Walt Disney once said, "Animation is different from other parts. Its language is the language of caricature. Our most difficult job was to develop the cartoons unnatural but seemingly natural anatomy for humans and animals." Throughout the years, many stories have been shared that perfected the art of doing so. Decades of stories have shown audiences how many were able to overcome the difficult job to create something magical.
Disney also once said, "Animation offers a medium of story telling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world." Many creative minds have been able to bring life to a storyline. Life that can be given by just a voice. Many voices of characters, especially those of the beloved stories of the past, usually go by unknown.
That is to say not always. Many recognize Robin Williams as the voice of Genie from Aladdin (1992), Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as the voices of Woody and Buzz from the "Toy Story" franchise (1995, 1999, 2010), and Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dory from "Finding Nemo" (2003) and "Finding Dory" (2016).
Here are some voices of the past that you may not have known that gave life to some of our beloved characters.
"Aladdin" did not only voice Robin Williams but several other great actors, too. Jafar's annoying bird, Lago, was voiced by Gilbert Gottfried, who you may know from 1990's "Problem Child" and its sequel "Problem Child 2" (1991).
Then there is Aladdin himself, who is voiced by Scott Weigner, otherwise known as Steve Hale from "Full House."
You may be accustomed to associate names such as Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Sorbo and the most recently added Kevin Lutz and Dwayne Johnson to "Hercules," but did you know that in the 1997 animation Danny DeVito portrayed Phil.
Kathryn Beaumont was only 10 years old when she was scouted and asked to travel to the U.S. where she was signed a contract. Shortly after, she was approached to voice Alice in Disney's "Alice in Wonderland." Two years later, she again lent her voice to Disney portraying Wendy in 1953's "Peter Pan."
Left to Right: Wendy ("Peter Pan"), Kathryn Beaumont, and Alice ("Alice in Wonderland").
As Beaumont was a rising voice in the 50s, Phil Harris was also a popular voice in animated films back in the 70s. He can be heard as Baloo the Bear in the 1967 "The Jungle Book." He also voices O'Malley in "The AristoCats," which debut in 1970. He voices a bear once again in 1973 portraying Little John, a bear in "Robin Hood."
Top Row Left To Right: Phil Harris and Baloo ("The Jungle Book"). Bottom Row Left to Right: Little John ("Robin Hood") and O'Malley ("The AristoCats").
Mel Gibson might be known for several different things—action movies and rants included—but did you know that he played the love interest of a certain Native American beauty. He voiced John Smith in the 1995 animated film "Pocahontas."
Did you also know that Batman was his best friend. Christian Bale also lent his voice, portraying Thomas.
We cannot forget about Grandmother Willow, either. The beloved talking tree was voiced by Linda Hunt, who you may know as Hetty Lang in CBS's "NCIS: Los Angeles."
You may also know that Edna Mode from Disney-Pixar's "The Incredibles" (2004) looks awfully a lot like the actress, but to many's disbelief, she does not voice the character despite the resemblance.
The fashion designer is actually voiced by Brad Bird, an American filmmaker, who also wrote and directed the film, which won Oscars for Best Animated Feature as well as Best Sound Editing.
While many believe that Edna is based off of Hunt, others see the resemblance relating to Edith Head, an infamous costume designer back in the 30s-80s who still has an influential mark to this day.
Left to Right: Edith Head, Edna Mode ("The Incredbibles"), and Linda Hunt.
Although these are only a few, there are plenty of other voices to look into. "The Lion King" (1994) voices a full house: Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin.
