DVDizzy Forum

The only Disney voice actors who I can't stand.... are the ones you would recognize instantly has a celebrity. This especially goes for Pixar, of course.

I never really hate or dislike any of the Disney voice cast. I find them all to be very pleasing to my ears. I maybe missing out some subtlety that you guys can pick up since I do have a hearing loss. But from what I can hear, none of them sound really all that bad I think.

How has no one mentioned Angela Lansbury as Mrs Potts? She did an amazing job both speaking and singing!

I LOVE jonathan Freeman in Aladdin, the part where Prince Ali enters and the Sultan says how excited he and Jafar are to meet him and Jafar dryly replies "ecstatic" is hilarious!

I'm going to have to say I love Snow White's voice too, it suits her so perfectly I couldn't imagine any other voice working.

Eleanor Audley is brilliant in anything she does voice work for, she really is. She has such a haunting voice that it sends chills down the spine of anyone watching. If rumors are true, Angelina Jolie has a tough job ahead trying to recreate the presence of Maleficent on screen.

Actually I can't think of any voice actors I DIDN'T like in their roles...

Sorry!

Snow White's voice is a little irksome, but by no means does it ruin the movie for me. I also think that Jeremy Irons as Scar was amazing.

Mooky wrote:Two words: Minnie Driver.

Okay, she's not a professional voice actor, but my God... You don't stop for a second to think that's Minnie Driver voicing Jane, all you see, hear and feel is that great character being brought to life in a most amazing way. Probably the best case of a celebrity voicing an animated character.

That is so very, very (very) true. A big part of the reason why I like Jane so much (more than many other Disney leading ladies) is the voice. I was very impressed with her.

The best voice actor is, of course, Sterling Holloway. While he had a very recognizable voice, he always portrayed the characters very differently. His Mr. Stork is completely different from his Winnie the Pooh, who's nothing like his Kaa. He had a very broad range.

Goliath wrote:
The best voice actor is, of course, Sterling Holloway.

Yes. I had a longer post before, but it was lost and I didn't see the importance in re-writing it (does anyone actually read my posts anymore really?)--I mentioned him in it. I like his Cheshire Cat the best though. Verna Felton, as another poster mentioned, is another voice actor who could have a wide range. I wonder if Pixar was trying to evoke this kind of familiarity by using the same actors repeatedly for their own movies?

I also loved Susan Egan as Megara. Though I didn't really like the fact that they cast her as Belle in that musical. The actor playing Basil in TGMD also did a great job to me personally.

And I kind of agree with Poody on celebrity voice actors. Even when some of the celebrities do good (Sandra Bullock as Nani, Williams as Genie, etc.), all I can see is their face instead of the characters they're playing. And sometimes I think celebrities get roles even though they're voices aren't that good--examples: Demi Moore, Martin Short, David Hyde Pierce. Sometimes a good actor doesn't have a good voice.

But there are some celebrities who do such a good job that you forget them. Minnie Driver was mentioned, of course, but there's also the actor who played Mufasa (James Earl Jones?), Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan, and James Woods and Eartha Kitt. Recently, I thought Oprah Winfrey was unrecognizable as Tiana's mother. I also thought Cheech Marin did a decent job as Tito. And then the three sidekick characters from B&tB had good actors (Lansbury, Orbach, and David Ogden Stiers).

Disney's Divinity wrote:And sometimes I think celebrities get roles even though they're voices aren't that good--examples: Demi Moore, Martin Short, David Hyde Pierce.

Doesn't compute!

rexcrk wrote:
Doesn't compute!

His voice is annoying--what doesn't compute?

Disney's Divinity wrote:Sandra Bullock as Nani

Nani was played by Tia Carrere.

Disney's Divinity wrote:

rexcrk wrote:
Doesn't compute!

His voice is annoying--what doesn't compute?

I agree with him. I like David Hyde Pierce, and Demi Moore was excellent as Esmerelda.

There's quite a few voice actors I think are good. I like the work of Scott Weinger and Johnathan Freeman in Aladdin, and Jeremy Irons and the voice actors of Simba and Mufasa were wonderful in The Lion King. I also think Pat Carroll did a great job as Ursula and Jodi Benson as Ariel. Phil Harris was fun as Baloo, Little John, and O'Malley.

There really isn't a voice actor I don't like, Disney movies usually have good casts.

^Same here. I don't have any big issues with any of the casting.

