Animated Disney characters are remembered for their large personalities, intricate designs, and unique voices. Whether it's the pitch, the tone, the pronunciation, or enunciation, sometimes you can immediately recognize the actor behind the character.
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And sometimes, you can recognize them twice. Be it beloved characters in Disney movies, Pixar films, or even some Disney Park attractions, the magical company is known for keeping it in the family and leaving their characters with all-too-familiar voices.
Jodi Benson is considered a Disney Legend for voicing a princess from a film that has stood the test of time: The Little Mermaid. Ariel's portrayer has provided both dialogue and songs for the original film and its direct-to-video sequel, as well as the CBS television series and Ariel's cameo in Ralph Breaks The Internet.
Ariel isn't the only strong female character Benson has voiced. Starting in 1999, Benson made her Pixar debut just as Barbie made her Pixar debut, voicing the doll in Toy Story 2 and 3, then in the Toy Story Toons short "Hawaiian Vacation."
When Idris Elba isn't playing Heimdall in the MCU, he can be heard voicing several animated characters. Elba's first role came in the form of a CGI tiger named Shere Khan in the 2016 live-action remake of The Jungle Book. That same year, the actor voiced Chief Bogo in Zootopia.
The most recent character Elba lent his voice to was Fluke, one of the cooky sea lions from Pixar's Dory-centric sequel to Finding Nemo, appropriately titled Finding Dory.
Russi Taylor was a legendary Disney voice actor not only for being the official voice of Minnie Mouse in several shows and films from 1986 to 2019 but for being married to the third official voice actor to portray her character's love interest, Mickey Mouse.
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Aside from giving a voice to one of Disney's most iconic characters, the actress also provided the voice of several smaller characters, including Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby Vanderquack in DuckTales, Drizella and the Fairy Godmother in the Cinderella sequel films, and Widow Tweed in Fox and the House 2.
John Goodman is best known for voicing the beloved Pixar character Sulley from Monsters Inc and Monster's University, as well as the 2021 Disney+ series Monsters at Work and the Disney's California Adventure ride "Monsters Inc: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue."
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Aside from Pixar, Goodman has voiced a slew of other Disney film characters, most notably Pacha from Emperor's New Groove, Kronk's New Groove, and the television series Emperor's New School. The actor also gave a voice to Baloo in The Jungle Book 2 and Eli LaBouff in Princess and the Frog.
Mindy Kaling made her Disney film debut in 2012's Wreck-It Ralph when she voiced the strawberry hard candy-themed character Taffyta Muttonfudge, a Sugar Rush racer who is also a rival of Vanellope's.
Kaling went on to make her Pixar debut as the sickly-green emotion Disgust in Inside Out and its subsequent short "Riley's First Date?" The actress later joined another Pixar project, this time as Val Little in the Disney+ show Monsters at Work.
John Ratzenberger made his Pixar debut as Hamm in the animation studio's first feature-length film Toy Story. Ratzenberger went on to reprise the role of Andy's sarcastic piggy bank in Toy Story 2, 3 and 4, as well as several shorts.
One of Pixar's biggest Easter eggs is the way they've included Ratzenberger in every single film, his voice work ending with Onward and his presence ending with Soul. While the actor was not heard in Turning Red or Luca, he did reprise his Monsters Inc role in 2021 for the Disney+ series Monsters at Work.
While Jason Marsden is best known for voicing everyone's favorite spooky-time cat Thackery Binx in Hocus Pocus (and his potential return in the long-anticipated Disney+ sequel Hocus Pocus 2), he has also given a voice to dozens of notable Disney characters.
Marsden became the official voice of Max Goof in 1995, appearing in memorable movies like A Goody Movie and Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. The actor also voiced Mungo in Tarzan, Adult Kovu in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Kenai in Brother Bear 2, Flash Fleming in the Toy Story television spin-off Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Felix in Kim Possible, to name a few.
While the name Eleanor Audley may not ring any bells, her voice definitely will. Audley gave a voice to two notable Disney villains: Lady Tremaine in Cinderella and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, both of which were closely animated to represent the actress.
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Audley's voice can also be heard in a fan-favorite Disney Park attraction. Next time you're passing through the dark chamber in the midst of a séance on the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland or Disney World, you can hear Audley voicing the famous floating head of Madame Leota.
While Jeff Garlin is best known for his comedic work, the actor has become a prominent voice in many Pixar films, starting with Captain B. McCrea in Wall-E, its accompanying short Burn-E, and Otis in Cars 2.
Garlin's most memorable Pixar character is Bonnie's adorable plush unicorn Buttercup, who appears in Toy Story 3 and 4, as well as the Toy Story Toons short "Hawaiian Vacation and an episode of Disney+'s Forky Asks A Question.
Lea Salonga is a notable name in Disney films for her portrayal of not just one, but two Disney princesses of the Disney Renaissance. Salonga first provided the singing voice for Jasmine in Aladdin, then went on to lend her pipes to Mulan in Mulan and Mulan II.
The actress reprised both royal roles in two separate episodes of the Disney Junior show Sofia the First, and later voiced the princesses again in the show's hour-long series finale Sofia the First: Forever Royal.
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Ashley Amber is a 27-year-old writer and author. Ashley independently published a novelette series in the genre of fantasy/romance, with a third book in the works. She made her poetry debut in 2021, published in an LGBTQIA+ anthology by InkFeathers Publishing, for which she also had the honor of writing the back cover blurb. Aside from books and poetry, Ashley has worked as a pop culture writer and blogger for numerous blogs, most notably MJ's Big Blog and Collider. When she's not writing, you can find Ashley on Youtube where she make videos about her writer's life and author journey.
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