Originally Posted By brotherdave Walt was portrayed in the made-for-TV movie about Annette Funicello about a decade ago.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Thanks brotherdave ... I did a little poking around ... and saw that .... that Annette film was called "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story" made 17 years ago. The guy who played Walt is Len Cariou - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0137230/" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0137230/</a> With a couple shots of him playing Walt here...... <a href="http://toobworld.blogspot.com.au/2009/12/as-seen-on-tv-walt-disney.html" target="_blank">http://toobworld.blogspot.com....ney.html</a> As with the film about the making of Citizen Kane .... a weak resemblance. But I suppose if it's a Made-for TV film ... the production can get away with actors and actresses who don't look closely enough to the original ........ But for the film they want to do now ... You can sure bet .... they are going to have to come up with the closest looking "Walt" to date! Right down to his voice, mannerisms, and inflections.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <The guy who played Walt is Len Cariou> who was the original Sweeney Todd on Broadway in the 1979 Stephen Sondheim musical version, where he played opposite Angela Lansbury, who was Mrs. Potts in the animated "Beauty and the Beast." It's like a 'six degrees' exercise.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Another link for "Saving Mr. Banks" .... <a href="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/disney-acquiring-black-list-script-saving-mr-banks-about-making-of-mary-poppins-tom-hanks-meryl-streep-could-star" target="_blank">http://blogs.indiewire.com/the...uld-star</a> And to add to the list of possible players for Dick Van Dyke ... the above article suggests Bill Hader. <-- Not bad, actually. I can see him doing Dick.
Originally Posted By oc_dean <a href="http://geektyrant.com/news/2012/2/9/disney-to-make-saving-mr-banks-the-story-behind-mary-poppins.html" target="_blank">http://geektyrant.com/news/201...ins.html</a>
Originally Posted By oc_dean For now ... I think that's it. Any other link to "Saving Mr. Banks" is just regurgitating the same info listed already. I'm quite looking forward to more developments in the ensuing months. As with any film ... casting can change in a heartbeat. Is Tom Hanks 'the right stuff' ... to play Walt?
Originally Posted By brotherdave >>>did a little poking around ... and saw that .... that Annette film was called "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story" made 17 years ago. The guy who played Walt is Len Cariou - <<< Wow! 17 years ago. It didn't seem that long ago to me. Thanks for researching that oc_dean!
Originally Posted By oc_dean I just came across something interesting ... Just doing a little peek around the internet on the film The Artist .. which I plan to see soon (just released last week in Australia) ..... I came across this image: <a href="http://ferociafatale.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/the-artist-jean-dujardin-looks-like-walt-disney-and-gene-kelly-Small.jpg" target="_blank">http://ferociafatale.com/wp-co...mall.jpg</a> Which is "The Artist" actor Jean Dujardin ... and positions him in the center ... to show he looks like a cross between Walt and Jean Kelly. Then I got to thinking ... What about casting Jean Dujardin as Walt Disney. Whaddya think??
Originally Posted By oc_dean That picture of Jean with Walt came from here.... <a href="http://ferociafatale.com/2012/01/inspired-by-the-artist/" target="_blank">http://ferociafatale.com/2012/...-artist/</a>
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Whoever they get has to have extremely expressive eyebrows. Walt said a lot with those two little strips of hair and I think everyone that has ever seen him on TV or in person, would unconsciously remember those brows.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >> Whoever they get has to have extremely expressive eyebrows. << For your consideration: Eugene Levy as Walt Disney. Eyebrows don't get any more expressive than his. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gwa3dXueek&feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...=related</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Nicholas Cage! His eyebrows only have a couple of expressions, but that's where all of his acting comes from. I don't think he does any acting with the rest of his body...it's just the eyebrows...
Originally Posted By mawnck <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/walt-by-pascal-witaszek.html" target="_blank">http://www.cartoonbrew.com/dis...zek.html</a>
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA ^^^love that poster. The time is drawing near for a biopic of Walt Disney.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I never gave Ryan Gosling a thought. He does have the right facial features to pull off a young Walt, though. Too bad it's not real.
Originally Posted By oc_dean The comments that follow are an interesting read. A few think a film on Walt should never be made. Which I think are utterly ridiculous. Guess you can say that about Margaret Thatcher (cough) .... King George "Bertie" VI .... (cough) .... Mahatma Gandhi ... (cough) .... or T.E. Lawrence (cough) .... or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (cough) .... or JESUS (cough-cough)!
Originally Posted By oc_dean I was taking a look at this pic of Walt. <a href="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QELdmQn99bo/T12b0mmVoMI/AAAAAAAAA_s/-vFcPQ89yDc/s126/walt.jpg" target="_blank">http://lh5.googleusercontent.c...walt.jpg</a> (Wish I could find a larger version of it) .... and I keep thinking Jean Dujardin. I wonder!!
Originally Posted By oc_dean Again .... Walt ... <a href="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QELdmQn99bo/T12b0mmVoMI/AAAAAAAAA_s/-vFcPQ89yDc/s126/walt.jpg" target="_blank">http://lh5.googleusercontent.c...walt.jpg</a> Jean ... <a href="http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&sugexp=llsin&gs_nf=1&cp=6&gs_id=12&xhr=t&q=jean+dujardin&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1200&bih=573&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=Vp1dT7O4K8SRiQfmutjpCQ" target="_blank">http://www.google.com.au/searc...fmutjpCQ</a> I just wonder if Tom Hanks could be any better ?!?!
Originally Posted By oc_dean And any straight woman, or gay man who is not in love with Jean .... There's something wrong with you! ;~) LOL And Walt in his day <a href="http://mb-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/post_images/assets/000/002/914/walt-disney_large.jpg" target="_blank">http://mb-assets.s3.amazonaws....arge.jpg</a> ... was not so bad lookin' himself!
Originally Posted By oc_dean There could be a list of reasons why Jean Dujardin would be all wrong to play Walt. I think the obvious one right now ... is his thick French accent. LOL And I think he speaks just enough English to get by, at the moment. But that does not mean he could not learn it better, and learn to speak in an "American" tongue. If this film does happen ... Just taking a wild guess ... I don't think it would get cast, and started for a while. Like a year or more. And of course, whoever they want .. need to be available.
