Top 10 Best Voice Acting Performances in Classic Disney Movies

The Disney company’s prized icon, Mickey Mouse, was initially a mouse of few words. When he did speak, his distinctive falsetto was provided by none other than company founder Walt Disney himself from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s. While he would later be succeeded by longtime Disney voice actors Jimmy MacDonald and Wayne Allwine, Walt also provided the voice for the original “The Mickey Mouse Club” series that ran from 1955 to ‘59. It’s kind of surreal seeing the creator recording the character’s lines, but it’s also endearingly fitting.

For many moviegoers, Vincent Price was a horror icon. After a long career in genre films, he spent his last years in the business putting his incredibly distinctive and refined voice to work in animated features. In the Disney rendition of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Price voices Professor Ratigan, “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind”, plotting to become the “Supreme Ruler of all Mousedom”. For an actor who played so many memorable villains in his long career, it says a lot that he counted Professor Ratigan as one of his very favorite roles. We couldn’t imagine a better voice for the job!

A longtime actress of radio soap operas, Betty Lou Gerson was no stranger to bringing the drama. When cast in Disney’s “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” she gave this devastatingly elegant dog-hater a cruel streak that lived up to her name. It takes a truly special voice to bring to life a character with the desire to make a coat out of dalmatian puppies. Gerson infuses the role with ferocious energy and even campier humor. She’s so overstated, grand, and ridiculous that it’s hard not to laugh at her. That is, when she’s not scaring you to death. Cruella De Vil became one of the greatest baddies of all time thanks to Gerson’s portrayal.

Without Snow White, there would be no Disney princesses. There might not even be a Disney. As the studio’s first heroine, the innocence and fragile tones Adriana Caselotti brought to the character set the tone for the pure, good-hearted animated ingenues to come. Her angelic voice and quivering trill are almost impossibly sweet, and it charmed audiences the world over. Despite her contribution to Disney’s success, Caselotti and her fellow actors were not credited on the film, nor did she have much of a career in film afterward. Nevertheless, we’re lucky we have such an iconic role to remember her by.

Long before his film career, Cliff Edwards was known as Ukulele Ike, a renowned song and dance man with numerous hit recordings. His most famous film role was Jiminy Cricket, the anthropomorphic cricket who acts as the conscience of the little wooden boy brought to life. As the voice behind the paternal, fussy, and gentle cricket assigned to look after little “Pinocchio,” Edwards contributes so much to the movie’s warmth. He also got to sing the movie’s most popular song, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” which would later become the Walt Disney Company’s signature theme.

Originally a stage actress, Lucille La Verne began her film career during the silent era, but it was her voice that would ultimately earn her immortality among movie fans. As the first Disney villain, she set the standard for family-friendly evilness. La Verne proved to be a versatile voice actor by playing the dual role of the vain Queen and her alter-ego, the hag-like Witch, striking the balance of evil and elegance perfectly for both. While this was her last film role before she passed away in 1945, it spares no shortage in showcasing her talents.

Sad, abused, and neglected, Cinderella is a character plagued by tragedy. It’s a depressing story but, somehow, it’s made uplifting by its protagonist and her genuine kindness. As voiced by Ilene Woods, Cinderella is very sweet without being dull. In the story’s saddest moments, such as the scene where Cinderella’s stepsisters rip her birth mother’s dress right off her body, Woods’ performance makes it all the more heartbreaking. Our ability to believe that Cinderella can still have hope when she’s actually got the worst life ever is a testament to the performance.

1959’s “Sleeping Beauty” introduced one of Disney’s pettiest villains. Maleficent’s arched eyebrows, horned headpiece, and severe yellow-green eyes are pure nightmare fuel, but Eleanor Audley’s voice doubles down on the horror. From her acidic cackling to her vicious line readings, Audley’s Maleficent is funny without ever skimping on the evil. Her delight in being heinous is what makes her so disturbing and so unforgettable. It’s an amazing performance made all the more impressive by the fact that Audley was still recovering from tuberculosis when she recorded her lines. Angelina Jolie may be the bigger name, but Maleficent wouldn’t have been half as memorable or fascinating without Audley’s original performance.

Before he became the voice behind the slick and suave alley cat, Thomas O’Malley, Phil Harris was charming audiences as Baloo in “The Jungle Book.” His character is a carefree sloth bear content with the bare necessities of life who comes to care for Mowgli, a little boy raised in the jungle. Some of the animators were reportedly shocked that Walt Disney wanted Harris for the role. His modern sensibility seemed an odd match for a movie based on a Rudyard Kipling story. Quick with the zingers and effortlessly cool, Harris’ resonant tones and zippy persona turned out to be a perfect match for the movie’s standout character.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Kathryn Beaumont as Alice, “Alice in Wonderland” (1951)
Her Elegant Voice & Crisp Diction Brought Alice to Life

Eva Gabor as Duchess, “The Aristocats” (1970)
Even in Voiceover, the Hungarian-American Actress Oozed Sophistication

John Hurt as The Horned King, “The Black Cauldron” (1985)
The Famed Actor Voiced One of Disney’s Scariest Villains

Ed Wynn as the Mad Hatter, “Alice in Wonderland” (1951)
No Disney Fan Could Mistake That Infectious Giggle

Verna Felton as the Fairy Godmother, “Cinderella” (1950)
The Voice of Cinderella’s Whimsical Fairy Godmother

Across a trilogy of short cartoons, Sterling Holloway gave voice to the honey-loving teddy bear Winnie the Pooh. Along with Paul Winchell as Tigger and John Fiedler as Piglet , A.A. Milne’s classic ensemble of animal creatures came to life beautifully. Holloway had already voiced so many iconic Disney characters, including the Cheshire Cat, but his performance as Pooh is the crown jewel of his career at the studio. His soft-spoken sweetness and wispy cadence were perfect for the mild-mannered character. It’s his indelible appearance here that embedded his distinctive voice in the ears and hearts of children everywhere.