Walt Disney Art Classics Convention 2004 - Part 2
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Burton wound up his reminiscences of Paul Frees by talking about the “scene that was changed�? in Pirates of the Caribbean. (“I wish they hadn’t changed it,�? he added.) He provided the voice of Frees’ “Pooped Pirate,�? now the “Stuffed Pirate.�?
The original “Pooped Pirate�? from the Pirates of the Caribbean
“That was also a ‘rehearsal,’�? he said. Although he wanted to do more with the vocal track, the producers were satisfied with his first few takes and declared it was all they needed.
Craig Hodgkins next turned to another legendary voice, Hans Conried (Captain Hook, Mr. Darling, and the voice of the Magic Mirror for television).
Hans Conried
Corey Burton began by remembering his first meeting with Conried. It was at the recording of a radio drama for the Salvation Army. A friend had gotten him the job, and mortified Burton by telling Conried, “Hey Hans! You gotta hear this. This kid does your voice.�? Conried turned and replied with his distinctive vocal quality, “That’s very interesting, but I don’t speak with an accent.�? He than added, “Why don’t you find someone more worthy to idolize?�?
As the laughter in the ballroom died down, Burton said, “ever since he passed away, I’ve been the voice of Captain Hook.�? He mentioned that the Canadian crew who worked on the film Return to Neverland made him audition for the role, since they were unsure he could carry a feature.
Thornton mentioned that he had worked with Burton’s Hook on a Peter Pan read and singalon recording. “It’s always fun to see Corey in the booth,�? he said. Not only would they discuss the recording and microphones, he enjoyed watching Burton record the voice of Mr. Smee as well. In more than one session, Thornton said, “He had a conversation with himself.�?
Burton laughed and admitted that he sometimes had to do that for radio remotes, switching back and forth “live�? as Hook and Smee. He then delighted the crowd with a bit of dialogue between the two rogues. He modestly concluded the impromptu performance by saying, “It’s early for me.�?
Thornton told the crowd that watching Burton in the booth was a treat in itself. His body language would change as he performed each character.
Speaking of characters, Burton mentioned that ever since Beauty and the Beast, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise had used him to “try out�? voices for their features. Finally, his voice actually was used for the first time in Aladdin. For Atlantis, they tried out a number of celebrities as the Mole, but decided Burton’s was the best voice. he admitted that it was nice to create an original voice, since he spent most of his time recreating the work of others.
Corey Burton with a painting of his original character, the Mole from Atlantis.
Hodgkins then asked Burton to enumerate some of the small roles he had played in Disney feature animated films. Thornton recalled he was: a brutish guard in Hunchback of Notre Dame; Prince Achmed, Jasmine’s first suitor in Aladdin; a wheezing camel at the beginning of Aladdin; the sheep in One Jump Ahead in Aladdin (“I did a lot of bits in Aladdin,�? he admitted.); the chubby merchant with the moustache in Aladdin (which was a tribute to Paul Frees); and a Hun in Mulan (another tribute to Paul Frees. The line was, “That’s black tar from the high mountain.�?).