Will the real Thurl Ravenscroft please stand up?
SEINFELD’S LIES
We didn’t put much thought into popping the Netflix film Unfrosted on TV last Saturday night. We were looking for something uncomplicated and fun, and a silly satire about feuding cereal companies headed by the king of sitcoms seemed about right.
What I didn’t realize going in was that it was a period piece, set in the early 1960s, with costumes, sets, and political mores to match. (Sample quote: “Vietnam, huh? That sounds like a good idea.”) I was also previously unaware that rather than spoofing the industry with fake companies, the film would explicitly set up real-life giants Kellogg’s and Post as the warring cereal factions.
And if they were using real companies, that meant they were using some real people too. Marjorie Post was one of them. Another was… Thurl Ravenscroft?
WHO’S THURL RAVENSCROFT?
Oh, get outta here; this is a Disney blog! You know darned well who Disney Legend Thurl Ravenscroft is. 😜
Just in case, though – need a refresher? Thurl Ravenscroft is the lead singing bust in The Haunted Mansion graveyard scene (and the HM narrator for Ron Howard specifically). Also! Fritz the German bird of the Enchanted Tiki Room. And also Monstro the whale from Pinocchio, and also he sang “Pink Elephants on Parade” in Dumbo, and also he had small roles (usually involving singing) in Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean (the ride) and 101 Dalmatians and The Aristocats and… Look, just think of him as the basso profundo Sterling Holloway.
On the non-Disney side of things, you may know him as the guy who sang “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” And in his arguably most famous role, he was the voice of iconic Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger. Which is how he wound up a character in Unfrosted.
Minor spoilers ahead! But this isn’t exactly an M. Night-style twist movie, so if I were you I wouldn’t worry about it.
IS UNFROSTED‘S PORTRAYAL OF THURL RAVENSCROFT BASED ON REAL LIFE?
Okay, the short answer is no. But secondarily, you have to understand this: as a card-carrying Disney parks obsessive, Hugh Grant playing Thurl Ravenscroft sent me into a brief tizzy. HOLD ON, I thought to myself – has Thurl Ravenscroft been British this entire time and I somehow forgot????
Nope. The Thurl in Unfrosted speaks with a rich, scholarly English accent. By contrast, Thurl Ravenscroft was born in Nebraska and spent the lion’s share of his life in California. So we’re starting off on shaky footing with any “real life” talk.
He is also portrayed as a serious, Shakespearean actor whose contract expressly stipulates that in exchange for giving life to a mere cereal mascot, Kellogg’s is legally bound to finance his production of King Lear. When Seinfeld (Bob Cabana in the movie, but let’s face it, he’s Seinfeld) says they can’t do it just now, Mr. Ravenscroft leads his fellow mascots in a union-style revolt.
IS ANYTHING ABOUT UNFROSTED‘S VERSION OF THURL LEGIT?
Sorry, guys, but I fear Hugh Grant may not 100% know what he’s talking about. Thurl Ravenscroft didn’t feel “reduced” to Tony the Tiger at all.
I will admit, I have not performed an exhaustive amount of research. However, I did read his Wikipedia biography generally, this article that specifically calls out his work as Tony, and this extensive interview.* As far as I can tell the similarities end at the name. Well, except that he was, in fact, Tony the Tiger.
* You should really read that interview if you’re a Disney fan; it’s very interesting. He tells several stories about working with Walt.
In addition to the whole not-British thing, I don’t see a single Shakespeare play in Ravencroft’s acting credits. Nobody – Thurl included – mentions theater. Opera, yes, but not theater.
Per the sources above, Ravenscroft was a self-described “ham” who considered his primary success to be in backup singing/voices and commercials. He played Tony the Tiger for five decades because he loved the character and enjoyed the work. When asked, he called it his proudest role.
Both actual Thurl and Unfrosted Thurl sport mustaches, though! That’s something.
(My theory is they changed up their Ravenscroft to avoid being sued, but this is only speculation on my part.)
SO SHOULD YOU WATCH UNFROSTED?
Sure! I mean, it’s not a great movie, and I think the mixed reviews were fair. It’s a fluff piece. I certainly wouldn’t pay for it if you don’t have Netflix.
Still, there are some fun bits of dialogue, especially if you enjoy Seinfeld’s cynical brand of humor. I personally found the bright and colorful ’60s vibe a groovy world to inhabit for 90 minutes, even if it didn’t leave me eager for repeat visits.
As a Disney fan, though, the Thurl Ravenscroft angle adds an additional level of amusement to the proceedings, even with inaccurate characterization. Give it a try and see what you think!
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