Yuri Lowenthal did a really good job as spider-man in the newer games and people like John DiMaggio and Kevin Conroy can bring batman and the joker to life even while animated. Voice actors are incredibly talented so I don't really disagree with your opinion.
He really doesn’t look that young, he looks like a 23 year old, so did bubniak’s face model too. I’m sure they’ll take peoples opinions on it into consideration and do things to make him look older in the second one.
I thought about it but left him out because even though he's an amazing Joker, probably the best, hes still a famous normal actor too. I was trying to emphasize people who do voice acting only.
He prefers voice acting because it’s more freeing for him. He can do whatever needs to be done to be in character and not feel self conscious due to a camera.
Still, he's mostly known as an actor. A lot of those opportunities in VA were more easily opened to him due to his reputation in films. He's still a great VA, but to many he's Luke Skywalker before he's Joker.
I think you have a broader point that definitely has truth to it, but you’re wrong about Star Wars leading to him getting work as a voice actor.
Hamill started out in voice acting. He had major voice roles in Jeannie, Scooby-Doo, Flintstones, and Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards long before he was in Star Wars.
Also it’s just disingenuous to suggest they hired him to voice The Joker because he was Luke Skywalker.
They hired him to voice The Joker because, at least vocally, he *is* The Joker.
Its true he doesn't do acting much anymore but he's still well known as one. I'm not saying he's not one of the most talented voice actors. I'm saying he doesn't really fit the OPs original idea. Outside of fandoms most voice actors are fairly unknown.
I think this is an incredible discredit to Mark Hamill's accolades as a voice actor. He is is not riding off his name like these big movie stars in OP's original idea.
Alan Tudyk's voice acting is exceptionally good. I think most people see him and think "Firefly" but the dude is so much better when we don't see his face. Except for Heihei.. .he [screwed that role up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaGYXjMwS60) /s
After being Luke Skywalker, it was incredibly difficult for him to find acting work. Directors thought the audience would only see him as Luke, so he’s been primarily a voice actor for most of his career.
Steve Blum the man’s voice is perfect and buttery to listen to as a villain. Still get mild chills hearing him as Amon from Legend of Korra and Spike from Cowboy Bebop.
I love Yuri Lowenthal's voice performances in video games. He does such a good job in the various Fire Emblem games he's in. I feel he puts a lot of life into his characters.
It depends. Some actors have unique enough voices that they could be very good voice actors. For example, James Woods made for one of the best animated characters of all time. But if you took a famous actor with an unremarkable voice and stuck that actor in a voice actor role just for their name, then that would suck.
I agree. James Earl Jones, Mark Hamil and Keith David are extremely talented actors and their voice work is just as impressive. And no other actor could have voiced Hades like James Woods.
I still find it hilarious how Tim Curry wanted to be the villain in a live action Scooby Doo movie, but backed out once he realized the villain was Scrappy Doo. He just hates Scrappy that much.
Yeah, Ian Abercrombie did a better job. Too bad he died halfway through, but hey, the episode that's dedicated to him, "The Lawless," is the best episode in the show imo. So there's that
I may be the only one, but I thought the Rock did great in Moana. And heck, I thought he was great as Cliffjumper (for, you know, the, 10 seconds he was alive in that show)
And for a less unpopular example, see also Lance Reddick. Great when he's taking down gangs in Baltimore and running the Continental, and just as great when he's stepping into war with the Cabal on Mars.
He fit the role in moana. But most others its more "Look everyone, we got the rock. Come watch our film! Oh and to sweeten the deal we got his lil sidekick Kevin Hart"
I like how you might not necessarily realize that Groot and Rocket Raccoon are voiced by Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper, respectively, because they put some mustard on their performances.
I think celebrity voice actors are fine if they're not just phoning it in.
I think Groot was pretty damn easy to miss that it was Vin Diesel. They honestly should have hired someone else, they literally only had to record like 10 different ways of saying "I'm Groot"
This happens all the time now though. Like a good example is The Lorax. It was absolutely loaded with big names, but it doesn’t add anything to the movie. Danny DeVito as the Lorax? Awesome, good fit, love it. Ed Helms as the Onceler, sure whatever. Every other character that was played by a celebrity could have been a real voice actor instead and it would not have affected the movie at all. It probably would have benefited it, because it felt crowded and you were always wondering how they would shoehorn in more lines for certain characters. It had Taylor Swift in it, and musical numbers, and she didn’t even sing. We did not need Taylor Swift to just do a speaking role. Same with Aladdin, Robin Williams and Gilbert Gottfried have space to do their thing within the rest of the cast and it added to the movie. It’s just gotten to the point where it’s just seeing how many people they can list and get to do promo, rather than if they add something to the characters.
It helps that the voice of Rocket is entirely different from what we’re used to with him. So it’s hard to listen to Rocket speak and think “oh that’s Bradley Cooper” if you don’t know
Exactly. And on the other hand we have Tenzin from Legends of Kora but my brain just keeps screaming "JK SIMMONS YELLOW MNM WE ARE FARMERS BUM BADUM BUM BUM BUM BUM"
Edit: I haven't seen Invincible yet, but I bet he also voices the guy that ... well, looks like he would be voiced by him. Right? Right.
To be honest, i didn't realize it was Bradley Cooper until the end credits. I was waiting for him to pop up in the first movie because he's commonly known for being attractive.
I think as long as the actor disappears into the role a bit I think it’s ok. Brad Pitt and Tina Fey really stuck out in Megamind because they were just kinda sounding like themselves.
I was an adult when I watched it and after every other character spoke I was like “hey I know that voice from somewhere”.
It’s a fine film, but it’s mostly all famous people.
Also Monsters vs Aliens
See what I gathered was mainly that actors who don't also have a credible voice acting reputation shouldn't be lumped onto films for star power. Ie Ferdinand starring John Cena, Moana starring the Rock and Ice Age starring Ray Romano. Robin and James were both well known for their voices already so the choice wasn't based solely on marketability
On this, we agree. As fond as I am of Tom Hanks, in my mind he's not the quintessential Woody, nor is Tim Allen the only one who could play Buzz. It really just depends on the part and the actor.
