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10 Most Quotable Live-Action Disney Characters
BY ALI TESKE
June 26, 2023
Disney’s live-action canon, while filled with remakes of its animated tales, actually houses a number of films that are original features or remakes of an early live-action Disney produced. Upcoming are the Most Quotable Quotes From Live Action Disney Characters Whether they are seasonal favorites or part of the nostalgia collection, these live-action features produced characters that left an impression on viewers in the best way possible. Quotable characters solidify a movie’s legacy far beyond box-office numbers or critical acclaim.
The best quotable characters earn their notoriety from a combination of solid writing and talented performances. From iconic comedians to Disney darlings, these quotable live-action characters remain in the hearts of Disney viewers for their best lines and more.
10. Chance & Sassy
‘Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey’ (1993)
With a voice like Michael J. Fox‘s as the adorable four-legged Chance, it’s hard not to have memorable quotes. In Disney’s ’90s retelling of this classic tale (for the second time), Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, two dogs and a cat journey across the wilderness to return home and reunite with their owners. The young pup of the trio is Chance, a rescue learning to find his way and his true purpose as a dog.
His best lines always come as he squabbles with the cat Sassy (voiced by Sally Fields) whose high-maintenance lifestyle is certainly turned upside down. Their beloved back-and-forth included “Dogs rule, cats drool” or “Cats rule, dogs drool,” “Yeah, well you snooze, you lose,” “What’s the matter, Sassy? Get up on the wrong side of the litter box?” and “Well, look who’s down in the dirt with the dogs. Morning, honey.” The beloved nature of this movie is a testament to the top-notch voice performances.
9. Jim Evers
‘The Haunted Mansion’ (2003)
Even with the arrival of a Haunted Mansion remake two decades later, the original The Haunted Mansion gave Eddie Murphy yet another feature performance audiences love to quote. The Evers family arrives for a hauntingly wild ride when they are called to list an aging mansion for sale. Jim Evers (Murphy) is motivated to impress the unamused owners and ends up entangling his family in a centuries-old curse.
Murphy brought his comedic chops to this live-action performance, entertaining audiences with one-liners like “I must first gain new underwear,” “Hey, honey, you know they have dead people in the backyard,” and “I don’t wanna look within, I wanna look without!” Jim Evers is just another Eddie Murphy character that Disney audiences love to quote.
8. Anna Coleman
‘Freaky Friday’ (2003)
While Anna’s quotes are probably sentiments expressed by many teens relating to her, she’s still a live-action favorite. Portrayed by Lindsay Lohan in the 2000s remake, Anna is a teenage rocker with lots of angst directed toward her mother, Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis), who is about to get remarried. The mother-daughter duo are cursed and magically swap bodies, forced to work together to change back.
Anna’s best lines in Freaky Friday are a combination of Anna in Anna’s body like “You’re ruining my life!” and Anna in Tess’s body like “Oh, I’m like the Cryptkeeper!” The exchanges between Anna and Tess (before and during the body swap) are comedic magic, a testament to the chemistry between Lohan and Curtis.
7. Mia Thermopolis
‘The Princess Diaries’ (2001)
In her first feature film, Anne Hathaway solidified herself as the favorite live-action Disney princess. She stars as Mia Thermopolis, a high school teen whose estranged grandmother arrives and drops the bombshell news that Mia’s actually a princess in line for the throne. As Mia learns to play the part, she must decide if she actually wants it, giving tween audiences plenty of great quotes to integrate into their own lives.
Audience favorite quotes from this leading lady include “As always, this is as good as it’s going to get,” “I look like a moose,” “Just in case I wasn’t enough of a freak already, let’s add a tiara!” and “Me, a princess? Shut up!” The success of The Princess Diaries led to the cast returning for a sequel in which Mia still manages to get herself into higher-stake hijinks with equally satisfying quotes.
6. Marnie Piper
‘Halloweentown’ (1998)
The 1990s and 2000s Disney Halloween movies are forever hoisted onto a pedestal from its Disney Channel Original Movies to its feature theatrical films. A staple series and its heroine is Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown) in Halloweentown. The first installment introduced the world of Halloweentown, a magical place where creatures of all kinds live in peace away from the mortal world, to Marnie.
