anyone Vanellope has ever met before, and the producers probably thought Gadot was the perfect choice to play this character. However, Gadot is perhaps too laid-back; there is nothing particularly interesting about her performance, and she does not have the most recognizable voice of the Wreck-It Ralph cast to immediately draw associations between Shank and Wonder Woman.
Jane Lynch voices Calhoun, who is also characterized by being cool and tough, but Lynch’s expertise at voicing a heartless, tough-as-nails character produced a better result. Part of the problem is due to the writing, as Calhoun is given some more outlandish dialogue to demonstrate her personality. However, Gadot’s lack of voice acting experience was a weakness, and casting someone comfortable improvising in a recording booth might have resulted in a more dynamic version of Shank.
For the best and the worst live-action Disney remakes, the producers filled up the cast with A-listers, and Cinderella was no different. Lily James and Cate Blanchette as Cinderella and Lady Tremaine were the best choices among this cast, while Richard Madden as “Prince Charming” was one of the worst. Madden as a clean-cut, naïve prince didn’t work when the audience knew he was capable of playing a character from a much grittier world. Madden’s biggest title is still Game of Thrones, playing fan-favorite Robb Stark.
Other actors would have been better at portraying the prince’s sheer goodness in a subtly comedic but lovable way. Chris Pines did this for Into the Woods and Josh Dallas for Once Upon a Time. The live-action Cinderella wanted a version of the prince who would be taken more seriously, but this is not how the character functions. A different actor who could have slipped in some funny moments would have been a better live-action Prince Charming.
Despite its other story weaknesses, Oz the Great and Powerful features interesting iterations of the Wicked Witches of the East and West that are not merely younger versions of the same static characters seen in The Wizard of Oz. Theodora is idealistic and romantic before becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, in part because of her older sister’s magical interference. Evanora is elegant and cruel, manipulating the Ozians’ perception of her family and Glinda the Good. Glinda, however, is the same character as she always was: gentle, kindly, and harboring no ulterior motivations.
Michelle Williams’ performance does nothing to contradict the basic way Glinda is written. Some moments demonstrating even Glinda having ethical doubts about the Wizard’s charade or hinting at the darker side of her years as a fugitive would have deepened the character. Williams’ could only do so much on her own, but she appears to have accepted the confines of the script, even though she is an Oscar-worthy actress capable of much more.
With Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney was likely trying to bring back the practice of casting a comedian as the sidekick. This approach created the most iconic parts of Aladdin and Mulan through Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy’s performances as Genie and Mushu, respectively. Awakwafina has versatility as an actress in general, demonstrated by her dramatic performance in The Farewell. However, she doesn’t really have the same versatility as a comedian yet to create a distinct character still influenced by her own brand of humor.
Disney chose a currently popular comedian for the character of a goofy dragon and assumed everything would fall into place. However, Sisu also doesn’t have enough witty dialogue within the script itself. Additionally, the character’s persona awkwardly contrasts with Kelly Marie Tran’s Raya and Gemma Chan’s Namaari, who are too capable, compared to the slightly stumbling heroes of Mulan and Aladdin being mocked by their respective sidekicks. With Awkwafina, the chemistry and writing just wasn’t right, and Raya and the Last Dragon would have been better with a more experienced comedian.
The Fox and the Hound 2 is one of the stranger animated Disney movies that most people have forgotten even exists. The proceeding movie is a dark meditation on domesticating wild animals, predator and prey relationships, natural disaster, and environmental destruction. On the other hand, the sequel shows a lost adventure from the title characters’ younger days when Copper is recruited by a group of singing dogs after one of their leads quits.
If the premise and the overblown musical numbers weren’t enough, Patrick Swayze is the one voicing the lead of the canine musical group. Unfortunately, Swayze’s performance is only a reminder of the problems with the movie it is in. Cash is a generally obnoxious character, so driven by the desire to succeed that he is terrible to his friends. Swayze was clearly cast to reinforce this characterization, making Cash an unlikable character in a bad movie.
Riding on the success of Toy Story, Pixar was able to attract plenty more A-listers to voice new characters in A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., and Toy Story 2. Julia Louis-Dreyfus might have been amazing as the Queen Ant in A Bug’s Life, who is given a sassy, laissez-faire personality. With her razor-sharp comedy and some room for improvisation, she could have done wonders for this character. However, the role of the queen was understandably given to Phyllis Diller, another comedy icon.
Louis-Dreyfus was therefore cast as the ever-tense Princess Atta, the queen’s soon-to-be successor. The character drives the drama of the story when the actresses’ strengths lie in observational and black comedy. Louis-Dreyfus isn’t bad as Atta, per se, just as A Bug’s Life isn’t a bad movie. However, A Bug’s Life still isn’t one of the best Pixar movies, and Louis-Dreyfus was misused by it.
Kronk’s New Groove, the sequel/spinoff of the underrated Disney classic The Emperor’s New Groove, features a love interest for Kronk who is not the most exaggerated of the two movies’ cast but is still slightly cartoon-ish. Tracy Ullman’s performance as Ms. Birdwell alternates between chipper and feisty, making for a generally good character. However, it might have made the story more interesting if Birdwell’s personality had contrasted a little bit more with Kronk.
A possible comparison is how Wendie Malick voices Pacha’s wife Chicha in both movies, whose no-nonsense approach contrasts with Pacha and Kuzco’s wacky hijinks. A character whose personality isn’t so like Kronk’s might have been a better way to go. Ullman was a decent choice for this movie, but they could have done better.
The villain Losto in Toy Story 3 is an interesting case of a character who was intentionally designed to look friendly and welcoming but is brutal underneath. Some actors can pull off this character remarkably well, but Ned Beatty may not have been the best choice. He is a believably cozy teddy bear and a heartless villain but isn’t quite able to reconcile the two concepts, so the audience can see one side of him in the other and vice versa.
People who have watched Rango know that Beatty can voice an amazing villain when he is sly and gritty from the start, as was the case with the greedy mayor. However, Toy Story 3 should have cast an actor who has played a character specifically like Lotso before. The movie won an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, so it can’t be called bad, but it could have had a slightly stronger villain.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a bad movie in general, but the conceptualization of Keira Knightley’s Sugar Plum Fairy is a disaster. Knightley spends the movie with sugar-sweet makeup caked on, speaking in an irritating falsetto voice. Some of the characters in this movie almost work, such as Helen Mirren’s gruff version of Mother Ginger or Mackenzie Foy’s capable and confident Clara. On the other hand, the Sugar Plum Fairy is too annoying and such a poorly handled twist villain to be doing anything good for the movie.
It’s unlikely a different actor in the role of Sugar Plum could have turned this movie around — Mirren’s presence certainly didn’t do this. However, the problem at its heart is that the movie wants the audience to take a ridiculous character seriously and cast a seasoned dramatic actress in the role to make it happen. If The Nutcracker and the Four Realms had more elements of comedy and comedic actors in all the main roles, it might have been better received.
