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Beaumont went from voicing Alice to Wendy Darling in ‘Peter Pan’ (1953)
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Kathryn Beaumont recalls Walt Disney as approachable and supportive, even inviting her to ride his backyard train
Beaumont acted out scenes for the Alice in Wonderland animators to capture realistic expressions and movements for Alice’s character
She worked with comedic legends Ed Wynn and Jerry Colonna and voiced Wendy Darling in Peter Pan shortly after Alice
Kathryn Beaumont is proud to be part of Disney history.
The actress, who voiced Alice in 1951’s Alice in Wonderland, chatted with radio host Joe Sibilia in 2017. The episode, recently re-aired on Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia in celebration of the film’s 75th anniversary, featured the actress’ memories of working with Walt Disney.
Beaumont, 88, explained that Disney was searching for an actress whose voice would resonate with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
“He was looking for a voice for Alice that was pleasing to both sides… that wasn’t too British for American ears and vice versa. They decided that my voice fit the best for the role, and I was excited to be able to perform for him,” she explained.
Beaumont has fond memories of Walt Disney, who she found to be approachable and willing to lend himself as a sounding board for any of his talent.
“He just immediately made me comfortable. I forgot my fear,” she recalled.
Beaumont was surprised that Disney was “very accessible,” explaining, “You would see him walking down the hall. He’d come into the cafeteria at lunchtime. It was just this wonderful, casual, friendly relationship.”
Disney even extended an invitation to his home to share some of his favorite hobbies with the actress.
“I did ride Walt’s train. There were a couple of events at his house and you could go around the backyard on the little train track,” she shared, adding, “That was an exciting experience.”
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Beaumont’s work on the character wasn’t just voice acting. She also acted out scenes for animators to get an idea of expressions and movements that could be applied to Alice.
“They also wanted me to do what they called the live-action, that wasn’t for the audience, that was for the animators. They wanted to make sure they were able to make the human look very realistic with all the motions,” she explained.
Another highlight of the work was the opportunity to collaborate with comedic legends Ed Wynn and Jerry Colonna.
“They were so well-known, and I was in awe of both of them. I expected, because they were comics, that they were going to be funny all the time,” she shared.
Beaumont continued, “But they were both very serious in between. Yet, they made me feel very at home, and I just felt blessed to be able to work with them.”
Beaumont went on to a new project shortly after wrapping Alice in Wonderland: 1953’s Peter Pan. She found herself going through the same process, this time as Wendy Darling.
“As soon as I got back from [promoting Alice in Wonderland], they started right away on Peter Pan,” she recalled. “I was recording immediately, almost as soon as I got off the plane from doing promotion for Alice in Wonderland.”
Beaumont retired from voice acting in 2005. In the years since, she focused on her other line of work — teaching. The Disney legend spent 36 years teaching elementary school.
Read the original article on People
