R.I.P. Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian) (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

Samuel E. Wright, who indelibly voiced Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, has passed away at the age of 74.

He was also a two-time Tony nominee for his stage work, which included originating the role of Mufasa in the Broadway production of The Lion King.

Samuel E. Wright Dies: ‘The Little Mermaid’s Sebastian The Crab, Broadway’s Mufasa Was 74

Samuel E. Wright, whose vocal portrayal of Sebastian the crab in Disney's The Little Mermaid included the Oscar-winning "Under the Sea," died yesterday. He was 74.

deadline.com

Samuel E. Wright, Voice of Sebastian the Crab in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ Dies at 74

The South Carolina native also played Dizzy Gillespie in Clint Eastwood's 'Bird' and a bunch of grapes in underwear commercials.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Samuel E. Wright | Actor, Music Department, Soundtrack

Known for: The Little Mermaid, Dinosaur, Bird

www.imdb.com

I grew up in the '90s and count The Little Mermaid as a seminal film of my childhood and life. So although I didn't know Mr. Wright personally, his death hits particularly hard.

Rest In Peace, sir, and thank you.

 

[Joe Wong]

Under the Sea is a magnificently boisterous and cheery song that boasts a catchy tune by Menken and playful lyrics by Ashman, and delightful singing by Mr Wright.

For me, Kiss the Girl is, in many ways, even better!

RIP Sir.

 

[Matt Hough]

I saw the announcement when I logged on tonight and was so very sad. Deepest well wishes to his family and friends.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I just watched The Little Mermaid again.

It's hard to talk about highlights of his performance. I mean, of course he gets to sing both "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" which are awesome, but the whole performance is so great that everything is on the highest level. There isn't a single line of Sebastian's in the final film that he doesn't nail. Sebastian goes through over the course of the movie a lot and Wright is able to convey the change in tones for him perfectly. He has to go from being exasperated to terrified to confident to very tender depending on the moment, and the movie is actually really short, so there's not a lot of time to make the transitions. The writing and direction are a big part of why the movie is successful in taking Sebastian on such a journey, and of course the animation of him is top notch. But I really can't imagine this being as successful if they had gotten any other actor. Wright just hits every single beat, every single word, every single inflection just right. Of course, he probably also recorded takes that might have been less good or didn't make the movie for whatever reason. That's normal. But speaking about everything that they used in the film, I think this is a perfect performance.

There is a featurette on the Signature Collection Blu-ray in which you see clips of the voice cast recording their lines, and there's a clip of an interview with Wright where he says that it was his lifelong ambition to voice a Disney character.

Not only did hero it, but he did it with the perfect one. Although Wright is unfortunately no longer with us, Sebastian is immortal and will continue to be watched and loved for generations to come.