Always teased for her obsession with Halloween and the magical mystical, Marnie finds acceptance in Halloweentown, offering up some quotable moments that circle back among Halloween lovers each fall. Audiences know her lines like “Halloween is cool, nature boy,” “Nobody around here appreciates my taste in weird stuff,” and “I’m thirteen, okay? I’m practically a grown-up!”
5. Hallie Parker
‘The Parent Trap’ (1998)
It’s a tough call between which is more memorable, Hallie Parker’s (Lindsay Lohan) most iconic line or the handshake between Annie (Lohan) and Martin (Simon Kunz). Yet another Disney remake of a Disney film, The Parent Trap is hard to forget from the film’s double-role casting with Lohan to the above-mentioned movie moments. Hallie and Annie are shocked to discover they are long-lost twin sisters who were separated shortly after birth when their parents divorced.
In the catalyst moment that sets the entire plot of the second half in motion, Hallie turns to Annie and says “I have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea!” Throughout the rest of the film Lohan as Hallie as Annie and vice versa was pure magic, making this movie a nostalgic rewatch where the ’90s kids know almost every line. The famous Hallie quote has even served as inspiration for TikTok and reel skits across the internet today.
4. Jack Sparrow
‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ (2003)
Not only the most quoted character of his franchise and live-action Disney canon, but Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) mannerisms have also become pop culture phenomenons. A legendary pirate of the seven seas, Sparrow is known for his scheming, seemingly impossible escapes, and for indulging in his favorite drink of choice: Rum.
Whether he’s distracting the enemy with a tongue-twisting monologue or taunting his opposite mid-sword fight, Sparrow’s most iconic quotes include, ‘Why is the rum gone?” and “I’ve got a jar of dirt!” His infamous run has become the inspiration viral TikToks and reels across the internet. Depp’s masterful performance in the first film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, earned him a Best Actor nomination from the Academy.
3. Scott Calvin (Santa Clause)
‘The Santa Clause’ (1994)
Christmas’ snarkiest Santa Claus, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been serving up quotes for decades each holiday season. In the first film of The Santa Clause series, Scott, an executive in the toy business, accidentally causes the real Santa to fall off his roof. According to the fine print, Scott now must take on the role at the legendary North Pole.
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Scott loves to tease his ex-wife’s new husband Neil, sending audiences rolling with lines like “Well, Neil’s head comes to a point” and “Where are you gonna get more sweaters after the circus pulls out of town?” In true Disney fashion, Scott has many jokes that sail right over younger viewers’ heads, landing perfectly with the adults like “It’s okay, I’m used to it. I lived through the ’60s.”
2. Winifred Sanderson
‘Hocus Pocus’ (1993)
Alongside her sisters, she’s one of the baddest Disney villains. Winifred Sanderson (Bette Midler) and her taste for dramatics serve as the inspiration for Halloween merchandise that movie lovers can’t get enough of. The leader of her coven in Hocus Pocus, Winifred is determined to use their last night on Earth to secure their immortality until the modern world gets the best of them. If she’s not headlining a musical number, she’s quipping back and forth with her sisters.
Fans associated the onset of Halloween with her famous lines, “It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus” (to be fair Max said it first), “Oh look, another glorious morning – makes me sick,” “Dost thou comprehend?”, “I am calm!”, and the ever-famous lead into that iconic musical rendition: “I put a spell on you, and now you’re mine.”
1. Mary Poppins
‘Mary Poppins’ (1964)
Whether it’s her song lyrics or her everyday mantras, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) is one of Disney’s most quotable characters, live-action or animated. A magical, no-nonsense nanny, Mary Poppins arrives in twentieth-century London to care for the Banks children who have driven away every other nanny with ease.
Audiences can easily quote the lyrics from Mary Poppins without needing the whole song like “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” or “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” Or movie lovers remember her lines like “As I expected. ‘Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.'” Her role as Mary Poppins is one of the many beloved characters Andrews is remembered for