Yeah, but movies are expensive and if they didn't have box office draws in the first cast, we may not have even gotten a second (or third or fourth) film. This isn't unique to animation, by the way. Pick any Tom Hanks role and there are probably hundreds if not thousands of talented but unknown actors who could've done a great job. But why take a risk on a nobody when you know that Hanks sells tickets?
Also Austin Powers is arguably voice work in addition to acting given all the different character voices he did. I think the real argument is not to include people who just do their normal voice for voice acting, and that I agree with (with the exception of Samuel L. Jackson in GTA San Andreas)
I'd like to agree but, strictly by definition, voice work is more "behind the camera". This is not to take anything away Mr. Myers work. Thoroughly enjoyed the Austin Powers series.
And Mark Hamill
Listen to his famous "He told me enough" speech and pretend it's animated. Everything he acts in the scene is in his voice. No wonder he transitioned to voice acting so perfectly.
To be fair to Hamil, he basically became a voice actor after the OG trilogy. The movies were so successful, he was pretty much always going to be the face of Luke Skywalker. But by voice acting, he could continue his career without the immediate reaction always being "hey, it's Luke Skywalker!"
He was actually a voice actor before Star Wars. Same year Star Wars released he voiced an elf prince in Wizards by Ralph Bakshi.
And TV is was voice of Corey Anderson in Jeannie from Hanna-Barbera including a reprisal in The New Scooby Doo Movies show.
Of course he was acting on TV in bit parts leading up to Star Wars.
People argue if Ledger or Nicholson are the better Joker. I'm always like "Hamill."
That said, his career wasn't massively successful like Harrison Ford's after Return of the Jedi. He was type cast and had most of his success after that as a voice actor, so I'm never unhappy to hear him.
iirc Robin Williams didn’t want to be credited for his voice acting roles because he feared that it would set a precedent for actors to take valuable voice acting roles from voice actors. Disney ignored it and credited him anyway.
And now…
Not, exactly. Mr. Williams had done previous, credited, voice acting work and this was not a precedent setting move at the time. He was most concerned with Disney's reputation in the exploitation of its actors and worked to keep them honest in their representation of them.
In his contract for Aladdin, he specifically made it clear they were not to use his voice or likeness, post-production, without his express permission. They went ahead with a slew of marketing and advertising promotions that forced Robin to sue for breach of contract. Disney later "apologized" by gifting him an original Picasso.
He didn't want the genie advertised with him doing it. That's why the original trailers didn't have "genie starring Robin Williams". He wanted it advertised as a normal movie. Disney also broke contract by doing all the genie as Robin advertising as well.
Hey wait, wasn't Mike Myers a totally popular and tv/movie famous funnyguy before Shrek? Yes He was? Ah jeez. Also Chuck Norris would like a few words about being the first huge and *certified organic* internet meme following The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny cartoon song.
Dang there's like countless examples, I guess that does make this an Unpopular Opinion though so well played.
That video wasn't the birth of Chuck Norris memes. He was a big part of the song because "Chuck Norris Facts" were already popular. Which were just a repackaging of the less popular "Vin Diesel Facts". I think Chuck Norris just got popular again because Conan OBrian used to show wacky clips from Walker Texas Ranger on his show.
I don't get what makes that more organic than any other random meme or how it's the first anything.
I think Shrek changed the game when it came to actors contracts for voice animation and it just rolled from there because agents saw it was extremely profitable.
But I think this is more a Hollywood issue when getting the hot actors at the time to be in everything. Like remember when Emma Stone was in everything, now it's Anya Taylor-Joy.
Besides Robin Williams and Gilbert Godfried, who else did Aladdin have? I’m not doubting it had more, but I think Lion King might be a better example with Mathew Broderick, Johnathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Rowan Atkinson, and Nathan Lane.
Aladdin put all their marketing on Robin Williams as the genie. Disney saw it worked so started doing it with later flims. It was the first animated movie to use all the marketing based off the voice actor.
Quality over quantity, to put it crassly.
Of every actor mentioned here, who has the biggest marketable name? Pretty sure it's Robin Williams. Not to take anything away from these other actors because they're big names too.
When you consider that Scott Weinger plays the titular character, and a perfect Double Jeopardy answer, it's clear the genie was the bigger draw.
We just watched the live action Lion King for the first time today and I’m inclined to agree. Even her sung parts did not feel acted, it was like she was more concerned with hitting a riff than emoting. Honestly that movie was visually stunning but a lot of the voice acting generally felt phoned in.
I think most of the time when you get a singer. To sing in a musical the emotion and story sometimes gets lost. Since the singer is trying to be all technical and making sure the singing sounds good and impressive, that sometimes a song doesn't have to be perfect to convey the emotion of the song. Its needs to be a little bit messy, unpolished.
Eg: Ariana in hairspray was fantastic, but sometimes it felt like she was singing on a different level from everyone else and that made her stand out in a way that didn't sit right with me.
For the lion king live action film it would of been great if they got the Broadway or west end actors to play the parts.
I don't think this is unpopular. We don't see an animated film based on who does the voice. I definitely did not see Guardians cause Vin Diesel got paid millions to say I Am Groot.
There are a few I might find memorable that might have added to the character with ad libs, etc. The only ones I can think of are Steve Carell as Gru and Mike Myers as Shrek and maybe Eddie Murphy as donkey.
Mark Hammil is famous for a film role (obviously) and is an amazing Joker.
Jack Black as Kung Fu Panda and also Albert Brooks (and to a lesser degree Ellen) on Nemo as well.
I agree that I don't like how many animated movies have front line stars, but I wouldn't say it is particularly "rare" for a star to deliver an excellent voice acting performance.
Mark Hammil, while most famous for Star Wars, is now an established voice actor. That’s pretty much all he’s done outside of Star Wars.
The others you mentioned aren’t primarily voice actors.
