Improvisation in Disney or Broadway

[Pasta67]

I was bored, so I thought I'd make a little thread about all the improvised lines in many Disney movies. Basically, just list some lines that you know in these movies that were improvised. PIXAR movies and other movies affiliated with Disney are welcome to. The topic isn't very in-depth, but it should be fun for a while.

Just so discussion doesn't get dry and repetitive, write your opinion on if you like improvisation in movies or not. Does it make the movie better? Does it make it worse? Do you care?

I only know a few improvised lines in movies. I know about the "They took my boot" line in Tarzan, Cogsworth's "promises" line in Beauty & the Beast, and the many improvised lines in Aladdin.

I love having improv in movies. It shows that the actors know what their character way say at any given moment and it makes all the characters feel that much realer. If it's out of place in the movie though, I don't like it.

[Disneykid]

Pretty much anything the Genie says in Aladdin was improvised by Robin Williams:

"This is the famous Dead Sea Tupperware. Listen. *blurp* Ah, still good."

"First, that fez-and-vest combo is much too third-century. These patches. What are we trying to say? Beggar? No. Work with me, here."

"You know, I'm rather fond of you, Kid...Not that I wanna pick out curtains or anything..."

"Tonight, the part of Al will be played by a tall, dark, sinister, and ugly man."

I, personally, love improvisation in movies because those type of lines feel more genuine (and memorable). It's one thing to quote a written page, but unless you were the one who wrote it, it's hard to really sound like you just said that line out of the blue instead of rehearsing it 50 times (George Lucas, I'm talking to you.). An improvised line really does come out of the blue and (if the actor is clever enough) can end up being one of the most memorable things that character says.

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

The only two I can think of is when Iago says, "And a how about this picute? I don't know I think I'm making a weird face in it." was improvised by Gilbert Gottfried.

I also know that in Monster's Inc. when Mike is singing, "Put that thing back where it came from or so help me" Sully sings, "Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum, Bum" which was improvised by John Goodman.

I can't think of any others.

[Siren]

Not movie wise, but I know several lines of the Broadway shows are improv depending on where they are.

Unsure if this was improv or scripted, but it looked improv to me. I saw Lion King on Broadway in Boston and Zazu came out on stage when one of the African theme curtains was up and he looks it over and says, "Looks like something from Filene's Basment". Filene's Basement is like an outlet store for Filene's.

There was a line in Beauty and the Beast that seemed out of place and improved, but I forget what it was at the moment.

[Disney Lover]

I can never tell when something is improvised in movies. Mainly cause I obviously don't know what was in the script beforehand.

Though I have to say that I'm not surprised that Robin Williams improved a lot of stuff for the genie. He does that in every movie he's made I believe.

Tabbi <3

[Kram Nebuer]

I can never tell when something is improvised in movies. Mainly cause I obviously don't know what was in the script beforehand.

Though I have to say that I'm not surprised that Robin Williams improved a lot of stuff for the genie. He does that in every movie he's made I believe.

Tabbi <3

I'm in the same boat. How do you tell if it is improvised? I know for stuff for the Genie and other comedians you can tell weren't written beforehand.

Oy, wait now I remember. After watching bonuses on Finding Nemo I know some of Albert Brooks's lines (Marlin) were improvised like the part where he is telling the joke about the mollusk and sea cucumber. I think Ellen Degeneres may have improvised too like the "Just Keep Swimming" ditty seems like it was improvised. Now that I think about it, was the Human Again dialogue stuff from BatB improvised? I mean the part where Belle and Beast were reading Romeo and Juliet. I remember in either an audio commentary or bonus feature segment the directors and producers were saying how Paige O'Hara and Robby Benson did the scene together in the same recording booth or cubicle or room or whatever.

Anyhow, I think improvisations are fun. Usually you don't expect them and like many others have said, they are the most memorable. One of the best parts from Tarzan are when Jane says, "Daddy! They took my boot!"

[Nala]

Weren't some of the Uncle Albert's character improvised as well. I seem to think it was mentioned on the bonus feature in the Mary Poppins DVD.

[Pasta67]

I'm in the same boat. How do you tell if it is improvised?

Well, okay. I didn't think that out when I made this thread. I found the improvised lines I know of the internet, bonus features off the DVD, and audio commentaries.

