Verna Felton began her career as a child performer in a road show. She transitioned into stage production, radio, film, and television as she aged. Her career lasted for over sixty years until her death in 1966, one day before the passing of Walt Disney.
Felton was known for her distinctive husky voice and no-nonsense attitude, which usually got her cast as authoritative characters. However, she was capable of playing kinder and softer characters, which can be seen in her voiceover work.
7 Winifred – ‘The Jungle Book’ (1967)
Every day, the elephant Colonel Hathi ( J. Pat O’Malley ) leads his herd on patrol through the jungles of India. Among those is his wife, Winifred, who never misses a chance to give snarky criticism of her husband’s methods. Together, they have a son named Hathi Jr. (Clint Howard).
Winifred was Felton’s final role, and she did an admirable job despite the character’s relatively low screen time. She’s one of Disney’s more outspoken mother figures and shows a considerable amount of care for others. When she learns that the man-cub, Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman), is missing, and Hathis refuses to search for him, she wastes no time in breaking rank and berating him in front of the entire herd.
6 Elephant Matriarch – ‘Dumbo’ (1941)
As the leader of a group of circus elephants, the Matriarch is eager to welcome the child of Mrs. Jumbo (Verna Felton) to their herd. That is until they discover that the baby, whom they nickname Dumbo, has oversize ears. After Dumbo is assigned to the clowns, the Matriarch leads her fellow elephants in disowning him for this disgrace.
The Matriarch believes elephants are a proud, noble species, despite her life as a circus attraction. Though she’s quick to cast out Dumbo for being a clown, she excuses the fact that the other elephants are made to do manual labor and stack atop a ball. Felton nails her sense of entitlement and superiority with every word, echoes of which can be felt in her later performances.
5 Aunt Sara – ‘Lady and the Tramp’ (1955)
When Jim Dear (Lee Millar Jr) and Darling (Peggy Lee) go on a vacation, they ask Jim’s aunt Sara to watch over their newborn son. Unfortunately, Sara is not a dog person, and fears that the family dog, Lady (Barbara Luddy) is a threat to the child. After her cats Si and Am (Peggy Lee) ruin the house, she blames Lady for the incident and gets her muzzled, which leads to Lady’s adventures with a stray named the Tramp (Larry Roberts).
Sara is an example of a Disney antagonist who isn’t really evil. Sure, she maybe could have trusted Jim Dear and Darling, but at the end of the day, she’s doing what she thinks is best to keep her grandnephew safe. Felton’s voice helps to sell this, as even when she’s angered, she sounds like a doting, concerned woman who doesn’t know she’s in the wrong.
4 Pearl Slaghoopal – ‘The Flintstones’ (1962-1963)
The mother of Wilma (Jean Vander Pyl), Pearl is critical of Wilma’s husband, Fred (Alan Reed), and the feeling is mutual. Wilma believes that the reason is that they’re too similar in personality, and hopes that they can become friends. Unfortunately, every attempt at peace is undermined by one or the other’s stubbornness.
Pearl is the typical sitcom mother-in-law: disapproving of her son-in-law and doting on her grandchildren. Though she is highly critical of Fred, she’ll occasionally stick up for him. This is best seen in the episode “Foxy Grandma”, where she rescues Fred and Wilma from a duo of bank robbers, literally throwing one of them out of the house.
3 The Queen of Hearts – ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (1951)
As Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) tries to find her way out of Wonderland, she is directed to the garden of the Queen of Hearts. After trying to help some living playing cards cover up for their mistake in planting white roses instead of red, she witnesses the Queen’s fury firsthand. When the Queen notices Alice, she forces her to play a game of croquet.
The Queen of Hearts is what you get when a temperamental child is given absolute power. She is completely focused on her own interests, and if things don’t go her way, she flies into a deadly temper that results in at least one beheading. Felton conveys the perfect level of childishness with her performance, switching from condescending giddiness to bombastic fury.
2 Flora – ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (1959)
To celebrate the birth of Princess Aurora (Mara Costa), King Stefan (Taylor Holmes) invites three good fairies to bless her. Their leader, Flora, gives Aurora the gift of beauty before the evil fairy, Maleficent (Elanor Audley) arrives to curse the Princess. Flora then leads the other fairies in raising Aurora in the woods to hide her from Maleficent’s evil.
Flora acts as the brains of the trio, coming up with plans and directing the others with boundless conviction. She thinks quite highly of herself and expects others to follow her ideas without question, which can cause conflict with the rebellious Merryweather (Barbara Luddy). Despite this, she will bravely go headfirst into danger if the need arises and take an active role in fighting the forces of evil.
1 Fairy Godmother – ‘Cinderella’ (1950)
When her step-family destroyed her dress for the ball, a distraught Cinderella (Ilene Woods) ran into the yard to cry. A mysterious woman appears before her and offers her comfort. The woman identifies herself as Cinderella’s fairy godmother and uses her magic to grand Cinderella one night of happiness for all the kindness she has shown to others.
The Fairy Godmother is one of Disney’s most kind and selfless characters. Felton’s normally authoritative voice becomes soft and supportive, speaking to Cinderella like a caring grandmother, and occasionally slipping into moments of absent-mindedness. She even does a great job singing one of Disney’s most iconic songs, “Bibbity Bobbity Boo”.
