Top 10 Modern Disney Characters You Didn't Know Shared a Voice

Possessing a deep, booming voice, Brad Garrett sounds just like a cartoon character, so it's only naturally that he'd score a few gigs with Disney. Starting out in a couple direct-to-video productions, voicing Uttamatomakkin in “Pocahontas II” and Tank in “An Extremely Goofy Movie”, Garrett hit the big time when he landed the role of Bloat the pufferfish in “Finding Nemo.” He would later voice renowned chef Auguste Gusteau in “Ratatouille” and the Hook-Hand Thug in “Tangled.” Garrett’s gentle giant persona shines through each of these roles. Although his characters are typically gigantic and intimidating, they’re also known for having big hearts and even bigger dreams.

This character actress has gotten in front of the camera on multiple occasions, but even in an animated production, McClurg is a standout. With a mousy, nurturing voice, she was the ideal candidate to play Carlotta the maid in “The Little Mermaid.” Over the years, McClurg has popped up in numerous other Disney movies, playing Mollie the pig in “Home on the Range,” Mary in “Wreck-It Ralph,” and Gerda in “Frozen.” She’s also lent her voice to a couple Pixar movies, voicing Dr. Flora in “A Bug’s Life” and Minny in “Cars.” While her roles are usually minor, McClurg never fails to leave an impression, which is why Disney keeps hiring her.

Even if you don’t recognize Tony Jay’s face, you definitely recognize his baritone voice. This British actor had a knack for sounding diabolical without going too over-the-top. It isn’t surprising that he played multiple Disney villains throughout his illustrious career. Jay appeared as a secondary bad guy in “Beauty and the Beast,” voicing the dastardly Monsieur D'Arque. He was upgraded to big bad in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” bringing a Shakespearian quality to Judge Claude Frollo. He was also the obvious choice to replace the late George Sanders as Shere Khan in both “The Jungle Book 2” and “TaleSpin.” Jay also left his mark on several other Disney Afternoon shows, most notably voicing Wraith in “Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series.”

Of all the performers on this list, John Goodman is probably the most well known among mainstream audiences. This actor has had a highly successful career in live-action projects, but is no slouch when it comes to animated productions. Although Goodman’s played some loud and even threatening characters, he tends to show off his gentler side in Disney movies. He brought his nice guy charm to the role of Pacha in “The Emperor’s New Groove.” The same can be said about his work as Baloo in “The Jungle Book 2” and "Big Daddy" La Bouff in “The Princess and the Frog.” Of course, his most iconic role has got to be James P. Sullivan. Hitting just the right note, Goodman gave a towering monster agenuine soul.

Although Linda Larkin recorded Princess Jasmine’s dialogue, the filmmakers felt that another performer should provide the character’s singing voice. So they turned to Tony Award winning stage actress, Lea Salonga. With the voice of an angel, this Filipina singer helped make “A Whole New World” one of Disney’s most timeless songs. Salonga was originally set to voice Mulan, and although replaced by Ming-Na Wen, she did take on Mulan’s singing voice. This proved to be excellent casting, as “Reflection” wouldn’t have been the same without Salonga’s emotive singing chops. Although singing rather than speaking, Salonga's roles as Jasmine and Mulan gives her the rare distinction of portraying two official Disney princesses.

This actor is so versatile that he can seamlessly juggle multiple roles in one movie. Disney fans might know that Stiers voiced Cogsworth in “Beauty and the Beast,” but did you know that he also provided the film’s opening narration? In “Pocahontas,” he took on another duel performance as the villainous Governor Ratcliffe and his manservant, Wiggins. Since then, Stiers has played various other Disney characters, such as the Archdeacon in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Mr. Harcourt in “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” and Dr. Jumba Jookiba in “Lilo & Stitch.” While many of the actors on this list are instantly recognizable, Stiers is like a chameleon that can blend into any role without being unnoticed.

Alan Tudyk couldn’t have been more deliciously evil as King Candy in “Wreck-It Ralph.” Since then, this gifted actor has frequently appeared in Disney’s animated features. As the Duke of Weselton in “Frozen,” Tudyk played another sneaky bad guy, although his character was really more a red herring to distract us from the actual big baddie. He’d take on a similar role as Alistair Krei in “Big Hero 6.” Tudyk went from voicing the Duke of Weselton to voicing Duke Weaselton in “Zootopia” and that same year, he clucked his heart out as Hei Hei in “Moana.” Seeing how “Star Wars” is now a major part of the Disney family, it’s also worth mentioning that it was Tudyk that brought K-2SO to life in “Rogue One.”

John Ratzenberger is best known as the know it all postman Cliff Clavin, but to Pixar fans he'll always be Hamm the Piggy Bank. Described as the studio’s good luck charm, Ratzenberger has played a part in every Pixar movie since. Sometimes cast in a supporting role, like Mack the Truck from “Cars”, other times he’ll make an extended cameo, like in “Monsters, Inc.” where he played the Abominable Snowman. A few of his characters aren’t even on screen for more than a minute but they're always memorable, like The Underminer from “The Incredibles” for example. Whether it’s a big role or a small one, you can always count on hearing Ratzenberger’s voice in a Pixar production.