Top 10 Celebs You Forgot Voiced Animated Characters

Whaaaaat? Sure “SpongeBob” has had some killer guest stars, but Scarlett Johansson was in this movie?! Yes, as it happens, the actress played mermaid Princess Mindy, daughter of King Neptune. The superstar’s character was crushed on big time by Patrick Star, and we can see why. Caring to all her subjects, Mindy reigns in some of her hot-tempered father’s more extreme decisions. It’s because of her that SpongeBob and Patrick’s lives are spared and they are allowed to go on the mission to locate her father’s crown, on which she encourages and aids them when they begin to give up. So even before she started appearing in the Disney-owned MCU, Johansson was playing a “little mermaid.”

The late John Ritter is famous for a lot of TV parts, but one you could easily forget about is as a character that’s hard to miss – Clifford the big red dog. Man’s enormous best friend, or rather young Emily Elizabeth’s, is a huge crimson pooch who frequently gets into adventures with his fellow dogs or with his owner. Ritter’s friendly voice fits the character perfectly and makes the huge canine sound positively huggable. Sadly, Ritter died in 2003, with “Clifford's Really Big Movie” acting as his swan song and the series’ conclusion. Like every dog, he was gone too soon…

Although “Captain Planet” had a lot of surprising movie star guests, such as Jeff Goldblum as Verminous Skumm, we were more surprised by Meg Ryan’s presence. [xref] During the time she was busy playing America’s sweetheart on the big screen, Ryan played eco-villain Dr. Blight, a scarred scientist out to take over the world. Ryan’s role isn’t without her usual romantic plotlines though: Dr. Blight is accompanied in her schemes by her computer sidekick MAL, whom she often flirts and banters with. Even with all the many romcoms Meg Ryan’s been in, that’s gotta’ be the weirdest pairing she’s been a part of right?

Known these days for his role as a scandalous politician on “Scandal,” Tony Goldwyn played a far less morally dubious heartthrob in this Disney animated film. Goldwyn voiced the title role of Tarzan, the man raised by gorillas. Goldwyn injects strength and compassion into the character, which make Tarzan’s struggle to belong to two different worlds a relatable one. Somehow we doubt the actor is as adept at swinging from vines or surfing on branches as his animated counterpart – though we’d certainly pay money to see him attempt to!

Given how long there have been “Peanuts” cartoons, there have been a few surprising voice actors to take part in them. As tempted as we were to choose Noah Schnapp’s role as Charlie Brown in the 2015 film, we’re going back to the ‘80s for this one! Way before joining the Black Eyed Peas and going solo as just Fergie, she went by Stacy Ferguson, and played both Charlie Brown’s sister Sally as well as Peppermint Patty in various “Peanuts” cartoons. Don’t feel like a blockhead if you didn’t recognize her voice – she wasn’t even 10 years old at the time! Truly Fergie’s career has been as eclectic as her musical style.

As a child actress, Dakota Fanning was in seemingly everything, so it should come as no surprise that she was also in “Coraline” - yet it’s still easy to forget. Fanning plays the title character and protagonist, a young girl who discovers a mysterious other world through a door in her new house. Coraline is at first enchanted by the seemingly idyllic version of reality she finds on the other side. However, she soon finds that it’s hiding dark secrets, which she has to fight against. The movie may feature some grade-A nightmare fuel, but Fanning’s excellent performance as Coraline is a dream come true!

He may be making waves these days in the “Star Wars” fandom as one of the creators of “The Mandalorian,” but that show wasn’t Jon Favreau’s first contribution to a galaxy far far away. Before he began telling stories about a Mandalorian, Favreau voiced one on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Those familiar with Favreau’s comedic roles will certainly be surprised by his turn as Pre Vizsla. The leader of a Mandalorian organization called Death Watch, Vizsla is a fanatical and ruthless villain who will go to nearly any lengths to get what he wants. Favreau certainly illustrates that he has the range to play a great villain… although the Darksaber and badass armor the character sports certainly help.

The first “Rugrats” movie has several notable guest voices from celebrities in addition to its regular cast, but one of the most unique roles goes to Busta Rhymes. The rapper voices a high tech wagon shaped like Reptar, the parody version of Godzilla from the animated children’s franchise. Built by Tommy and Dil’s dad Stu Pickles for a contest, the vehicle for children has a number of advanced features, including turning into a boat. Busta Rhymes’ lines are mostly limited to variations on “I am Reptar!” and “Grrr…” so it’s no wonder he’s overlooked in the part.

Unless you’re obsessed with “The Nightmare Before Christmas”- and you know who you are - it can be easy to forget that its cast includes some famous names. One of the most surprising is Catherine O’Hara. She voices Sally, the stitched together ragdoll woman with a major crush on Jack Skellington. O’Hara is famous for her comedic movie roles and on shows like “Schitt’s Creek,” so it’s impressive that she has such a great singing voice too. Like the movie’s running time, it’s a short but sweet part that we’re happy to remind you of.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Vin Diesel, “The Iron Giant” (1999)
He Is Groot, But He Is Also “Superman”

Orson Welles, “The Transformers: The Movie” (1986)
One of the Late Actor’s Last Voice-Over Roles Was as the Planet-Sized Transformer, Unicron

Brad Garrett, “Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” (1985-86)
Not Only Was This Cartoon Real, But Garrett Also Voiced the Title Character

Tim Curry, “The Wild Thornberrys” (1998-2004)
Curry Played the Absolutely Smashing Nigel Thornberry

Hayden Panettiere, “A Bug’s Life” (1998)
Can You Guess Her Role? You’ll Probably Be Right “On the Dot!”

Before breaking out on TV and in movies, Michael Cera did quite a bit of voiceover work, and one of the more surprising roles he had was on “The Berenstain Bears.” This 2nd TV adaptation was a Canadian production that saw Cera voice Brother Bear for the first two seasons. If you don’t remember him in the role, then you may not have been the right age to watch the show as it was kind of an educational, message-giving series for kids. Or maybe you remember the show as “The Berenstein Bears” and you’re from another universe. One seems more likely than the other…