Michael Sheen: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
4. Nivens McTwisp The White Rabbit - Alice In Wonderland (2010)
Disney's plans to remake all of their classic animated musicals in live action appear to continue unabated. Kenneth Branagh's take on Cinderella - with Cate Blanchett as the Wicked Stepmother - hit cinemas earlier this year, and the film press remains abuzz with every new addition to the Beauty And The Beast's cast. The most recent update? Ewan McGregor will essay the role of sentient candelabra Lumiere. It's an unfortunate, uninspired trend that began with Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, which saw the director wash his usual dark gothic brush over everything (because there was certainly no darkness in the hallucinatory original). And, like Cinderella and Beauty And The Beast, it had a surprisingly strong cast. Along with Burton regulars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, Sheen appeared - well, with the help of motion-captured CGI animation - as Nivens McTwisp, the White Rabbit. Sheen said the Rabbit is such an iconic character that I didn't feel like I should break the mould too much. That very much comes through in his performance - in that you can't tell it's Sheen. It could've been anyone, really.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
