Sep 12
4
The Disney Roles of Jeremy Irons
Few Hollywood actors have the honor of being featured not only in blockbuster Disney Movies, but also in the Disney Parks as well, and one of the most memorable names (and voices) is Jeremy Irons. Irons has starred in numerous starring roles over the course of his incredible career, and he’s been featured in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and in the animated classic “The Lion King”.
Starting back in 1992, Irons had a supporting role in the Magic Kingdom attraction “The Timekeeper” as H.G. Wells and appeared when the Timekeeper (voiced by Robin Williams), sent his assistant Nine-Eye back in time and eventually ends up in the year 1900 in Paris, France for the Exposition Universelle (a world’s fair). Nine-Eye observes a conversation between H.G. Wells and Jules Verne concerning the future and what it would be like, and we don’t see Irons’ character again until a later scene that takes place in 2189, and appears along side Verne in a 1900′s looking time machine. While not a major role, it was a role that did establish him with Disney, and in a beloved classic attraction that lasted until 2006!
Irons in Timekeeper
The next role Irons took that was associated with Disney, is perhaps his best known, and most widely seen of everything he did with Disney. In 1994 Irons’ voice gave life to the character Scar in the blockbuster animated film, “The Lion King”. He also did the singing in his characters only song “Be Prepared” from the film, however only completed a section of the song because of vocal problems, and Jim Cummings finished the last lines of the song.
Also in 1994, Irons’ lent his vocal talents to the Disney Parks yet again, this time over in Epcot. From 1994 to 2007, Jeremy Irons was the narrator for the iconic attraction Spaceship Earth, and is arguably the most popular of the attractions 4 narrators. His dramatic reading of the script and unique voice made his time as narrator incredibly memorable and personally, I from time to time listen to his version of the narration even while I’m riding!
“Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers. From the very beginning, we have always sought to reach out to one another … to bridge the gaps between us … to communicate.“
