Meghan Markle’s Disney Voice Is Cheesy, Schmaltzy and Duck-Like

Just in time for Megxit, Meghan Markle has been branded as, “over-eager to please,” and, “schmaltz and cheesiness.” How mean. No, actually these are the expert opinions on her first-ever (last ever?) Disney voiceover.

You’ll recall, perhaps more than her cable career, that infamous scene of Prince Harry pimping out her services to a shocked Disney honcho, Bob Iger, while standing on the red carpet at a high-profile event in July.

Ever the dutiful spokesperson, Harry pointed to Meghan and told the head of Disney, “You do know she does voiceovers?” Not expecting a pitch for work, Iger is stunned and Harry goes in for the kill, “You seem surprised, she’s really interested.”

Disneynatures’ new movie Elephant is narrated by Meghan Markle

Fast forward to March and now the world can feast on Disneynatures’, “Elephant, narrated by Meghan the Duchess of Sussex,” which will begin streaming April 3 on Disney+. The film follows the trek across the Kalahari Desert by a trio of elephants, facing down danger as they seek greener pastures.

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But, do you really want to bite down on this movie, or should you spend your hard-earned bucks on something else? You decide: top-notch film critics have praised the vivid cinematography, but not so much Meghan’s voice.

The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin stated the obvious by noting the movie is, “not quite Attenborough,” while Meghan’s ‘honeyed alto … vacillates between regal and cutesy-poo.”

The Times critic is a bit more direct, saying, “Meghan Markle is swapping pomp and circumstance for schmaltz and cheesiness… The sense of performance, though, often feels overegged. Critic Ed Potton goes on to say Meghan, “narrates Disney’s tale of a herd of elephants crossing the Kalahari Desert from the Okavango delta to the Zambezi River, and boy does she lay it on thick.”

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What does Potten mean exactly? Potton will tell you exactly, noting how Meghan’s, “silken tones,” the ones she used on the drama Suits were, in his opinion, “often muzzled during her time as a full-time royal,” but thank goodness, “are now given free rein.”

Wait, is this a movie about elephants or Meghan? Silly me, I know the answer to that.

Variety sums up, “Meghan Markle does an inviting version of the wholesome but amused Disney narrator singsong.” Perfect!

And, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw chimes in, “Meghan takes to Disney-narration like an anthropomorphic duck to water.” I guess that’s a good thing?

Reportedly Meghan’s paycheck for the film is being donated to the Elephants Without Borders charity, a group a wildlife conservation group.