Since the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, animated movies have become a staple in cinema. Since they’re not limited to the confines of live-action, animated movies are able to create fantastical and stylistic worlds and characters. This allows them to be as varied and diverse as the people who make them.
Many animated movies live or die by the actors chosen to bring their characters to life. A good voice actor can make an animated character feel as real as someone of flesh and blood, while a bad one reminds us that we’re just watching drawings or CGI models trying to mimic life. Fortunately, most animated films don’t go cheap with their casting, ensuring that they pick the right people for the job, so the end result can be enjoyed for generations.
10 ‘Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin’ (1997)
Directed by Karl Geurs
On the last day of a golden summer, Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings) and Christopher Robin (Brady Bluhm) have a fun adventure, which ends with Christopher telling Pooh that he will always be with him. The next day, Christopher is missing, and Pooh finds a honey with a note that, according to Owl (Andre Stojka), claims he has been taken to a dangerous location called Skull. Armed with only a map to guide them, Pooh and his friends Tigger (Paul Winchell), Piglet (John Fiedler), Rabbit (Ken Sansom) and Eeyore (Peter Cullen), set off to rescue Christopher, while at the same time forced to confront their fears and insecurities.
Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin brings back the voice cast from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, except for Stojka, who replaced Hal Smith as Owl after he died in 1994. Thanks to this film’s darker tone and emphasis on character development, it gave the cast a chance to showcase their skills as the characters are pushed to their limit. Of all these phenomenal actors, Cummings delivers the strongest performance as seen during the melancholy song sequence, “Wherever You Are,” where he taps into Pooh’s sadness in a way that is haunting and beautiful in its sincerity.
9 ‘Klaus’ (2019)
Directed by Sergio Pablos
Frustrated that his son, Jesper (Jason Schwartzman), has grown into a spoiled and lazy young man, the Postmaster General tasks him with delivering 6,000 letters within a year from the island town of Smeerensburg, or he will lose his inheritance. The task seems impossible, as the town is inhabited by two warring clans, and a woodsman named Klaus (J. K. Simmons), who gets Jesper to help him deliver a toy to an unhappy child. When word spreads, Jesper has the kids write letters to Klaus and helps him deliver toys, which starts a chain reaction that changes Smeerensburg for the better.
Klaus took audiences by surprise thanks to it stellar animation, which blends hand-drawn and 3D techniques to create a unique visual experience. The voice cast is perfectly chosen: Schwartzman and Simmons have a wonderful dynamic that leads to beautiful character growth, Rashida Jones gives a very exacerbated performance as the local schoolteacher, and Will Sasso and Joan Cusack work off one another as the villainous clan leaders. Then there is Norm Macdonald, who gives a wonderful final performance as the sarcastic ferryman.
8 ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (2008)
Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
When Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) has a vision of the fallen kung fu Master, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), breaking free of his prison, he declares that it is time to train someone to be the mystical Dragon Warrior. To everyone’s surprise, Oogway doesn’t pick one of the local Masters known as the Furious Five, but an untrained panda named Po (Jack Black). The Five’s Master, Shi Fu (Dustin Hoffman), trains Po brutally in the hopes that he will quit, but Po is committed to bettering himself, and both he and Shi Fu end up bringing the best out of the other.
Kung Fu Panda became one of DreamWorks’ best franchises thanks to its great blend of comedy, action, and, of course, its stellar voice cast. Black is a major reason for Po’s popularity: he gives the panda a human heart, balancing his child-like wonder at getting to live his dream of learning kung fu with hard-hitting character study as he works to overcome his flaws. McShane also gives a phenomenal performance despite his limited screentime, making Tai Lung a powerful villain while emphasizing the broken soul hidden beneath all his anger.
7 ‘Toy Story 3’ (2010)
Directed by Lee Unkrich
As Andy Davis (John Morris) is heading to college, his mother (Laurie Metcalf) accidentally mistakes the bag holding his old toys for garbage. Believing that Andy intended to throw them away, the toys hide in a donation box bound for Sunnyside Daycare, where they are joined by Andy’s favourite toy, Woody (Tom Hanks), who tries to explain the truth. Unfortunately, they find that the Daycare is run by the manipulative and controlling Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty), who assigns them to be played with by toddlers and captures them when they try to escape.
Toy Story 3 is the most recent animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and would have made for a terrific sendoff for the Toy Story franchise. The veteran actors all bring their A-game to this film, ensuring that their characters got the at the time, proper conclusion to their arcs and delivering some powerful moments, such as Woody’s final goodbye to Andy. The new cast is also very strong, with Beatty’s performance turning Lotso into one of Pixar’s best villains, and Michael Keaton giving a hilarious performance as his henchman, Ken.
6 ‘Shrek 2’ (2004)
Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon
After coming back from Hollywood, Shrek (Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are invited by Fiona’s parents, King Harold (John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), to come to the kingdom of Far Far Away and recieve Harold’s blessing. Unfortunately, Harold and Shrek get off to a bad start, and Shrek begins to wonder if Fiona would be better off with a human husband. Unknown to everyone, Harold made a deal with the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) that Fionna would marry her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), prompting him to hire the ogre killer, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), to kill Shrek.
