This unKNOWN actress, while she may not have had many parts in Disney, has such a memorable voice in the few parts that she does have that I just had to mention her. Eleanor Audley was born November 19, 1905 in New York City and passed away November 25, 1991 in Hollywood, California. Eleanor had this fierce and powerful voice, a voice that Disney seemed to see as an awesome villainess voice.
The first Disney character she played was the cunning Lady Tremaine in Cinderella (1950). This is not the villainess she is known for though.
Nine years later, she is heard in Sleeping Beauty playing the dark and powerful witch, Maleficent. The sinister and commanding voice is what makes Maleficent so terrifying, putting her up in the ranks as one of the best villains in Disney movies.
The other appearance that Eleanor made for Disney was during Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. During this television series, she was on the mini-series Swamp Fox (1960) playing Mrs. Videau.
Because Eleanor’s voice can be so spooky, it even found a place in one of the spookiest attractions in Disney Theme Parks! In the Haunted Mansion, both Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s versions, you can hear Eleanor’s voice bringing Madame Leota, the woman in the crystal ball, to life!
As you can see, while Eleanor Audley did not have many appearances in Disney film, you can easily remember her for the characters she did lend her voice to.
Please feel free to send me feedback on what you think of this series so far or if you know of any actors you would like to see me cover in this series; leave a comment on this post or send me an email at lady_aurora_yensid@hotmail.com
Showing posts with label cinderella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cinderella. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
unKNOWN Actors: Verna Felton
Have you ever been watching a Disney movie and you hear a voice that sounds familiar to you, but you are not sure why? Maybe you have ridden an attraction in a Disney park and heard a voice that you know you heard before, but you are not sure where you heard it or whose voice it is? Well, this blog series is here to change all that! I want to expose the unknown voice artists throughout Disney and show you how well you actually do know them!
Disney is known for reusing actors for different voice parts. When they hear a voice they like why should they change it? It’s because of this that you may hear one voice and people in the room can name multiple characters with that voice.
The first actress we are going to look at is Verna Felton. She was born in Salinas, California on July 20th of 1890 and died in Hollywood December 14, 1966. She was a very famous television and radio actress, but this is probably not why Disney fans would know her.
The first time Disney fans would see….or rather, hear Verna was in 1941 as the Elephant Matriarch, aka the mean elephant with the red headdress, in Dumbo. Fun fact: Mrs. Jumbo’s one line, “Jumbo Junior” was also said by Verna.
It would be 9 years until we hear Verna again, but in a much different part, playing the bubbly Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.
The next year, Verna reprised her role as a villain of sorts by playing the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, using her powerful voice to belt out such famous lines as “Off with her head!”
She had a very small part in Peter Pan, doing the voice for Squaw, the large native woman who tells Wendy to "get ‘em Firewood!"
In 1955, she is the voice for Aunt Sarah, the pushy bossy aunt who owns the Siamese Cats in Lady and the Tramp.
After a few years, she is heard as the self-appointed leader of the good fairies and lover of the color pink, Flora in Sleeping Beauty.
Right after Sleeping Beauty, she provided the voice for Eloise in Goliath II, a smaller Disney production.
Verna held so much talent and lent her voice to some memorable Disney characters. Even though she sadly died in 1966, she was able to share her talents with one more Disney character, and fittingly, it was with the same type of character with which she got her Disney start! The year after her death, she was heard as Winifred, the wife of Captain Haiti in The Jungle Book, an elephant.
When a typical Disney fan hears the name Verna Felton, they may not recognize the name, but all you have to do is play her voice and they immediately could name at least one of her characters. The villain roles seemed to fit her shrill, powerful voice, while for the Fairy Godmother and Flora, she had a bit softer voice.
There are quite a few people who have such a long Disney record, but no one knows of them! I hope to be able to share their names and talents with you! Let us know if there are any actors or actresses who should be featured in this article and if you have any questions, just send me an email!
Disney is known for reusing actors for different voice parts. When they hear a voice they like why should they change it? It’s because of this that you may hear one voice and people in the room can name multiple characters with that voice.
The first actress we are going to look at is Verna Felton. She was born in Salinas, California on July 20th of 1890 and died in Hollywood December 14, 1966. She was a very famous television and radio actress, but this is probably not why Disney fans would know her.
The first time Disney fans would see….or rather, hear Verna was in 1941 as the Elephant Matriarch, aka the mean elephant with the red headdress, in Dumbo. Fun fact: Mrs. Jumbo’s one line, “Jumbo Junior” was also said by Verna.
It would be 9 years until we hear Verna again, but in a much different part, playing the bubbly Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.
The next year, Verna reprised her role as a villain of sorts by playing the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, using her powerful voice to belt out such famous lines as “Off with her head!”