One celebrity voice actor who I always thought did a MAGNIFICENT job was Vincent Price as Professor Ratigan.

One voice that always didn't feel right to me (and this is entirely my opinion) was Brian Murray as Long John Silver. For some reason, the voice didn't seem to fit the "gruff" looking pirate character.

My two picks, incidentally, are both big celebrity voices.

Best: Robin Williams in Aladdin. He brings so much energy and great humour to the role, yet when he needs to have a quiet moment (like when he wants Al to wish to be a prince again), he also delivers. Plus, you can't go wrong with his renditions of "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali."

Worst: Mel Gibson in Pocahontas. He is just so dull in the role and it's not like he couldn't have played the part well, as he did a very good job playing Rocky the Rooster in Chicken Run (though, in that case, he was playing a cocky and lying American actor, so not much of a stretch). But, he really seemed to bring so little life to John Smith and it's a large part why I don't care for Pocahontas or the Smith-Pocky relationship all that much.

Best : Kathryn Beaumont as both Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Wendy in Peter Pan. She is outstanding in both of these roles. She makes the parts her own, and makes the characters seem so .... real. As real as an animated character can be

Also of very special note is Jodi Benson, who is pitch perfect as Ariel. As Ron and John said themselves, it's all very well stating in the script that this girl has the most beautiful voice in all of the ocean .... its another matter finding a voice to fill that role ! And that is a feat Jodi more than accomplishes.

Worst : I don't really think there is a 'worst' Disney voice. Disney seems to always have taken great care when chosing a character's voice, whether they be famous or not does not seem to be at the forefront of their minds as it is at Dreamworks. This, I feel, works 100% to their advantage. Because of this, they can create more vivid and wonderful characters, and not be focused on the 'celebrity' behind the voice.

Dragonlion wrote:

Disney's Divinity wrote:Sandra Bullock as Nani

Nani was played by Tia Carrere.

Really? Now I'm embarrassed. To be fair, I've only seen Lilo & Stitch maybe 3 times.

ajmrowland wrote:I agree with him. I like David Hyde Pierce, and Demi Moore was excellent as Esmerelda.

I never said I disliked DHP, I just think his voice is annoying. And Demi Moore, to me, has a corny, bland voice--like listening to Martina McBride without the shrieking.

Disney's Divinity wrote:

Dragonlion wrote: Nani was played by Tia Carrere.

Really? Now I'm embarrassed. To be fair, I've only seen Lilo & Stitch maybe 3 times.

Right, I was about to say that I didn't know that Sandra Bullock was Nani. I didn't hear it at all.

Best, for me? It's all about Jeremy Irons, Keith David, and Eleanor Audley, bros. But besides them, I love Tony Jay in nearly eveything I've heard him in, I have to give mad props to Eartha Kitt and Patrick Warburton, and as much as I dislike Ariel, Jodi Benson nailed it on "Part of Your World"

Disney's Divinity wrote:I wonder if Pixar was trying to evoke this kind of familiarity by using the same actors repeatedly for their own movies?

Pixar is doing an outstanding job in their voice casting.

Disney's Divinity wrote:The actor playing Basil in TGMD also did a great job to me personally.

I really didn't like it. I'm used to Disney movies in Dutch, because I grew up with the dubbed versions, but I quickly got used to the (far better) original versions on dvd. I almost never watch a Disney movie in the dubbed version anymore, but The Great Mouse Detective is an exception. I really don't like the original voice-cast. The same goes for Robin Hood. I especially disliked the sheriff, but even Peter Ustinov I didn't like.

Yeah, blasphemy, I know... I guess nothing can erase my memories about the Dutch voice-actors. I know that movie line-for-line, literally. Nothing can replace that.

Disney's Divinity wrote:And sometimes I think celebrities get roles even though they're voices aren't that good [...] David Hyde Pierce.

Wait... Dr. Niles Crane did a voice for a Disney film? Why didn't I know about that? Which film was that?

And you say people don't read your posts anymore.

Goliath wrote: I really didn't like it. I'm used to Disney movies in Dutch, because I grew up with the dubbed versions, but I quickly got used to the (far better) original versions on dvd. I almost never watch a Disney movie in the dubbed version anymore, but The Great Mouse Detective is an exception. I really don't like the original voice-cast.

Even Vincent Price?

No, Vincent Price is the only one I like better than the Dutch actor.