# Famous Hollywood actors and actresses doing the voicework for cartoon movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161 "2010-09-18T02:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/1 "2010-09-18T02:07:57Z")
Why? Does having Will Ferrell do the voice of a cartoon alien add anything to the movie? Don’t you hear the character speak and immediately think “Oh, heh, that’s Will Ferrell?” Why not get an unknown voice actor with some cartoon voice talent to do these jobs? Why pay a premium for a name actor when you could probably get some schmo to work for 1/20 of the pay? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/2 "2010-09-18T02:12:58Z")
Big name actors sell tickets. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/3 "2010-09-18T02:37:26Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Does having Will Ferrell do the voice of a cartoon alien add anything to the movie? Yes. It adds a recognizable name that they can put on the movie poster. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/4 "2010-09-18T02:41:16Z")
I thought the same when I heard that Ray Romano was doing the Wooly Mammoth from Ice Age. At least Will Ferrel is dynamic and animated (no pun intended), but Ray just…sounds like himself. I would agree that a much cheaper actor could have done his job just as serviceably. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/5 "2010-09-18T02:42:31Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > > [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > > > Does having Will Ferrell do the voice of a cartoon alien add anything to the movie? > > Yes. It adds a recognizable name that they can put on the movie poster. But so what. You’re not actually going to see Will Ferrell. Unless he’s helping write the dialogue, he adds almost nothing to the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/6 "2010-09-18T02:43:23Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Why pay a premium for a name actor when you could probably get some schmo to work for 1/20 of the pay? I better question is “Why not use a talented _voice_ actor?” A Seth McFarlane or Billy West is going to do a better job than a Leonardo DiCaprio is capable of, even if 80% of the general population doesn’t recognize their names. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/7 "2010-09-18T02:44:21Z")
That’s not important. You know who he is, so you’re more likely to remember the movie. And, usually, stars like that do a lot of ad libs. They’ll be fitting the animation to the voices, not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/8 "2010-09-18T02:54:34Z")
Big names work pretty cheaply on voice work. It’s easy work – you can usually do it in a day or two working in the studio, so something like $50,000 is good money for the actor. So the producer has the advantage of something that sells more tickets at a reasonable price. Besides, most actors _do_ add something to a movie. Saying a particular name adds nothing is like saying it adds nothing hiring him or her as a live-action actor. Their talent is reading lines well and that’s what you want in a voice actor. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/9 "2010-09-18T03:15:08Z")
I think what matters is getting a talented actor who has the ability or natural voice to add to the character of the role. Ray Romano is great as an irritable mammoth, and John Leguizamo surprised a lot of people at his very characterised turn as Sid Sloth in _Ice Age_. Tom Hanks has an everyman charm that works perfectly for Woody, but he was also cast before he was a big name and started winning Oscars. Until then he was known for heartfelt and silly comedies. But then after _Toy Story_, the other studios got the wrong idea and thought it was big names that made CG movies work, so we got absurd nonsense like _Shark Tale_ and _Antz_ which were each horribly miscast or lost their way emphasising the celebrity roll call. They’ve since pulled back and tried to cast a little more appropriately, finding actors who already have the voice and characterisations to pull off the role, even if they are a celebrity. Hence, Jack Black as Po in _Kung Fu Panda_, or David Schwimmer as Melman in _Madagascar_. Inevitably they still occasionally cast names instead of characters, like Angelina Jolie in _Kung Fu Panda_, or Jerry Seinfeld casting himself as the lead in _Bee Movie_, but I think that’s the exception these days. I haven’t watched a non-Pixar animated film from the past two years, though. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/10 "2010-09-18T03:28:48Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Tom Hanks has an everyman charm that works perfectly for Woody, but he was also cast before he was a big name and started winning Oscars. Until then he was known for heartfelt and silly comedies. Tom Hanks was in _Bonfire of the Vanities_, _Philadelphia_, _Forrest Gump_ and _Apollo 13_ before he ever did _Toy Story_. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/11 "2010-09-18T04:03:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, usually, stars like that do a lot of ad libs. They’ll be fitting the animation to the voices, not the other way around. Sometimes they also fit the animation to the actor’s mannerisms although I can’t think of any examples offhand. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/12 "2010-09-18T04:36:31Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > > [@GuanoLad](#): > > > > Tom Hanks has an everyman charm that works perfectly for Woody, but he was also cast before he was a big name and started winning Oscars. Until then he was known for heartfelt and silly comedies. > > Tom Hanks was in _Bonfire of the Vanities_, _Philadelphia_, _Forrest Gump_ and _Apollo 13_ before he ever did _Toy Story_. Not quite correct. He was _cast_ by Pixar as Woody just before he was nominated for the Oscar for _Philadelphia_, so the prominence he gained from that, _Forrest Gump_, and _Apollo 13_ was not part of the decision-making process of casting him, which was my point. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/13 "2010-09-18T05:37:20Z")
I actually enjoyed “Ratatouille” precisely for the lack of big-name talent. Brad Garrett and Patton Oswalt are familiar names to TV viewers, but they’re not huge box-office names on the order of Will Smith or John Travolta. They were cast precisely because they are good at characterization. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/14 "2010-09-18T21:45:52Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > > [@friedo](#): > > > > Tom Hanks was in _Bonfire of the Vanities_, _Philadelphia_, _Forrest Gump_ and _Apollo 13_ before he ever did _Toy Story_. > > Not quite correct. He was _cast_ by Pixar as Woody just before he was nominated for the Oscar for _Philadelphia_, so the prominence he gained from that, _Forrest Gump_, and _Apollo 13_ was not part of the decision-making process of casting him, which was my point. Perhaps, but he was already a household name having starred in Big, Sleepless in Seattle, Splash, Bonfire of the Vanities, Bosom Buddies (TV Show), A League of Their Own, Joe vs. the Volcano, etc. I think another reason they cast big stars is because big star can do promotion too. You can put Tom Hanks or Eddie Murphy on Leno, and have the do the promotional circuit. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/15 "2010-09-19T01:02:56Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Perhaps, but he was already a household name… Actually, he wasn’t. I know it’s hard to imagine, but at the time even after _Sleepless in Seattle_, Tom Hanks was no more a household name than someone like Ryan Reynolds is today. His work was known by some, and had its share of fans, but for most of the world he was anonymous actor number #3792B. His Oscars, and especially _Forrest Gump_, changed all that and put him top of the A-List. Which is the point of this thread - casting big name stars, instead of suitable character actors; Hanks was an everyman character actor, cast for his suitability for the role of Woody (who was in fact originally written, unintentionally, as quite mean and unlikeable, which they adjusted in subsequent rewrites). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-hollywood-actors-and-actresses-doing-the-voicework-for-cartoon-movies/554161/16 "2010-09-19T16:13:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > > [@brickbacon](#): > > > > Perhaps, but he was already a household name… > > Actually, he wasn’t. I know it’s hard to imagine, but at the time even after _Sleepless in Seattle_, Tom Hanks was no more a household name than someone like Ryan Reynolds is today. His work was known by some, and had its share of fans, but for most of the world he was anonymous actor number #3792B. His Oscars, and especially _Forrest Gump_, changed all that and put him top of the A-List. True. At the time _Toy Story_ was being cast, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were at about the same level of stardom.