Top 10 Most Surprising Voiceover Cartoon Performances

There are several celebrities that are well known for the use of their voices in cartoon movies and programs: Robin Williams, Mickey Rooney, and Tom Hanks are probably the first to come to mind. There are several other big names in show business that have provided their voices for cartoon characters as well. Some of these may surprise you.

1. Dan Akroyd Actually, I’m surprised that Dan hasn’t done more cartoon characters. He’s debuting his voice in the 2010 cartoon movie “Yogi Bear”. He has the perfect personality, as well as voice, for this well-loved character. I’m definitely expecting a sequel.
2. Alec Baldwin He just doesn’t seem like the cartoon type to me. I was really surprised to see his name on the list of those who have done cartoon voice overs. He has two to his credit already: Cats and Dogs and The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.
3. John Candy The cartoon this well-known comedian contributed to was another surprise to me. The Rescuers Down Under was the animated film Candy’s voice is heard in. You’ll hear his voice coming out of Wilbur in this mousey tale.
4. Wally Cox This comic actor provided the voice of a television comic hero. Do you know which one? Under Dog! The wonderful canine spoof on Superman where Lois Lane was characterized as Under Dog’s sweetheart, Polly Purebred.
5. Robert DeNiro Now this was a REAL shocker. Mister tough guy doing a cartoon voice over? Yep. Of course, he didn’t play some wimpy character. He was the King in Arthur and the Invisibles. Still, it’s just not quite what you expect to find on the resume of DeNiro.
6. Mel Gibson This mega-star has two cartoons to his credit. He was the hero (of course) John Smith in the cartoon movie Pocahantus. He also provided the voice for Rocky in Chicken Run. From Mad Max to cartoon voice overs. Shows his versatility, I guess.
7. Gene Hackman This is another name I did not expect to show up on this list. They needed someone who could sound like a general for the movie Ants. I guess Gene Hackman has the voice, personality and acting experience to fit the part.
8. Brad Pitt His cartoon movie? Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. They also had Michelle Pfeiffer in this one, so he wasn’t the only big name hiding his face behind a cartoon character for this film. He also has done a voice appearance for a King of the Hill episode and another for  Oobermind.
9. Burt Reynolds This longtime leading man has gone to the dogs. He is the voice of Charlie B. Barkin in All Dogs Go to Heaven and its sequel All Dogs Go to Heaven 2. He also was the voice of Delgo’s father in Delgo. It’s probably the only movie character Burt played that got killed off before the end of the movie.
10. Val Kilmer The Prince of Egypt was his big cartoon hit. Not only was his voice used for Moses but for God as well. Talk about a great resume line: “My voice sounds like that of a deity.” Pretty impressive. His voice was also used for KITT in Knightrider, no surprise there. He also made the star-studded line-up of Delgo, playing General Bogardus.

Danny Devito, Angelina Jolie, Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Johnny Depp, James Garner, Eddie Murphy, Susan Sarandon and Freddie Prince, all these big names have cartoon voice credits listed on their resumes. For some it has just been a one-time experience but for others, like Freddie Prince, there are multiple titles and characters to their credit.

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