Shrek 2 is one of the few sequels that outperforms the original thanks to its fantastic writing and the strength of its cast. Myers was already good at tapping into Shrek’s insecurities in the first movie, but this film allows him to go even deeper and show how much Shrek is willing to change for Fiona’s sake. The new cast is full of amazing performances, from Cleese’s portrayal of a father struggling to find what is best for his daughter, Saunders and Everett having a ball playing a mother-son villain duo, and Banderas playing Zorro in feline form.
5 ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
Directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers
Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) is a lion cub born to King Mufasa (James Earl Jones), meaning that he will one day inherit his father’s kingdom, the Pride Lands. Unfortunately, Simba’s youth makes him reckless and cocky, which his uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons), uses to his advantage. He’s able to kill Mufasa using a wildebeest stampede, and though Simba evades Scar’s hyena lackeys, he goes into self-exile, believing he is responsible for his father’s death.
The Lion King remains the highest-grossing traditional animated movie of all time, and a major reason for that success is the cast. The leads are perfect, with highlights going to Jones for his wise and powerful voice, Irons for how seamlessly his delivery matches with the masterful animation by Andreas Deja, and Thomas for his ability to switch between the cocky prince to a scared child with ease. Then there is the supporting cast, which includes such talents as Rowan Atkinson, Nathan Lane, Cheech Marin, and Whoopi Goldberg.
4 ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
After leaving Shrek, Puss in Boots lives the life of a hero, until he is told that he is down to his ninth and final life. After almost being killed by a mysterious wolf (Wagner Moura), Puss resigns himself to the life of a house cat until he learns of a map that leads to a wishing star that can get him his lives back. Unfortunately, others are after the wish, including Goldilocks (Florence Pugh), Big Jack Horner (John Mulaney), and Puss’ old flame, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault).
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish found instant success thanks to its mature writing and themes of death, family, and what matters most in life, earning it the reputation of a modern classic. Banderas was well-loved for his performance in the Shrek franchise, but thanks to this film’s mature themes, he gave a more reserved and introspective performance as Puss must struggle with his life choices. The villains are also all stand-outs: Pugh captures Goldilocks’ tough attitude and desire for family, Mulaney is hilarious as the unrepentant evil that is Big Jack Horner, and Moura’s delivery as the wolf is nothing short of terrifying.
3 ‘Aladdin’ (1992)
Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
Aladdin (Scott Weinger) is a street rat who dreams of one day making enough money to escape his current lifestyle and ensure nobody will ever look down on him again. After a chance meeting with Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin), Aladdin is tricked by the Royal Vizier, Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), into entering the Cave of Wonders (Frank Welker) and retrieving a lamp. Inside is a magic Genie (Robin Williams) who can grant three wishes to whoever holds the lamp.
Aladdin has a wonderful cast, but Williams’ legendary performance eclipses all of them. His role as the Genie is nothing short of iconic, creating a hilarious side-character and injecting the film with some much-needed heart that leads to a powerful story about being true to yourself. The popular reception of the Genie led to a shift in animated films using celebrity voice actors over professional voice actors for lead roles.
2 ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
On his way to the fair, an inventor named Maurice (Rex Everhart) stumbles upon an enchanted castle and is taken prisoner by its master, the Beast (Robby Benson). Later, his daughter, Belle (Paige O’Hara), follows his trail and offers to take his place. The Beast agrees, hoping that if he can fall in love with Belle, and she can learn to love him in return, the curse upon his castle will be broken and he and his servants will be human once again.
Beauty and the Beast set a high bar for animated movies when it became the first one nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. When it came to bringing the characters to life, the filmmakers hired actors with experience on Broadway, meaning most could sing for their characters. O’Hara and Benson have phenomenal ranges and great chemistry, but other standouts include Richard White as Gaston the narcissistic hunter, and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts, who wowed everyone by performing the song “Beauty and the Beast” in one take.
1 ‘The Prince of Egypt’ (1998)
Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells
To prevent a slave uprising, Pharaoh Seti (Sir Patrick Stewart) orders the killing of male Hebrew babies, prompting one mother to send her infant son down the Nile River in a basket. He is found by Pharaoh’s wife, Queen Tuya (Helen Mirren), who adopts him and names him Mosus (Val Kilmer). Moses grows up alongside Prince Rameses (Ralph Fiennes), but when he learns the truth of his origins, he forsakes his royal privileges to try and rescue his people from slavery.
Befitting its epic story, The Prince of Egypt has an absolutely star-studded cast, including Michelle Pfeiffer as Mosus’ wife, Tzipporah, Jeff Goldblum and Sandra Bullock as Moses’ blood-siblings, and Steve Martin and Martin Short as the comedic high priests. All of them succeed at fulfilling the role required of them, but none are as powerful as Kilmer and Fiennes. They capture every complexity in Mosus and Rameses’ relationship, from their demonstrations of brotherly love to the pain and heartbreak that comes from their rivalry over the fate of the Hebrews.
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