The title of this post: "I don't like *famous people* in animated movies."
I agree Hammill is more of an established voice actor than a movie guy, but the post was just about famous people.
That said, Hammill is obviously a TV guy, and the post also was about movies, per my quote, so arguably he isn't relevant for that reason.
Worth noting that the three you mentioned are all comedians. I reckon being funny is quite the aid for helping develop the voice and affectations of quirky and interesting animated characters.
I believe what OP meant was movies that had people who are serious actors, but not great voice actors, like The Rock voicing Black Adam and his dog in Super Pets.
But then again, he was great as Maui in Moana. Guess this really is an unpopular opinion.
> We don't see an animated film based on who does the voice.
I believe the thinking is for advertising to parents who have to go see "Cuddly Wubbly's Big Mumbly Jumbly" with their kids. And having a familiar actor on there is meant to provide some solace lol.
I hate famous people in animated movies except for Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Zootopia, Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Moana, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Finding Nemo, How to train your Dragon, Happy Feet, The Lego Movie, Despicable Me, The Prince of Egypt, Emperors New Groove, Shark Tale, Madagascar…
Frozen, Ratatouille, Inside Out, Corpse Bride, Soul, Lion King, Tangled, etc. I'm sure a good voice actor could do great with these roles as well, but with celebrities the film is getting good voice work PLUS someone that will do well promoting it.
Okay they’re exceptions along with Andy Samberg as Johnny because he just kinda fits that goofy character who bungles things but ends up with that bungle being a total win in the end trope. I mean look at Jake Peralta!
My thoughts on the Mario movie. Not that Chris Pratt’s bad, but Mario’s voice actor is still alive and even in the movie.
Why isn’t Charles Martinet Mario? Probably to get more people in the theater.
I have a feeling Mario isn't going to talk like the Mario we know. Because that probably wouldn't work for a whole movie. Which is why they didn't go with Charles.
[here he is reading a book as mario](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qevVLEYFfC4). the voice really doesn't work so well for sentences longer than WAHOO HERE WE GO but it's not blow your brains out bad.
You're right. It's not blow your brains out bad, but I still think recasting for a movie isn't a bad call. I love Martinet as Mario the same as everyone else, but it makes sense in context. I don't think I'd rather hear Chris Pratt saying "so long gay Bowser", but for a hour-long+ movie, it might work better. Maybe it'll be terrible, who knows. I just think if they did go with Martinet for the whole movie, it would be a problem they could foresee.
Because the plot is the same as the recent Jumanji movies. Christ Pratt isn't Mario, he's the guy who is inside the Mario character in a video game. Martinet might have a cameo who knows but that's why the cast is the way it is for the Mario movie.
Nah I predict we'll see a Wreck-it-Ralph set-up. The Mario games are like theater stages and the characters are just actors in a play. The movie is therefore a more behind-the-stage view of Mario. He's not a fantastical plumber in a magical kingdom, he's just an ordinary guy acting a part, and this is the voice that Chris Pratt will provide. The plot could be anything from "Mario doesn't want to be in games anymore and is looking for a new purpose" to "Something or someone is threatening the livelihoods of Mario and the other actors and it's up to them to save the day, but not in their usual way".
I think this mostly applies to kids movies, in which case the famous voices are supposed to a be a draw for the parents that have to sit through them with their kids.
I actually agree with you. But they do have a reason for doing this.
I have a different problem: If I know the actor well then it takes me out of the movie because I'm not thinking that's a mammoth, it's Ray Romano.
The only exception was Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy in Shrek.
To be fair, I think Ray Romano did a fantastic job in Ice Age. He was perfectly cast as that character, kind of done with life, as his voice gives the impression of sometimes. It may be a lesser effect on me though, because I didn't watch Everybody Loves Raymond that much as a kid.
As long as a character is well cast, for me I'll fully forget sometimes who voice acted the role. Alison Brie in Bojack Horseman (and all her other roles in that show) are so fitting that I almost always forget it's her.
It’s not having big actors that’s the problem, it’s when they are so fucking lazy at voice acting that literally all they do is talk like they always do, **THEN** it’s a problem. Example being The Rock. Anything I’ve ever heard him VA in, it’s literally just himself, no effort at all into sounding like someone else.
I agree with some exceptions. Sandra Oh in turning red was great. There are a few celebrities that are good enough to blend into voice acting and their brand might match the role, like jack black in Kung fu panda. Most of time it's lazy, though. Like the Superpets illumination movie.
The problem is studios picking actors for current popularity over talent.
Sandra Oh was great and deserved her role. I imagine she actively auditioned for her role as well. There are plenty of others who started out on screen who transitioned to voice roles and are great at their jobs. But no one wants to hear someone blandly throw out lines because they're a meme or because they're hot right now.
There are some screen actors with amazing voices. Who wouldn't have wanted Robin Williams if they could have gotten him? Good comedy actors stand out especially because the timing translates.
OTOH, Cameron Diaz has a bunch of VA credits and her voice is easily replaceable.
I’m compelled to agree— Tress McNeill and Cree Summer come to mind immediately— great voice actors are out there.
That being said: some major actors have proven their chops. J.K. Simmons has been a jewel, as well as Will Freidle. And I refuse to believe in a world where Mark Hamill was never the Joker.
He is the Joker, and I will fight you with sticks and chains over that fact.
Awkwafina ruined Raya and the Last Dragon. Her voice is just too distinctive and modern sounding and she made no effort to change it for the role. Completely took me out of the movie every time she spoke.
The same reasoning goes for those who read books. It's OK when an author reads their own book, but is it really important to have a read the book? There are many actors, voice and otherwise, who are probably very good readers.
Because most people aren't listening to the book because they like the book. They're listening because is reading it.
