One of the main reasons people go watch movies is because the main character is played by their favorite actor. It’s not always like that, some viewers love a specific writer or director, or even composer, but the vast majority is in it for the eye-candy that is the characters. In the world of animated movies, this isn’t as important, since those films will be localized into dozens of other languages and there will be no trace of the original voice acting. But the producers of animated movies still try to get as many celebrities on board as possible to conquer the American box-office at least.
This is why almost every single modern animated feature must have a couple of singers, a few actors, maybe an athlete or two for good measure. It’s all a marketing ploy aimed at us. There are far more talented and professional voice actors out there, but a big Hollywood name gets them the big bucks. Either way, here are 20 awesome actors and actresses who gave their distinct voices to bring these cartoon characters to life!
Lorax in The Lorax – Danny DeVito
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The titular samurai in Afro Samurai – Samuel L. Jackson
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Samantha Sparks in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Anna Faris
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Metro Man in Megamind – Brad Pitt
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Princess Mindy in the Spongebob Squarepants Movie – Scarlett Johansson
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Penny in Bolt – Miley Cyrus
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Easter Bunny in Rise of the Guardians – Hugh Jackman
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Mavis from Hotel Transylvania — Selena Gomez
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Barley from Onward — Chris Pratt
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Sonic in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog – Jaleel White
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Rapunzel from Tangled — Mandy Moore
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Judy from Zootopia — Ginnifer Goodwin
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Gru from Despicable Me — Steve Carell
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Anna from Frozen — Kristen Bell
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Elsa from Frozen — Idina Menzel
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Scar in Lion King – Jeremy Irons
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Zazu in The Lion King- Rowan Atkison
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Esmeralda in Hunchback of Notre Damme – Demi Moore
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Kenai in Brother Bear – Joaquin Phoenix
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Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story – Tim Allen
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