[Lord Yupa]

Not Disney, but...

The lines for the scene in the English Dub of Spirited Away, where John Ratzenberger is singing a song extolling the virtues of the "rich man", Noh-Face, were improvised:
"Welcome the rich man, he's hard for you to miss. His butt keeps getting bigger, so there's plenty there to kiss!"
Gets me every time !

[Jake Lipson]

nsure if this was improv or scripted, but it looked improv to me. I saw Lion King on Broadway in Boston and Zazu came out on stage when one of the African theme curtains was up and he looks it over and says, "Looks like something from Filene's Basment". Filene's Basement is like an outlet store for Filene's.

That occured just after he lost Simba and Nala at the conclusion of I Just Can't Wait to Be King, I'm assuming?

When I saw it last year the Zazu (who was an understudy) said, "Oh, these look like shower curtians from K-Mart!" Got a huge laugh.

[Nala]

From Pirates of the Caribbean

The various "eunuch" lines were improvisations by Johnny Depp.

I read this on IMdb

[Hogi Bear]

Yeah, I quite like it. It sometimes adds to the character.

Actually in Beauty and the Beast I think the Director encouraged the cast to improvise, things like the Flying Buttresses, the Broke Period "if it's not broke don't fix it"

On stage it's very handy to be able to improvise just in case you are all of a sudden thinking "what are my lines (or someone elses)?" or a prop falls down or something doesn't go right, so you can help the story line continue without looking like someone has mucked up.

It also helps actors/actresses develop their character.

[Kram Nebuer]

Yeah, I quite like it. It sometimes adds to the character.

Actually in Beauty and the Beast I think the Director encouraged the cast to improvise, things like the Flying Buttresses, the Broke Period "if it's not broke don't fix it"

On stage it's very handy to be able to improvise just in case you are all of a sudden thinking "what are my lines (or someone elses)?" or a prop falls down or something doesn't go right, so you can help the story line continue without looking like someone has mucked up.

It also helps actors/actresses develop their character.

Actually, it was "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it." A play on words with broke and Baroque which was the period of music before the classical (or romantic? I forget) period.

Lol, improvising on stage when something goes wrong is the funniest thing! I was in the orchestra pit when my high school did Mame (which explains my brief disappearance at UD in Feb-March), and my friend Mike played Ito, the Japanese butler (lol, Mike is Italian/Polish ). Anyhow, there was a scene that opened with Ito in the main room of Mame's penthouse and he finds Mame's typewriter in which she is writing her memoirs. He picks up the paper and reads it and exclaims "Oooooh!" in a silly, stereotyped Japanese accent. Mame and her friend Vera are supposed to enter the stage but I think there was a wardrobe problem or something else and they didn't come out for a long time. Mike just kept Ooohing and soon started talking to us. He really got into character and began typing his own memoirs about his boyhood life in Japan and how he came to be in America. There were a slew of silly jokes and he had the whole pit laughing! Lol, I guess you had to be there to remember how funny it was, but it was one of the best parts of the show.

[Hogi Bear]

Yeah, I quite like it. It sometimes adds to the character.

Actually in Beauty and the Beast I think the Director encouraged the cast to improvise, things like the Flying Buttresses, the Broke Period "if it's not broke don't fix it"

On stage it's very handy to be able to improvise just in case you are all of a sudden thinking "what are my lines (or someone elses)?" or a prop falls down or something doesn't go right, so you can help the story line continue without looking like someone has mucked up.

It also helps actors/actresses develop their character.

Actually, it was "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it." A play on words with broke and Baroque which was the period of music before the classical (or romantic? I forget) period.

Thanks for the correction.

WordWeb's definition of Baroque:
Elaborate an extensive ornamentation in decorative art and architecture that flourished in Europe in the 17th century

Sounds like it was a good play. I was in one called Gumshoe and I looked at this diagram, which I was meant to explain and thought how on earth does this work and because of that I forgot my lines that went with it, but everything worked out.

[Siren]

Not sure if it was staged or not, but when I saw Beauty and the Beast, Lumeire was about to sing Be Our Guest and was in front of the curtain by himself in darkness, for what seemed like nearly a minute. And in near silence. Then suddenly the spotlight hit him, and he said, "Thank you.", but it was how he said it that was funny, it seemed like the lighting guy was off the mark or something.