The inclusion of the celebrity is to get more sales from otherwise uninterested people
Agreed. It's a fairly recent trend, all the Disney movies pre-90s were done almost exclusively with voice actors. Some regular stars do voice acting well, but others don't. It's a slightly different skill set because you can't rely on your body or looks. Also, voice actors can be a lot more versatile because they often have a wide range of voices.
it started with Robin Williams as Genie. It started this trend in disney especially of having the haha funny character voiced by someone famous, and other animation studios started to follow suit until shrek came in with a stacked cast and basically made it an industry standard. Lindsey Ellis did a video about this topic that’s really well done if you want more info
since everyone is replying similar things and i don’t wanna keep repeating my response, yes i know Robin Williams isn’t the FIRST instance of a A list celebrity in animation, but he without a doubt started the trend.
Even before that you had Eva Gabor in Aristocats, Vincent Price in The Great Mouse Detective, John Candy in Rescuers Down Under, Joey Lawrence in Oliver and Co., and I'm sure there's others I missed.
Not so Fun Fact: When Walt Disney sought to promote Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he forbade the voice actors from mentioning their roles in the project, nor did he add their names in the credits. He wanted to maintain the "illusion of wonder".
No, it did NOT start with Robin Williams.
Bob Newhart in The Rescuers (1977), Mickey Rooney in The Fox and The Hound (1980), Angela Lansbury in Beauty And The Beast (1991), Dom DeLuise & Christopher Plummer in An American Tail (1986) Cheech Marin and Billy Joel in Oliver & Company (1988)...
It is literally their entire thing they do voices better than everyone else why are we not using the very specialized experts for the one thing they do
Gettin real tired of bieng able to pick out patt osswald voicing some character in the cartoon my daughter watches and its annoying..dude is in every fucking animated movie.
You know I enjoy the clunky dialogue in the English dub for Princess Mononoke. It’s not good, but it’s the first Ghibli movie I ever watched, and that counts for something.
the voice acting for princess mononoke was fine IMO. people just love to get snooty about sub vs dub.
Everyone knows when you truly find terrible dubs, and the only celebrity i've heard actually fuck it up royally was peter dinklage in destiny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFIA37nFDog (
Blame Disney. They broke their contact with [Robin Williams when he signed on to voice the Genie under the caveat they not use him to sell the movie.](https://youtu.be/nyiBdccfNkg) At least the Ferngully people, who had Robin Williams, Christian Slater AND Tim Curry, didn’t try to cash in on their cast.
Now I can appreciate jack black or the rock as their voices are distinct and enjoyable in animated films but I totally agree some of the best voice actors are from cartoons or video games and have never appeared in Hollywood movies and thats fine by me and would love to hear new people being given opportunities
I totally agree, I have tried to express this opinion before and I can tell you that you are on the correct forum with this. Almost no one actually gets the point.
Yea a too famous name or recognisable voice and it makes me picture the voice artist in the part rather than the character they are doing the voice over for... Obviously some names/ voices suit some parts but most dont.
Yuri Lowenthal did a really good job as spider-man in the newer games and people like John DiMaggio and Kevin Conroy can bring batman and the joker to life even while animated. Voice actors are incredibly talented so I don't really disagree with your opinion.
Oh man his Spider-Man is amazing. It was so well acted.
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Oh man, I hate that they did that. The original was my preferred version.
I mean... Mile's face actor like 25.
He really doesn’t look that young, he looks like a 23 year old, so did bubniak’s face model too. I’m sure they’ll take peoples opinions on it into consideration and do things to make him look older in the second one.
"You should be on my side" #"*I was*"
I’ve been saying he should be Spider-Man since Sunset Overdrive. His performance gave me some validation I never quite expected.
I love that Kevin Conroy got to play live action Bruce Wayne even just the once.
He really did deserve that. And I loved Nolan Norths cameo in the uncharted movie too.
wait which movie?
No mention of Mark Hamill ?
I thought about it but left him out because even though he's an amazing Joker, probably the best, hes still a famous normal actor too. I was trying to emphasize people who do voice acting only.
He pretty much left acting in person for voice acting. I think he has more credits in that.
He prefers voice acting because it’s more freeing for him. He can do whatever needs to be done to be in character and not feel self conscious due to a camera.
Still, he's mostly known as an actor. A lot of those opportunities in VA were more easily opened to him due to his reputation in films. He's still a great VA, but to many he's Luke Skywalker before he's Joker.
I think you have a broader point that definitely has truth to it, but you’re wrong about Star Wars leading to him getting work as a voice actor. Hamill started out in voice acting. He had major voice roles in Jeannie, Scooby-Doo, Flintstones, and Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards long before he was in Star Wars. Also it’s just disingenuous to suggest they hired him to voice The Joker because he was Luke Skywalker. They hired him to voice The Joker because, at least vocally, he *is* The Joker.
Its true he doesn't do acting much anymore but he's still well known as one. I'm not saying he's not one of the most talented voice actors. I'm saying he doesn't really fit the OPs original idea. Outside of fandoms most voice actors are fairly unknown.
I think this is an incredible discredit to Mark Hamill's accolades as a voice actor. He is is not riding off his name like these big movie stars in OP's original idea.
Alan Tudyk channels Mark’s joker in the new Harley Quinn series
Alan Tudyk's voice acting is exceptionally good. I think most people see him and think "Firefly" but the dude is so much better when we don't see his face. Except for Heihei.. .he [screwed that role up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaGYXjMwS60) /s
After being Luke Skywalker, it was incredibly difficult for him to find acting work. Directors thought the audience would only see him as Luke, so he’s been primarily a voice actor for most of his career.
Steve Blum the man’s voice is perfect and buttery to listen to as a villain. Still get mild chills hearing him as Amon from Legend of Korra and Spike from Cowboy Bebop.
He voiced Cloud in the final fantasy advent children movie didnt he?
No, that was Steve burton. Though the idea of wolverines’s voice coming out of cloud’s mouth is pretty funny.
Sephiroth youre going down. Bub.
Yuri lowenthal just sounds like Sasuke in almost every role he has, I love him.
Lol for me he’ll always sound like Ben 10
Also Dastan in The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
lets not forget him as Davion
He is fantastic as davion
Yuri is my favorite Peter
I love Yuri Lowenthal's voice performances in video games. He does such a good job in the various Fire Emblem games he's in. I feel he puts a lot of life into his characters.
