My, you sound ... animated!
Palm Beach Post
Friday, June 09, 2006
Back in the ancient day, a non-famous actor could make a pretty spiffy living doing voice-overs for animated films — the voices of The Little Mermaid's Ariel, Beauty and the Beast's Belle, and Aladdin's Aladdin and Jasmine were all supplied by well-respected but not hugely known stage actors. But no more — the big-time likes of Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Bruce Willis have lent their well-known pipes to cartoons, making them yet another virtually celebrity-only zone.
As if they don't have enough.
Disney and Pixar's Cars introduces yet another all-star vocal lineup — Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt and more. So let's celebrate other stars who have traded in their makeup time and expensive lighting for an audio booth — where they're still probably really made up.
1. Ellen DeGeneres (Dory), Finding Nemo (2003): I don't cry much for fish. I'm from Maryland, and we're more likely to eat them than feel for them. But the dancing daytime host made me weep for this befuddled finned creature. Which says a lot.
2. Robin Williams (The Genie), Aladdin (1992): What's more shape-changing and frantic — a giant, ancient blue mythical creature who can fit into a bottle and be a literal cast of thousands, or Robin Williams doped up on ego, spotlight and Jay Leno's aftershave?
3. Tim Allen, (Buzz Lightyear), Toy Story (1995): He brought a depth and and machismo-hidden soft side to the most daring of action figures, more than he ever managed to give to Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. Go figure.
4. Sascha Baron Cohen (King Julian), Madagascar (2005): Confession — I hate Cohen's whole Punk'd-esque Ali G. shtick, but his delusional grand regal lemur/jungle DJ/choreographer is a masterpiece of self-love and righteous beat.
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor (Miss Bianca), The Rescuers (1977): Sing along with me ... "R-E-S-C-U-E, Rescue Aid So-ci-ety!" The fabulously glamorous and shopping-centric Zsa Zsa becomes a fabulously glamorous defender of endangered children who also happens to be a mouse. Which is good because they're so swanky, they're born with fur.
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