With the Academy Awards coming up on Sunday, March 10th at 7 p.m. ET, we wanted to take a look at the intersection between the Oscars and the parks. Many actors have made their way into queues, pre-shows, and attractions. However, how many have gotten the most coveted screen acting prize? Currently, not a lot. So, we decided to highlight some of our favorites from the past and present.
- Whoopi Goldberg – Superstar Limo & Golden Dreams – Best Supporting Actress in Ghost – When you think of Disney California Adventure circa 2001, you think of Whoopi. It’s Oreos and Milk. It’s Peanut Butter and Jelly. It’s a perfect pair. Whoopi was found in two attractions in the first iteration of the park. As Calafia, the Queen of California, she shared the story of how California came to be through its people and its ideas in Golden Dreams. The film was situated where Ariel resides now. On the other side of the park, where Mike and Sulley now reside, used to hold Superstar Limo. The much maligned attraction featured bizarre animatronics of celebrities (or, in Joan Rivers case, a puppet). Yet, at the end of the attraction, Whoopi led guests into their very own movie premiere. Superstar Limo is camp personified. It has been said that, after Superstar Limo’s opening, Whoopi turned to the operations team running the attraction and said “Limo, you in danger girl.”* (*not a real fact)
- Dame Judi Dench – Spaceship Earth – Best Supporting Actress in Shakespeare in Love – While Dame Judi Dench may have won her statue for only 8 minutes of screentime, her narration throughout the 15-minute long omnimover attraction at Epcot is worthy of a statue in its own right. Dench narrates the iconic attraction with a gravitas that the history of communication deserves. I don’t think we’d be thanking the phoenicians the way we are today without her wonderful voice over work. Of course, the scriptwriters for the attraction must be commended, but never has such a history-based Disney attraction become so quotable. “Like a grand and miraculous spaceship.” “The books were saved!” “…that we happen to know about.”
- Allison Janney – Star Tours – The Adventures Continue – Best Supporting Actress in I, Tonya – It’s interesting for a known performer to portray an original, non-human character in the parks. Robin Williams (fellow Academy Award winner) portrayed The Timekeeper, but rarely do performers take on original characters. Often, they still reside in human form. Since the parks have such a wide array of voiceover artists who take on such roles, it’s always intriguing for a “name” to join the ranks. In the pre-show for Star Tours, Janney voices a spokesdroid who is explaining our soon-to-be travels and the safety information required. While we will always miss the OG queen with the wacky bun on her head, Janney strikes the perfect tone between welcoming and a bit creepy for the character. I mean…I guess that’s why she has an Oscar.
- Jamie Lee Curtis – Ellen’s Energy Adventure – Best Supporting Actress in Everything Everywhere All At Once – A recent addition to the Academy Award winner list thus has her join the list of Oscar winners who have appeared in the parks. “Stupid Judy” herself appeared in Ellen’s Energy Adventure as Ellen’s former roommate and imaginary Jeopardy opponent. As a smarmy know-it-all, she played a thankless role, but turned it into something that I have referenced for years. Though the attraction has since been replaced by Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, I motion to recognize Ellen’s Energy Adventure as the actual film that garnered Curtis her Academy Award. I leave it at that.
- Geoffrey Rush – Pirates of the Caribbean – Best Lead Actor in Shine – At this current moment in time, the amount of audio-animatronics of famous actors is more than you’d think. While the closure of The Great Movie Ride (chock full of Oscar winners) left a hole on that front, there is a decent array within the domestic parks. Rise of the Resistance features three itself. However, on Pirates of the Caribbean, the iconic Barbossa, as played by Geoffrey Rush, sits atop a pirate ship and you plunge into the waters below. Rush is someone who might be best known for everything other than his Oscar, including the aforementioned Barbossa. At posting date, he is the only Academy Award-winning actor with his own animatronic. I’d say that’s pretty dang neat.
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