No matter if you are a lover of Disney movies or Cartoon Network, animation has been a part of most of our childhoods. This form of entertainment was vital in keeping us entertained while often delivering lessons and morals. We know that these shows and movies are so integral in our lives because to this day we can quote certain lines of "SpongeBob Squarepants" and some lines from Disney movies have become absolutely iconic. We often acknowledge that these shows and movies have amazing writers and animators, but often we forget about those who breathe life into our favorite characters: the voice actors. Personally, I love to listen to voice acting and as the years have gone by, I have paid close attention to the voice actors that made up our childhoods. Here are seven that have made repeat appearances in our shows and movies.
1. Charlie Adler
To start off this list is one of my favorite voice actors from the 90s. You may not recognize his face, but lovers of 90s cartoons will recognize his work. Charlie Adler populated much of our childhood from being the voice of Ickis from "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters" to voicing Mr. and Mrs. Bighead from "Rocko's Modern Life." However, the most humorous roles this man has played have to be his voice acting roles in Cartoon Network's odd show "Cow and Chicken." Not only did Charlie Adler voice Cow, he voiced Chicken, The Red Guy, and I.R. Baboon. Essentially, the majority of this show was Charlie yelling at himself and to me, that is hilarious. This man is extremely talented and has provided a lot of joy and laughter through his acting.
2. Tom Kenny
For me, Tom Kenny is an absolute voice acting legend. He is best known for his role as SpongeBob in "SpongeBob Squarepants," but did you know that he also voiced Gary in that show as well? He also played a large role in our childhoods by being the voice of the Mayor from "Powerpuff Girls" and Eduardo from "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends." However, Tom Kenny still voices amazing characters to this day. He is the voice behind the hilarious Commander Peepers from "Wander Over Yonder" and is the voice of The Ice King from "Adventure Time." These roles are amazing and easily recognizable, but this is only the tip of the iceberg for this amazing voice actor.
3. Keith Ferguson
Keith Ferguson is one of my personal favorite voice actors and his work is hilarious. He has voiced several iconic characters including Bloo from "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" and even rejoined Tom Kenny in "Wander Over Yonder" as the voice of Lord Hater. However, Keith's voice acting career doesn't end there. He is also the voice of Deputy Durland from "Gravity Falls" and even is the voice of Reaper from "Overwatch." Keith Ferguson is such a fun and talented voice actor that deserves to be recognized for his amazing roles.
4. Tara Strong
If I had a dollar for every iconic role Tara Strong has been a part of, I could pay off a good chunk of my college tuition. This woman has been with us throughout our childhoods. She is especially known for her roles as Timmy Turner and Poof in "Fairly Oddparents" and for her role as Bubbles in "The Powerpuff Girls." However, she has done so much more. She was the voice of Raven from "Teen Titans," the voice of Omi from "Xaolin Showdown," the voice of Ben from "Ben 10," and even the voice of Twilight Sparkle from "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." Tara is such an iconic voice actress and is an amazing talent.
5. Jim Cummings
Like Tom Kenny, Jim Cummings is an absolute voice acting legend and I adore his work. He has been a major part of all of our childhoods from the very beginning as the voice of both Tigger and Pooh from "Winnie the Pooh." From here, you will also recognize him as Darkwing from "Darkwing Duck," as Kaa from "The Jungle Book," as the Cheshire Cat from "Alice in Wonderland" and Ray the Firefly from "The Princess and the Frog." That is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jim Cummings' voice acting career, but one of the more interesting roles for me has to be his part in "The Lion King." Already the voice for Ed the hyena, Jim Cummings actually sings a good chunk of "Be Prepared" when Jeremy Irons could not finish the song. If you are good at picking up his voice, you can hear the shift after Scar sings "you won't get a sniff without me." Jim Cumming is so good at voice acting I didn't even notice the shift throughout my childhood; he is such a talented man.
6. Cree Summer
Cree Summer is another iconic voice actress from our many of our childhoods. Some people may know her most for her role as Numbah 5 from "Codename: Kid's Next door," but she is also well known for her voice acting role as Cleo from "Clifford the Big Red Dog." She also voices Susie from "Rugrats," Miranda from "As Told by Ginger," Elmyra from "Animaniacs," and even is the voice for Valerie from "Danny Phantom." Cree Summer is such a talented voice actor and I hope she gets many more roles down the road.
7. Rob Paulsen
Rob Paulsen is another voice acting genius in my opinion. He has been such an iconic part of all our childhoods. He is the voice for not only Yakko Warner, but also Pinky and Dr. Otto von Scratchansniff from "Animaniacs." He has voiced Gordon from "Catscratch" as well as Carl from Jimmy Neutron. However, you may recognize him as Steelbreak from "Darkwing Duck," Gladstone from "DuckTales," P.J. and Pete from "Goof Troop," or as Spike from "The Land Before Time." These are only a fraction of the voices Rob Paulsen has done over the years, but they speak volumes about his talent and skill as a voice actor.
There are so many voice actors that help bring our favorite characters and shows to life, but these seven voice actors have really shone throughout the years. Hopefully they continue to bring joy and entertainment wherever they go.