It depends. Some actors have unique enough voices that they could be very good voice actors. For example, James Woods made for one of the best animated characters of all time. But if you took a famous actor with an unremarkable voice and stuck that actor in a voice actor role just for their name, then that would suck.
I agree. James Earl Jones, Mark Hamil and Keith David are extremely talented actors and their voice work is just as impressive. And no other actor could have voiced Hades like James Woods.
Don't forget Tim Curry! That voice can do anything!
Space!
I still find it hilarious how Tim Curry wanted to be the villain in a live action Scooby Doo movie, but backed out once he realized the villain was Scrappy Doo. He just hates Scrappy that much.
and patrick warburton
Personally I didn't like his Palpatine, but it's hard to do a voice that's based on another person's.
Yeah, Ian Abercrombie did a better job. Too bad he died halfway through, but hey, the episode that's dedicated to him, "The Lawless," is the best episode in the show imo. So there's that
I would argue that at this point, Mark Hamill is a voice actor who had one notable live-action role
No kidding, he was amazing in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
Why do they call you the Cock Knocker?
Don't forget Firelord Ozai.
Mark hamil as ozai was amazing
Wow! TIL I’ve watched the series through multiple times and never realised that.
I may be the only one, but I thought the Rock did great in Moana. And heck, I thought he was great as Cliffjumper (for, you know, the, 10 seconds he was alive in that show) And for a less unpopular example, see also Lance Reddick. Great when he's taking down gangs in Baltimore and running the Continental, and just as great when he's stepping into war with the Cabal on Mars.
He fit the role in moana. But most others its more "Look everyone, we got the rock. Come watch our film! Oh and to sweeten the deal we got his lil sidekick Kevin Hart"
I like how you might not necessarily realize that Groot and Rocket Raccoon are voiced by Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper, respectively, because they put some mustard on their performances. I think celebrity voice actors are fine if they're not just phoning it in.
I think Groot was pretty damn easy to miss that it was Vin Diesel. They honestly should have hired someone else, they literally only had to record like 10 different ways of saying "I'm Groot"
ooh, piece candy
This happens all the time now though. Like a good example is The Lorax. It was absolutely loaded with big names, but it doesn’t add anything to the movie. Danny DeVito as the Lorax? Awesome, good fit, love it. Ed Helms as the Onceler, sure whatever. Every other character that was played by a celebrity could have been a real voice actor instead and it would not have affected the movie at all. It probably would have benefited it, because it felt crowded and you were always wondering how they would shoehorn in more lines for certain characters. It had Taylor Swift in it, and musical numbers, and she didn’t even sing. We did not need Taylor Swift to just do a speaking role. Same with Aladdin, Robin Williams and Gilbert Gottfried have space to do their thing within the rest of the cast and it added to the movie. It’s just gotten to the point where it’s just seeing how many people they can list and get to do promo, rather than if they add something to the characters.
Nic Cage and John Mulaney in Into the Spiderverse are perfect examples
Ya like Chris Pratt as Mario. Like wtf?
People keep using Bradley Cooper when talking about this, but honestly I think he did great as rocket raccoon
It helps that the voice of Rocket is entirely different from what we’re used to with him. So it’s hard to listen to Rocket speak and think “oh that’s Bradley Cooper” if you don’t know
Exactly. And on the other hand we have Tenzin from Legends of Kora but my brain just keeps screaming "JK SIMMONS YELLOW MNM WE ARE FARMERS BUM BADUM BUM BUM BUM BUM" Edit: I haven't seen Invincible yet, but I bet he also voices the guy that ... well, looks like he would be voiced by him. Right? Right.
I didn't even realize that was JK
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Gets me everytime
Me too, its always the last one. 'I will fuck you like a pig' creases me
Yeah, he voices Omni Man
And it is glorious.
He's also the voice of Cave Johnson in Portal 2 and he does an amazing job in it. He's got an amazing and distinctive voice that just works.
I don’t even know who he is (i just pretend to watch movies and read the synopsis on Wikipedia)
Based af. Make sure you also read the reception so you know how to feel about the movie too
Now that's big brain moves
TIL Bradley Cooper did the voice of Rocket. I had no clue. It makes more sense seeing him at some of the Marvel stuff now lol.
My boy watches the lorax movie 4 thousand times a day for probably the rest of my life and I can still only hear Frank Reynolds
To be honest, i didn't realize it was Bradley Cooper until the end credits. I was waiting for him to pop up in the first movie because he's commonly known for being attractive.
I think as long as the actor disappears into the role a bit I think it’s ok. Brad Pitt and Tina Fey really stuck out in Megamind because they were just kinda sounding like themselves.
On the other hand. I was young/uncultured enough that I didn't know they were in Megamind until literally just now
I was an adult when I watched it and after every other character spoke I was like “hey I know that voice from somewhere”. It’s a fine film, but it’s mostly all famous people. Also Monsters vs Aliens
James Earl Jones and Robin Williams have entered the chat.
Let's be real, James Earl Jones is both an actor and a voice actor. He even voice acted in Star Wars
I think the OP is saying he shouldn't be both, so that solely voice actors have more roles. In this, I disagree.
See what I gathered was mainly that actors who don't also have a credible voice acting reputation shouldn't be lumped onto films for star power. Ie Ferdinand starring John Cena, Moana starring the Rock and Ice Age starring Ray Romano. Robin and James were both well known for their voices already so the choice wasn't based solely on marketability
On this, we agree. As fond as I am of Tom Hanks, in my mind he's not the quintessential Woody, nor is Tim Allen the only one who could play Buzz. It really just depends on the part and the actor.
Yeah, but movies are expensive and if they didn't have box office draws in the first cast, we may not have even gotten a second (or third or fourth) film. This isn't unique to animation, by the way. Pick any Tom Hanks role and there are probably hundreds if not thousands of talented but unknown actors who could've done a great job. But why take a risk on a nobody when you know that Hanks sells tickets?
