Meet The Celebrities Behind Your Favorite Animated Movie Characters

By Jessi Stickel on August 28, 2015

Animated movies aren’t just for kids — college students and even some adults love them too.

When you watch an animated movie you don’t tend to think “Who’s voice is that?” or “What does that person really look like?” It’s neat to find out who the voices are of your favorite characters in animated movies, and many of them are very popular actors and celebrities.

1. Finding Nemo (2003)

“Finding Nemo” is the animated story about a clown fish that is captured by a scuba diver. His father searches the ocean to bring him back home with some friends he meets along the way.

Ellen DeGeneres as Dory

One of those friends is Dory, a blue tang fish that has a memory loss problem, but has a big heart and is probably the funniest character in the movie.

The voice of this character is also a comedian herself; Ellen DeGeneres played Dory which matched her character fairly well. They both have blue eyes and are hilarious.

Ellen is known for her talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” where she interviews popular celebrities. The 13th season of the show premieres next Tuesday, September 8, 2015.

The spin-off movie of “Finding Nemo” starring Ellen’s character “Dory” is in production right now. It will be called “Finding Dory” and is expected to premiere in June 2016.

2. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

The setting of “Monster’s, Inc.” is in the world of monsters where buddies Sully and Mike work at an energy company factory. The factory brings children’s bedroom doors from all over the world, and their job is to go in and scare children. The company gets energy from the children’s screams that they use to power the whole monster city.

However, one day a child somehow sneaks out of one of the rooms into the city. Sully finds the little girl and takes her in. Together he and Mike have to get her back home without the “terrified of humans” city finding out.

John Goodman as Sully

John Goodman is known for his role of a husband and father on the television sitcom “Roseanne” (1988-1997). Shortly after the show ended, he was the voice of Sully in “Monsters Inc.” (2001).

Goodman’s voice matched perfectly with the physical and emotional aspects of the character Sully, since they are both big and tall, but teddy bears at heart.

Billy Crystal as Mike

Fellow comedic actor Billy Crystal was the voice of Goodman’s character Sully’s sidekick in the film.

Mike Wazowski is tiny and green and it just seems like nothing can go right for him.

3. Toy Story 1-3 (1995, 1999, 2010)

Toy Story 2 is the story of children’s toys coming to life when people are not around; however, the toy character “Woody” gets taken by a toy collector and his fellow toy mates have to rescue him.

Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear

The voice of “Buzz Lightyear,” an astronaut toy, is played by Tim Allen.

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Tim Allen is known for his role in his sitcom “Home Improvement” (1991-1999) and for playing the role of Santa in “The Santa Clause” Disney movie series.

Tom Hanks as Woody

The voice of the character of the “Toy Story” movie series was played by actor Tom Hanks.

Hanks is most well-known for his role in the widely popular film “Forrest Gump” (1994). The actor has won 2 Oscar awards for Best Actor in the movies “Philadelphia” (1994) and “Forrest Gump” (1995).

Joan Cusack as Jessie

The character Jessie debuted in “Toy Story 2″ and her voice was played by actress Joan Cusack.

Joan is the younger sister of actor John Cusack and is known for acting in films like “Working Girl” (1988) and “Say Anything” (1989).

4. Cars (2006)

The animated film “Cars” is about a famous race car that gets lost on the freeway and ends up in a deserted town, with very few cars living there. He needs their help getting to a racetrack and ends up realizing what is important in life and making some really good friends.

Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen

The voice of the hotshot race car “Lightning McQueen” is played by comedic actor Owen Wilson.

Owen is known for many roles in movies like “Wedding Crashers” (2005) and “Midnight in Paris” (2011). The actor actually stars in a movie that just came to theaters called “No Escape,” an action thriller which isn’t his typical genre of films.

Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera

The character Sally in “Cars” is Lightning McQueen’s love interest. Bonnie Hunt’s voice fits perfect with Sally because her character is very sweet and innocent and Bonnie’s voice definitely portrays that well.

You may know Hunt from the film “The Green Mile” (1999) and also from her own talk show “The Bonnie Hunt Show” (2008-2010).

5. Shrek (2001)

“Shrek” is an animated film about an ogre that gets his swamp invaded with different types of creatures. He makes a deal with the prince, Lord Farquaad, to rescue a princess in promise of the return of his privacy.

Along the journey he makes a friend, Donkey, and falls in love with Princess Fiona, who has an interesting secret.

Mike Myers as Shrek

Comedic actor Mike Myers is the voice of the green ogre Shrek. Myers is most known for starring in the “Austin Powers” movie series.

Although he has an English accent, Mike’s voice and sense of humor somehow fit perfectly with the character Shrek.

Eddie Murphy as Donkey

The character Donkey in “Shrek” is very clueless, but at the same time hilarious.

Eddie Murphy portrays Donkey’s humorous character through his unique voice. Murphy is known for many films like “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) and “Coming to America” (1988).

Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona

You may know Ms. Diaz from starring in “There’s Something About Mary” (1998) and most recently the film “Sex Tape” (2014).

Cameron Diaz has a great voice for animated characters, especially for Princess Fiona. She has that sweet and innocent voice, but then she can turn around and be strong and sassy as well.

6. Madagascar (2005)

This animated movie is the story of four zoo-raised animals that escape and end up in Madagascar not used to living on their own.

Ben Stiller as Alex

The voice of the lion Alex is played by actor Ben Stiller. Stiller is known for films such as “Meet the Parents” (2000) and “Zoolander” (2001).

Acting is not his only talent; he also produced a number of films like “Blades of Glory” (2007) and “Tropic Thunder” (2008).

Chris Rock as Marty

The comedian and actor Chris Rock was the voice of the zebra in “Madagascar.”

His voice and the character traits of Marty mix effortlessly. You may know Rock from the “Grown Ups” movie series and “Head of State” (2003), along with his many stand-up comedy specials.

Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria

Jada Pinkett Smith is known for being the wife of actor Will Smith and also being in films like “The Nutty Professor” (1996) and “Collateral” (2003).

Mrs. Smith is the voice of the hippo Gloria in the film.

7. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

“Wreck-It Ralph” is an animated film about a video game villain striving to fulfill his dreams of being a hero.

John C. Reilly as Ralph

John C. Reilly is the voice of Ralph.

Reilly is a comedic actor; you may recognize him from films like “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” (2006) and “Step Brothers” (2008), both co-starring actor Will Ferrell.

Sarah Silverman as Vanellope

Comedian Sarah Silverman is the voice of Vanellope in “Wreck-It Ralph.”

The character actually resembles Silverman in some ways. She is known for her stand-up comedy, and also the films “School of Rock” (2003) and recently, “A Million Ways to Die in the West” (2014). The comedian was also famous for dating the host of “Jimmy Kimmel: Live,” Jimmy Kimmel.

8. Despicable Me (2010)

“Despicable Me” is the story of three orphans getting adopted by a lonely strange man, who is a criminal mastermind.

Steve Carell as Gru

The character Gru’s personality does not match Steve Carell’s personality; however, he changes his voice to match how the character would sound.

Carell is known for his leading roles in “40 Year Old Virgin” (2005) and “Crazy Stupid Love” (2014). The actor also starred in the television sitcom “The Office” (2005-2013).

Jason Segel as Vector

You may know Jason Segel from acting in films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) and the television series “How I Met Your Mother” (2005-2014).

He is also the voice of the character Vector in “Despicable Me” which is the total opposite of the character he usually plays.

Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario

Russell Brand was the voice of the odd character “Dr. Nefario.” Brand was also featured in the film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008), and he also starred in the movie “Get Him to the Greek” (2010).

Brand is also famous for breaking pop singer Katy Perry’s heart, when they ended their two year marriage in 2012.

Kristen Wiig as Miss Hattie

You may know the hilarious Kristen Wiig from her skits on “Saturday Night Live” and the comedy film “Bridesmaids” (2012).

Wiig is the voice of the snooty Miss Hattie in the animated film.

9. Frozen (2013)

“Frozen” is about a queen named Elsa that has powers to turn anything to ice. She curses the town by icing it over, so her younger sister Anna teams with a snowman, a reindeer, and a man to save their town from the freezing weather.

This movie has become one of the most popular animated movies of the generation.

Kristen Bell as Anna

Kristen Bell is known for her leading roles in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) and the television series “Veronica Mars” (2004-2007).

She is the voice of Anna in the animated movie, including her singing. Many people were unaware of her talented voice before “Frozen.”

Josh Gad as Olaf

The comedic actor Josh Gad is the voice of the snowman Olaf in “Frozen.”

His voice is perfect for the sweet and nerdy snowman. Gad is also known for his lead role of a recent film “The Wedding Ringer” (2015).

10. Inside Out (2015)

The new animated movie “Inside Out” is the story of when a young girl named Riley moves with her family to San Francisco and these changes also change the emotions in her head.

Amy Poehler as Joy

Amy Poehler is known for being on “Saturday Night Live” for many years and also for films such as “Mean Girls” (2004); she also starred in the television series “Parks and Recreation” (2009-2015).

She is the voice of Joy in “Inside Out,” which portrays the feeling of joy and happiness. Her voice matches with the character just right since she is always so happy and funny on screen.

Bill Hader as Fear

Bill Hader is the voice of the feeling Fear in the film.

Hader is also known for his many years on the show “Saturday Night Live” and he recently co-starred in a film called “Trainwreck” (2015) along with comedian Amy Schumer.

Mindy Kaling as Disgust

Mindy Kaling is the voice of Disgust in “Inside Out.”

Kaling is known for her series “The Mindy Project” (2005-). She has also been featured in films like “No Strings Attached” (2011) and “The Five-Year Engagement” (2012).

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