Nicolas Cage on why Walt Disney is “the most influential artist of our time”
Nicolas Cage is one of Hollywood’s most fascinating actors – or, as he prefers to be called, thespians. Born into the illustrious Coppola family, Cage knew from an early age that he wanted to act, changing his name to separate himself from his relatives in a bid to forge his own path. Still, some of his earliest roles were in movies by his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, like Rumble Fish and The Cotton Club.
It didn’t take Cage long to prove himself as a dedicated actor however, and he landed roles in popular movies like Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, and Wild at Heart. He often experimented with the kinds of parts he accepted, not afraid to play characters that were overdramatic, such as Sailor in the latter film, which saw him give a hilariously fun performance as an Elvis-loving, snakeskin-wearing eccentric on the run.
Cage is a versatile actor, appearing in a range of genres and always knowing when to make fun of himself, such as when he appeared in the meta film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. His most recent turn as the antagonist in Longlegs has emphasised his beloved status in Hollywood as a guy who seems to just really love his craft, something people once questioned when he starred in a series of questionable titles in the mid-2000s.
You only have to listen to Cage talk about movies to know that he genuinely loves cinema a lot, citing classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The 400 Blows as some of his favourites. Yet, his love of the medium dates back to when he was a child and he discovered the joys that the silver screen had to offer through a certain filmmaker.
Like many children, his entryway into the world of film was Walt Disney, a man that Cage truly believes changed cinema forever. Disney brought the first animated feature film to the world – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – and subsequently, his company made many gorgeous films using classic fairy tales, opening up a world of wonder for children and adults alike.
Cage once told Movies about his love of Disney, stating, “Walt Disney, for me, is a magnificent hero, of sorts, because he was probably the most influential artist of our time. He was such an influence that we don’t even think of him, sometimes, as a human being, but he did this amazing stuff.”
He continued, highlighting how Disney emphasised the importance of cinema for kids to expand their worldview, discover new emotions, find joy, and appreciate beauty. “He took these great classic stories like Pinocchio, and Beauty and the Beast later, and Snow White and made them accessible to children.”
Cage once gushed about his love for 1940’s Fantasia, too, which is one of his favourite Disney movies. He told Collider, “Wonder, enchantment, awe. It was my first real introduction into classical music and it was married to these beautiful, lifelike animated sequences with dinosaurs and ogres and gargoyles. It was just totally inspiring to me.” He even played the role of Balthazar Blake in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice because he was based on Yen Sid from Fantasia.