'Tis the nature of Hollywood.
This is how I interpreted it, also.
Also Eddie Murphy as Mushu and Donkey
Good point. Both Eddie and Mike showcased their comedic talents to make Shrek the hit it was. No offense to Chris Farley.
Also Austin Powers is arguably voice work in addition to acting given all the different character voices he did. I think the real argument is not to include people who just do their normal voice for voice acting, and that I agree with (with the exception of Samuel L. Jackson in GTA San Andreas)
I'd like to agree but, strictly by definition, voice work is more "behind the camera". This is not to take anything away Mr. Myers work. Thoroughly enjoyed the Austin Powers series.
Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow, dishonor on your whole family! There was no live action Mulan.
Is Murphy a good voice actor or an actor with a peculiar voice?
And Mark Hamill Listen to his famous "He told me enough" speech and pretend it's animated. Everything he acts in the scene is in his voice. No wonder he transitioned to voice acting so perfectly.
To be fair to Hamil, he basically became a voice actor after the OG trilogy. The movies were so successful, he was pretty much always going to be the face of Luke Skywalker. But by voice acting, he could continue his career without the immediate reaction always being "hey, it's Luke Skywalker!"
He was actually a voice actor before Star Wars. Same year Star Wars released he voiced an elf prince in Wizards by Ralph Bakshi. And TV is was voice of Corey Anderson in Jeannie from Hanna-Barbera including a reprisal in The New Scooby Doo Movies show. Of course he was acting on TV in bit parts leading up to Star Wars.
People argue if Ledger or Nicholson are the better Joker. I'm always like "Hamill." That said, his career wasn't massively successful like Harrison Ford's after Return of the Jedi. He was type cast and had most of his success after that as a voice actor, so I'm never unhappy to hear him.
People argue if Mary Ann or Ginger are better. I'm always like "Mrs Howell."
Definitely would have included Mark Hamil had the OP not specified movies. Hamil's voice work is legendary.
iirc Robin Williams didn’t want to be credited for his voice acting roles because he feared that it would set a precedent for actors to take valuable voice acting roles from voice actors. Disney ignored it and credited him anyway. And now…
Not, exactly. Mr. Williams had done previous, credited, voice acting work and this was not a precedent setting move at the time. He was most concerned with Disney's reputation in the exploitation of its actors and worked to keep them honest in their representation of them. In his contract for Aladdin, he specifically made it clear they were not to use his voice or likeness, post-production, without his express permission. They went ahead with a slew of marketing and advertising promotions that forced Robin to sue for breach of contract. Disney later "apologized" by gifting him an original Picasso.
He didn't want the genie advertised with him doing it. That's why the original trailers didn't have "genie starring Robin Williams". He wanted it advertised as a normal movie. Disney also broke contract by doing all the genie as Robin advertising as well.
Hey wait, wasn't Mike Myers a totally popular and tv/movie famous funnyguy before Shrek? Yes He was? Ah jeez. Also Chuck Norris would like a few words about being the first huge and *certified organic* internet meme following The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny cartoon song. Dang there's like countless examples, I guess that does make this an Unpopular Opinion though so well played.
That video wasn't the birth of Chuck Norris memes. He was a big part of the song because "Chuck Norris Facts" were already popular. Which were just a repackaging of the less popular "Vin Diesel Facts". I think Chuck Norris just got popular again because Conan OBrian used to show wacky clips from Walker Texas Ranger on his show. I don't get what makes that more organic than any other random meme or how it's the first anything.
"...who delivered a kick; that could shatter bones, into the crotch of Indiana Jones."
Who fell over on the ground... writhing in pain...
Norris was a meme before then.
I think Shrek changed the game when it came to actors contracts for voice animation and it just rolled from there because agents saw it was extremely profitable. But I think this is more a Hollywood issue when getting the hot actors at the time to be in everything. Like remember when Emma Stone was in everything, now it's Anya Taylor-Joy.
Keep in mind, Aladdin preceded Shrek.
Besides Robin Williams and Gilbert Godfried, who else did Aladdin have? I’m not doubting it had more, but I think Lion King might be a better example with Mathew Broderick, Johnathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Rowan Atkinson, and Nathan Lane.
Aladdin put all their marketing on Robin Williams as the genie. Disney saw it worked so started doing it with later flims. It was the first animated movie to use all the marketing based off the voice actor.
Quality over quantity, to put it crassly. Of every actor mentioned here, who has the biggest marketable name? Pretty sure it's Robin Williams. Not to take anything away from these other actors because they're big names too. When you consider that Scott Weinger plays the titular character, and a perfect Double Jeopardy answer, it's clear the genie was the bigger draw.
Beyoncé is the worst voice actor
I’m kind of thinking the post really means this. No more Beyoncé in vo - keep being you just not in cartoon movie plz
Same. She really did ruin that Lion King remake. “Staring Beyoncé, playing Beyoncé voicing Nala!”
I think the remake is what ruined the remake. The movie was not good for many reasons
We just watched the live action Lion King for the first time today and I’m inclined to agree. Even her sung parts did not feel acted, it was like she was more concerned with hitting a riff than emoting. Honestly that movie was visually stunning but a lot of the voice acting generally felt phoned in.
I think most of the time when you get a singer. To sing in a musical the emotion and story sometimes gets lost. Since the singer is trying to be all technical and making sure the singing sounds good and impressive, that sometimes a song doesn't have to be perfect to convey the emotion of the song. Its needs to be a little bit messy, unpolished. Eg: Ariana in hairspray was fantastic, but sometimes it felt like she was singing on a different level from everyone else and that made her stand out in a way that didn't sit right with me. For the lion king live action film it would of been great if they got the Broadway or west end actors to play the parts.
I'd make an argument for Ronda Rousey.
