Cartoon Voices You Didn’t Know Were Famous
Ever wonder who’s behind your favorite cartoon characters? Sometimes the person making those funny voices or bringing animated heroes to life is someone you’d definitely recognize if you saw their face. From Oscar winners to rock stars, Hollywood has been secretly hiding in plain sight inside our favorite cartoons for decades. These aren’t just random voice actors – they’re some of the biggest names in entertainment.
Get ready to be surprised. Some of these cartoon voices will blow your mind when you find out who’s really talking.
Mark Hamill as The Joker
Luke Skywalker himself has been the voice of Batman’s greatest enemy for over 30 years. Mark Hamill first voiced The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and has continued playing the character in various animated shows, video games, and movies ever since.
His Joker laugh is so perfect that many fans consider it the definitive version of the character. Hamill’s inspiration for the Joker voice came from an unexpected source – the animated Beatles musical “Yellow Submarine”. The contrast between his heroic Luke Skywalker and the maniacal Joker couldn’t be more different, yet he nails both perfectly.
Robin Williams as The Genie
Before Robin Williams, cartoon characters in Disney movies mostly sounded like, well, cartoon characters. Robin Williams didn’t just light up the screen as the lively, blue Genie in Aladdin, he changed the voiceover industry forever.
His fast-talking, joke-a-minute performance as the Genie was so popular that it started a trend of casting major Hollywood stars in animated movies. Williams ad-libbed so much during recording that Disney animators had to completely change their approach to match his wild energy.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Tom Hanks as Woody
Tom Hanks won back-to-back Oscars for “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump” the year before voicing the lovable cowboy Woody in Pixar’s “Toy Story”. His warm, friendly voice made Woody feel like a real friend rather than just a toy.
Although Hanks was always director John Lasseter’s favorite choice for the role, other A-list Hollywood stars, including Paul Newman, Robin Williams, and Clint Eastwood were also considered. Hanks brought so much heart to the character that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else as Woody.
John Goodman as Sulley
The big, blue, furry monster from Monsters, Inc. gets his gentle giant personality from John Goodman’s unmistakable voice. John has one of the best voices in the business, and he gave it to one of the most iconic Disney characters of all – Sulley from Monsters, Inc.
Goodman’s natural warmth made Sulley feel like a teddy bear instead of a scary monster, which was exactly what the movie needed. His chemistry with Billy Crystal’s Mike Wazowski created one of Pixar’s best buddy duos.
Johnny Depp in SpongeBob SquarePants
Actor Johnny Depp, who appeared as Jack Kahuna Laguna in the sixth-season episode “SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One,” accepted the guest role because he was actually a fan of the show. The episode was a surfing-themed adventure where Depp played a legendary surfer who teaches SpongeBob how to ride the waves.
Others accept guest appearances because they are fans of the show themselves. It’s pretty amazing that Captain Jack Sparrow himself was willing to jump into a cartoon about a talking sponge.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson
As the voice of Bart Simpson on “The Simpsons” and Chuckie Finster on “Rugrats,” Cartwright may be one of the few grownups in the world to know what it’s like to be a child for multiple decades. She originally auditioned for the role of Lisa Simpson but fell in love with Bart’s character instead.
Her “Eat my shorts!” and “Don’t have a cow, man!” became catchphrases that defined a generation. Nancy Cartwright was a star workshop student of voice acting coach Daws Butler.
John Ratzenberger as Pixar’s good luck charm
Since appearing in Toy Story as Hamm, John Ratzenberger has lent his voice to at least one character in almost every Disney Pixar film, making him Pixar’s “good luck charm”. You might know him as Cliff from Cheers, but Pixar fans know him as the guy who shows up in every movie.
His most iconic roles include Hamm in Toy Story, P.T. Flea in A Bug’s Life, and The Abominable Snowman in Monsters, Inc. This tenure includes Mack the Truck in Cars and many other memorable characters.
Jennifer Tilly’s breathy cartoon voices
Jennifer Tilly has lent her breathy voice and comedic talent to many cartoon characters. She plays Bonnie Swanson on “Family Guy,” but she has also played Grace in “Home on the Range” and Celia in “Monsters, Inc.”
Her distinctive voice makes every character she plays instantly recognizable. Tilly brings a unique mix of sexiness and comedy to her cartoon roles that you just don’t hear from other voice actors.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
David Hasselhoff as himself in SpongeBob
Some of the celebrity guests include Victoria Beckham, Amy Poehler and David Hasselhoff. The Hoff appeared in “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” as a live-action version of himself, complete with his chest hair sparkling in the sunlight.
He literally carried SpongeBob and Patrick on his back while swimming through the ocean. It was one of the weirdest and most wonderful celebrity appearances in any cartoon movie.
Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants
Tom Kenny grew up in East Syracuse, New York. When Tom was young he was into comic books, drawing funny pictures and collecting records.
Tom turned to stand-up comedy in Boston and San Francisco. His high-pitched, enthusiastic voice as SpongeBob has made the character one of the most recognizable in all of animation.
Scarlett Johansson as Kaa in The Jungle Book
When Disney remade The Jungle Book in 2016, they cast Scarlett Johansson as the voice of Kaa, the hypnotic snake. Her sultry voice brought a mysterious and dangerous quality to the character that was both mesmerizing and scary.
Johansson managed to make a snake sound seductive, which is no easy task. The role was originally voiced by Sterling Holloway in the 1967 version, but Johansson brought something completely different to the character.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
When cartoons became Hollywood’s playground
Looking back, it’s clear that celebrity voice casting changed animation forever, turning cartoons from simple entertainment into major Hollywood productions. Robin Williams’s groundbreaking performance as the Genie opened the door for other major stars to lend their voices to animated characters.
Today, it’s rare to find an animated movie that doesn’t feature at least one famous voice, proving that audiences love connecting familiar voices to their favorite cartoon characters. These performances remind us that great voice acting isn’t just about making funny sounds – it’s about bringing real emotion and personality to characters that exist only on screen.
More from Go2Tutors!
- 16 Historical Figures Who Were Nothing Like You Think
- 12 Things Sold in the 80s That Are Now Illegal
- 15 VHS Tapes That Could Be Worth Thousands
- 17 Historical “What Ifs” That Would Have Changed Everything
- 18 TV Shows That Vanished Without a Finale
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
