Paris' Walt Disney Studios - Animation Inauguration and Legend Ceremony
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Maurice Chevalier
(c) Disney
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The Niece and Nephew receive the award
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Maurice Chevalier was the only French inductee at this year’s ceremony. Chevalier, like so many actors that followed him, enjoyed a new lease of life when he finally walked onto the Disney Studio lot in the early sixties. By this time, his career had already spanned more than sixty years, but his roles in Disney features such as In Search of Castaways (1962) extended his career into new avenues, capturing a new audience as his unique “joi de vivre�? added both humour and emotion to his Disney films.
In 1970, Chevalier was coaxed out of retirement to sing the title song to The Aristocats, a feature that is synomous with his performance. He died just two years later at the age of 83. His niece and nephew, both elderly themselves, accepted the Legend award posthumously for their uncle. Their prepared speech spoke of their uncle’s fondness for Walt and the enduring friendship that the entire family shared until Walt’s “untimely�? death in 1966.
Phil Collins
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Phil Collins may have only begun his Disney career with the Studio in 1996 when Tom Schumacher asked the British songwriter to pen songs for their upcoming 1999 feature, Tarzan. This film broke with the tradition of the Disney musical, as the songs were predominantly performed by Collins. Collins immersed himself in the project, working closely with the screenwriters, directors and lead animators to ensure that his musical vision was seamlessly interwoven with the artistic direction. Collins also made the unprecedented move to personally re-record the songs in numerous other languages, including French, Italian and Spanish. Collins also revealed that he was currently working on three other Disney projects, although he refused to divulge any further information. There was talk in the auditorium that one of those projects is a Broadway adaptation of Tarzan with new music by Mark Mancina and Phil Collins.
David Tomlinson
(c) Disney
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A personal favourite of mine, David Tomlinson was the archetypal British gent. Walt noticed David when, on one of his numerous trips to England, he saw him lead the cast in the play, Ring of Truth on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. His portrayal as the stuffy banker and father to Jane & Michael Banks in Mary Poppins, demonstrated his diversity and range. George Banks was the most complicated character in the movie and critics often overlook his performance. Banks is the central figure of the piece, as it is his transformation that is at the heart of the tale. There is not a sweeter moment in the movie that seeing a dishevelled Banks singing Let’s Go Fly a Kite whilst skipping through the park with his children. Tomlinson completed a total reversal in the Love Bug, as he was cast as the evil Thorndyke. His final Disney role came opposite Angela Lansbury in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, once again portraying a complicated character as Emelius Brown, who is at first a cowardly crook & con man and eventually is transformed into a hero fighting the Nazis. Roy E. accepted the award posthumously.