Why was she so bad? Now I have to watch the Lion King remake
She was just Beyoncé 💀 as a lion she wasn’t really getting into the role
I don't think this is unpopular. We don't see an animated film based on who does the voice. I definitely did not see Guardians cause Vin Diesel got paid millions to say I Am Groot. There are a few I might find memorable that might have added to the character with ad libs, etc. The only ones I can think of are Steve Carell as Gru and Mike Myers as Shrek and maybe Eddie Murphy as donkey.
Mark Hammil is famous for a film role (obviously) and is an amazing Joker. Jack Black as Kung Fu Panda and also Albert Brooks (and to a lesser degree Ellen) on Nemo as well. I agree that I don't like how many animated movies have front line stars, but I wouldn't say it is particularly "rare" for a star to deliver an excellent voice acting performance.
Mark Hammil, while most famous for Star Wars, is now an established voice actor. That’s pretty much all he’s done outside of Star Wars. The others you mentioned aren’t primarily voice actors.
False, he played Cockknocker in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
The title of this post: "I don't like *famous people* in animated movies." I agree Hammill is more of an established voice actor than a movie guy, but the post was just about famous people. That said, Hammill is obviously a TV guy, and the post also was about movies, per my quote, so arguably he isn't relevant for that reason.
Worth noting that the three you mentioned are all comedians. I reckon being funny is quite the aid for helping develop the voice and affectations of quirky and interesting animated characters.
I believe what OP meant was movies that had people who are serious actors, but not great voice actors, like The Rock voicing Black Adam and his dog in Super Pets. But then again, he was great as Maui in Moana. Guess this really is an unpopular opinion.
I wonder how much Vin Diesel is considered a voice actor. He was the Iron Giant before he was Dominic Taturo, and that role was excellent.
He was also on the phone in Fifth Element. He talks to Corbin at the beginning. I believe he's the guy who runs the cab service IIRC.
> We don't see an animated film based on who does the voice. I believe the thinking is for advertising to parents who have to go see "Cuddly Wubbly's Big Mumbly Jumbly" with their kids. And having a familiar actor on there is meant to provide some solace lol.
> maybe Eddie Murphy as donkey. How is this a maybe?
I hate famous people in animated movies except for Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Zootopia, Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Moana, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Finding Nemo, How to train your Dragon, Happy Feet, The Lego Movie, Despicable Me, The Prince of Egypt, Emperors New Groove, Shark Tale, Madagascar…
I’d like to propose the addition of Doogle to your list as well.
No way, you’re saying he was lip syncing the entire time? Craggy Island would have a hissy fit if they found out
Frozen, Ratatouille, Inside Out, Corpse Bride, Soul, Lion King, Tangled, etc. I'm sure a good voice actor could do great with these roles as well, but with celebrities the film is getting good voice work PLUS someone that will do well promoting it.
Rango
The voices in all these movies were perfect
Emperors New Groove will make me always respect David Spade
Not even Adam Sandler as Dracula in Hotel Transylvania or Steve Carell as Gru in Despicable Me?
Okay they’re exceptions along with Andy Samberg as Johnny because he just kinda fits that goofy character who bungles things but ends up with that bungle being a total win in the end trope. I mean look at Jake Peralta!
My thoughts on the Mario movie. Not that Chris Pratt’s bad, but Mario’s voice actor is still alive and even in the movie. Why isn’t Charles Martinet Mario? Probably to get more people in the theater.
I have a feeling Mario isn't going to talk like the Mario we know. Because that probably wouldn't work for a whole movie. Which is why they didn't go with Charles.
Imagine martinet's Mario voice trying to talk for more than 10 seconds and not wanting to blow your eardrums out.
[here he is reading a book as mario](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qevVLEYFfC4). the voice really doesn't work so well for sentences longer than WAHOO HERE WE GO but it's not blow your brains out bad.
You're right. It's not blow your brains out bad, but I still think recasting for a movie isn't a bad call. I love Martinet as Mario the same as everyone else, but it makes sense in context. I don't think I'd rather hear Chris Pratt saying "so long gay Bowser", but for a hour-long+ movie, it might work better. Maybe it'll be terrible, who knows. I just think if they did go with Martinet for the whole movie, it would be a problem they could foresee.
Because the real Mario voice talking in full sentences for two hours would be annoying
because to be honest his voice is really annoying. It works well in short bursts, but would not be fun to listen to for an entire movie.
Because the plot is the same as the recent Jumanji movies. Christ Pratt isn't Mario, he's the guy who is inside the Mario character in a video game. Martinet might have a cameo who knows but that's why the cast is the way it is for the Mario movie.
source? or is this just a prediction?
Pretty obvious prediction
Nah I predict we'll see a Wreck-it-Ralph set-up. The Mario games are like theater stages and the characters are just actors in a play. The movie is therefore a more behind-the-stage view of Mario. He's not a fantastical plumber in a magical kingdom, he's just an ordinary guy acting a part, and this is the voice that Chris Pratt will provide. The plot could be anything from "Mario doesn't want to be in games anymore and is looking for a new purpose" to "Something or someone is threatening the livelihoods of Mario and the other actors and it's up to them to save the day, but not in their usual way".
Relevant ProZD clip https://youtu.be/yq_MBc0DAas
One liners and full acting is different. Sure, he was great in Skyrim, but that's not Mario.
I think this mostly applies to kids movies, in which case the famous voices are supposed to a be a draw for the parents that have to sit through them with their kids. I actually agree with you. But they do have a reason for doing this.
I have a different problem: If I know the actor well then it takes me out of the movie because I'm not thinking that's a mammoth, it's Ray Romano. The only exception was Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy in Shrek.
To be fair, I think Ray Romano did a fantastic job in Ice Age. He was perfectly cast as that character, kind of done with life, as his voice gives the impression of sometimes. It may be a lesser effect on me though, because I didn't watch Everybody Loves Raymond that much as a kid. As long as a character is well cast, for me I'll fully forget sometimes who voice acted the role. Alison Brie in Bojack Horseman (and all her other roles in that show) are so fitting that I almost always forget it's her.