She had a very small part in Peter Pan, doing the voice for Squaw, the large native woman who tells Wendy to "get ‘em Firewood!"
In 1955, she is the voice for Aunt Sarah, the pushy bossy aunt who owns the Siamese Cats in Lady and the Tramp.
After a few years, she is heard as the self-appointed leader of the good fairies and lover of the color pink, Flora in Sleeping Beauty.
Right after Sleeping Beauty, she provided the voice for Eloise in Goliath II, a smaller Disney production.
Verna held so much talent and lent her voice to some memorable Disney characters. Even though she sadly died in 1966, she was able to share her talents with one more Disney character, and fittingly, it was with the same type of character with which she got her Disney start! The year after her death, she was heard as Winifred, the wife of Captain Haiti in The Jungle Book, an elephant.
When a typical Disney fan hears the name Verna Felton, they may not recognize the name, but all you have to do is play her voice and they immediately could name at least one of her characters. The villain roles seemed to fit her shrill, powerful voice, while for the Fairy Godmother and Flora, she had a bit softer voice.
There are quite a few people who have such a long Disney record, but no one knows of them! I hope to be able to share their names and talents with you! Let us know if there are any actors or actresses who should be featured in this article and if you have any questions, just send me an email!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Fantasyland Overhaul!
I have seen way to much information on this and news like this is not what I usually put up on my blog, but this is just waaaay too huge and interesting to ignore!
It looks as though Disney is looking at doing a major overhaul of the Fantasyland area of Magic Kingdom. The supposed plans expands the size of Fantasyland to about 3 times its current size, including taking over the majority of Mickey's Toontown Fair.
The plans include rides themed around several princesses, including Aurora, Ariel and Cinderella as well as a play area and meet-and-greet associated with Pixie Hollow. New food areas are also being added; one that seems to be much talked about is a Gaston related Table Service.
Some of the current rides will be staying, including the Carousel, Winnie the Pooh and Snow White. Dumbo will also be staying, but moving from its current location behind the Carousel to around the current location of Mickey's House. Dumbo will also be getting major additions to it, including a second ride area and an interactive queue.
Several small mercantiles also look to be in the plans, one including a book store that could possibly be themed around the book seller in Beauty and the Beast.
Below is what is believed to be blueprints for the new overhaul:
I would like to state, once again, that these plans are only supposed!! There has been no official announcement about this complete overhaul!
Why the buzz about it then? Well there have been a few "unofficial" leaks about work being done in the area, including some whispers from cast members that mention construction work being done behind the scenes of the park, where cast members used to be able to go but have since been blocked off. Could this be the beginning of a new Fantasyland???
Image provided by http://www.magicchatlive.com/showthread.php?tid=680. Visit this site for further discussion on this topic along with a very interesting picture of the overlay of the park, showing an aerial view of the current areas and then the proposed blueprints on top.
Final Notice: This Has Not Been Confirmed Officially By Disney! This Is Merely A Rumor!
(Though, word around is that official word on this overhaul will be coinciding with the D23 Expo!!)
It looks as though Disney is looking at doing a major overhaul of the Fantasyland area of Magic Kingdom. The supposed plans expands the size of Fantasyland to about 3 times its current size, including taking over the majority of Mickey's Toontown Fair.
The plans include rides themed around several princesses, including Aurora, Ariel and Cinderella as well as a play area and meet-and-greet associated with Pixie Hollow. New food areas are also being added; one that seems to be much talked about is a Gaston related Table Service.
Some of the current rides will be staying, including the Carousel, Winnie the Pooh and Snow White. Dumbo will also be staying, but moving from its current location behind the Carousel to around the current location of Mickey's House. Dumbo will also be getting major additions to it, including a second ride area and an interactive queue.
Several small mercantiles also look to be in the plans, one including a book store that could possibly be themed around the book seller in Beauty and the Beast.
Below is what is believed to be blueprints for the new overhaul:
I would like to state, once again, that these plans are only supposed!! There has been no official announcement about this complete overhaul!
Why the buzz about it then? Well there have been a few "unofficial" leaks about work being done in the area, including some whispers from cast members that mention construction work being done behind the scenes of the park, where cast members used to be able to go but have since been blocked off. Could this be the beginning of a new Fantasyland???
Image provided by http://www.magicchatlive.com/showthread.php?tid=680. Visit this site for further discussion on this topic along with a very interesting picture of the overlay of the park, showing an aerial view of the current areas and then the proposed blueprints on top.
Final Notice: This Has Not Been Confirmed Officially By Disney! This Is Merely A Rumor!
(Though, word around is that official word on this overhaul will be coinciding with the D23 Expo!!)
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