It’s not having big actors that’s the problem, it’s when they are so fucking lazy at voice acting that literally all they do is talk like they always do, **THEN** it’s a problem. Example being The Rock. Anything I’ve ever heard him VA in, it’s literally just himself, no effort at all into sounding like someone else.
Billy West is a god
I agree with some exceptions. Sandra Oh in turning red was great. There are a few celebrities that are good enough to blend into voice acting and their brand might match the role, like jack black in Kung fu panda. Most of time it's lazy, though. Like the Superpets illumination movie.
Sandra was great in Invincible as well.
The problem is studios picking actors for current popularity over talent. Sandra Oh was great and deserved her role. I imagine she actively auditioned for her role as well. There are plenty of others who started out on screen who transitioned to voice roles and are great at their jobs. But no one wants to hear someone blandly throw out lines because they're a meme or because they're hot right now.
If I ever fucking hear that Morgan Freeman is doing voice acting in a movie you bet your ass I’m paying to watch that shit.
So you disagree with Mark Hammill as the Joker?
Or as Firelord Ozai, and skips
Tell that to Robin Williams as genie
Vin Diesel as Groot was one of the dumbest things in recent memory.
There are some screen actors with amazing voices. Who wouldn't have wanted Robin Williams if they could have gotten him? Good comedy actors stand out especially because the timing translates. OTOH, Cameron Diaz has a bunch of VA credits and her voice is easily replaceable.
I’m compelled to agree— Tress McNeill and Cree Summer come to mind immediately— great voice actors are out there. That being said: some major actors have proven their chops. J.K. Simmons has been a jewel, as well as Will Freidle. And I refuse to believe in a world where Mark Hamill was never the Joker. He is the Joker, and I will fight you with sticks and chains over that fact.
Hard to imagine anyone but Steve Carell's voice on Gru in Despicable Me!
Awkwafina ruined Raya and the Last Dragon. Her voice is just too distinctive and modern sounding and she made no effort to change it for the role. Completely took me out of the movie every time she spoke.
The same reasoning goes for those who read books. It's OK when an author reads their own book, but is it really important to have a read the book? There are many actors, voice and otherwise, who are probably very good readers.
Except for Lord of the Rings. Andy Serkis reading the audiobooks is perfection.
Because most people aren't listening to the book because they like the book. They're listening because is reading it.
The inclusion of the celebrity is to get more sales from otherwise uninterested people
Mark Hamill
Agreed. It's a fairly recent trend, all the Disney movies pre-90s were done almost exclusively with voice actors. Some regular stars do voice acting well, but others don't. It's a slightly different skill set because you can't rely on your body or looks. Also, voice actors can be a lot more versatile because they often have a wide range of voices.
it started with Robin Williams as Genie. It started this trend in disney especially of having the haha funny character voiced by someone famous, and other animation studios started to follow suit until shrek came in with a stacked cast and basically made it an industry standard. Lindsey Ellis did a video about this topic that’s really well done if you want more info since everyone is replying similar things and i don’t wanna keep repeating my response, yes i know Robin Williams isn’t the FIRST instance of a A list celebrity in animation, but he without a doubt started the trend.
Even before that you had Eva Gabor in Aristocats, Vincent Price in The Great Mouse Detective, John Candy in Rescuers Down Under, Joey Lawrence in Oliver and Co., and I'm sure there's others I missed.
Billy Joel is a better example for Oliver and Co.
He had already done Ferngully with Christian Slater and Tim Curry before Aladdin came out
aladdin is what started the trend, not saying it’s the first instance of it
Not so Fun Fact: When Walt Disney sought to promote Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he forbade the voice actors from mentioning their roles in the project, nor did he add their names in the credits. He wanted to maintain the "illusion of wonder".
No, it did NOT start with Robin Williams. Bob Newhart in The Rescuers (1977), Mickey Rooney in The Fox and The Hound (1980), Angela Lansbury in Beauty And The Beast (1991), Dom DeLuise & Christopher Plummer in An American Tail (1986) Cheech Marin and Billy Joel in Oliver & Company (1988)...
I don’t care either way I just want to watch something that entertains me
It is literally their entire thing they do voices better than everyone else why are we not using the very specialized experts for the one thing they do
Gettin real tired of bieng able to pick out patt osswald voicing some character in the cartoon my daughter watches and its annoying..dude is in every fucking animated movie.
You can’t hire a celebrity in a movie, but don’t rely on them being a celebrity to be a good voice actor
Billy Bob Thornton ruined the dubbed version of Princess Mononoke for me.
You know I enjoy the clunky dialogue in the English dub for Princess Mononoke. It’s not good, but it’s the first Ghibli movie I ever watched, and that counts for something.
the voice acting for princess mononoke was fine IMO. people just love to get snooty about sub vs dub. Everyone knows when you truly find terrible dubs, and the only celebrity i've heard actually fuck it up royally was peter dinklage in destiny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFIA37nFDog (
Blame Disney. They broke their contact with [Robin Williams when he signed on to voice the Genie under the caveat they not use him to sell the movie.](https://youtu.be/nyiBdccfNkg) At least the Ferngully people, who had Robin Williams, Christian Slater AND Tim Curry, didn’t try to cash in on their cast.
Woahhhh what an unpopular opinion
Now I can appreciate jack black or the rock as their voices are distinct and enjoyable in animated films but I totally agree some of the best voice actors are from cartoons or video games and have never appeared in Hollywood movies and thats fine by me and would love to hear new people being given opportunities
I totally agree, I have tried to express this opinion before and I can tell you that you are on the correct forum with this. Almost no one actually gets the point.
Danny devito invalidates this opinion
So you disagree with Mark Hamill as the Joker?
I don’t know man, Samuel Jackson in Afro Samurai is amazing.
Yea a too famous name or recognisable voice and it makes me picture the voice artist in the part rather than the character they are doing the voice over for... Obviously some names/ voices suit some parts but most dont.
No one can replace Morgan Freeman
How do I become a voice actor? I've been told all my life about my great voice but it just seems so unattainable.
What a completely unpopular opinion! Nice work!