Top 20 Best Voice Acting Performances in 90s Movies

Cold War paranoia meets all the feels in this unfairly overlooked gem from 1999. The Iron Giant is a gigantic robot from outer space who crash lands on earth and befriends a 9-year-old named Hogarth. The two form a bond that only works because of the Giant’s voice actor. If you didn’t already know, “The Fast and the Furious” actor Vin Diesel has a long list of voice acting credits. Although much of his dialogue is altered and edited to sound more mechanical, his deep and resonant voice gives the robot’s metallic roars a lot of humanity.

It says a lot that in a movie where Satan and Sadam Hussein play major parts, Sheila Broflovski is the villain who truly stands out. Mary Kay Bergman reprised the role she played on the controversial TV series for this big screen musical extravaganza. She didn’t just voice Sheila, either. Bergman actually provided the voice for several of the moms in South Park, so much of the Oscar-nominated song “Blame Canada” is really just her singing with herself. Bergman, who was nominated for an Annie Award for her work, tragically passed away a few months after the film’s release.

Voice duties for the central character of this morbid holiday classic were actually shared by two performers. Danny Elfman didn’t just write all the songs for “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” He also provided the eerie singing voice of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King who becomes obsessed with the holiday. Later, actor Chris Sarandon was cast as Jack’s speaking voice because of his similarity to the composer’s voice. Together, they created Jack’s unforgettable sound. Even when you know he’s played by two people, you really can’t tell the difference between them. They’re both completely at home in the movie’s dark universe.

It’s no stretch for the beloved British actor to portray a true monster. He’s played his fair share of villains. Tim Curry lent his unmistakable voice to the character Hexxus, an evil entity who was trapped in a tree by a curse. Once he’s freed, he’s a sniveling, growling thing who’s only interested in eating oil, smoke, and every other noxious material you can think of. He also gets a memorable musical number, and Curry makes a five course meal out of it. His voice is dripping with so much malice it actually makes our skin crawl.

Yes, Disney has had some unforgettable villains. But how many of them actually got a song that invoked hellfire and eternal damnation? Judge Claude Frollo is a man driven mad by his own repressive beliefs and warped sense of justice. In other words, he is a nasty piece of work. It should be no surprise why this dastardly villain has such a regal air. His actor, Tony Jay, was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Jay’s nefarious purr of a voice is the essential ingredient that really makes us fear and hate the judge.

The original plan was to have performer Lea Salonga do both the singing and speaking parts for “Mulan.” However, the filmmakers didn’t find Salonga’s high speaking voice suitable. After all, Mulan is disguised as a man for much of the movie, and has to deepen her voice to pull it off. So, they looked to Ming-Na Wen instead. The actress had starred in “The Joy Luck Club” a few years earlier, where she provided effective voiceover narration and played another character who was afraid to disappoint her parents. She may not have gotten to sing Mulan’s big songs, but Wen gives the character a heart and soul.

He’s most known for bringing the legendary but mostly silent Mr. Bean character to life. It’s kind of ironic then that Rowan Atkinson’s voice is forever embedded in 90s kids’ brains. He voiced Zazu, the put-upon hornbill bird who serves as King Mufasa’s trusted adviser. Unfortunately for him, no one seems to give him half the respect he thinks he deserves. Zazu is constantly flustered by the other animals’ lack of propriety. Atkinson makes this fussy bird annoying enough that you just have to laugh when he’s getting playfully pounced on by lions and squashed under a hippopotamus.

Woody is kind of terrified of this cowgirl when he first meets her. She’s initially the most enthusiastic and high energy toy you’ve ever seen, and then within minutes, she’s having an existential crisis. That could actually describe a lot of Joan Cusack characters. Here, Cusack lends her expressive voice to Jessie, who gives “Toy Story 2” a lot of its most heartbreaking moments. Luckily, Cusack is an actor with an incredible range of emotions. Whether she’s having a rollicking good time or is experiencing a full-blown panic attack about going back into storage, Cusack always makes Jessie’s intense emotions believable.

The sarcastic meerkat Timon and his warthog friend, Pumbaa, had kids all over the world singing “Hakuna Matata.” Ernie Sabella deserves his flowers for voicing the lovable Pumbaa, but Timon is the real showman of the pair. Coming from Broadway, Nathan Lane’s spirited theatricality makes his character’s charm and self-serving behavior gut-bustingly funny. The mile-a-minute wisecracks, told in the actor’s hilariously out of place Jersey accent, make the character feel like an old school comic in an animated meerkat’s body. The whole performance has that touch of snark that only Nathan Lane can bring.

Generally, Disney villains have a grandeur about them. They speak slowly and methodically, chewing on every word with theatrical relish. James Woods threw out everything we know a Disney villain to be when he played Hades, the slick, fast-talking ruler of the Underworld. His performance was marked by quips, fired off at a breakneck pace, and often improvised by the actor on the spot. This made him electrifying to watch, even if his approach meant it took animators weeks to render his character’s subtle movements from second to second. Woods received significant praise from major critics, and it’s not hard to imagine why.

Jason Alexander made a name for himself on “Seinfeld” in the early 1990s, playing Jerry’s insecure best friend George Costanza. One of the things that made his character so recognizable was his distinctive voice, which you might have noticed pops up in a very famous ‘90s Disney movie. In “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Alexander voices Hugo, one of the magical stone gargoyles who Quasimodo befriends on top of Notre Dame. Though Alexander is typically sullen as George, his Hugo is quite a bright spot in the film, providing advice and comfort for Quasimodo in equal measure. With “Hunchback,” Alexander proves that he can be an affectionate friend, even if just with his voice.

Now here’s one you might have forgotten about. 1999’s “Tarzan” was the final film released during Disney’s Renaissance Era. While it certainly wasn’t the most memorable from that crop of movies, it still has an excellent score and wonderful work from its voice cast, which includes Minnie Driver. Driver plays Jane, the adventurous English woman who falls in love with Tarzan during her travels. Not only did the Oscar-nominated actress give life to Jane with her voice, some of her mannerisms were also used in animating the character. At this point in Driver’s career, she already had tons of charisma and romantic leading lady experience, which she brings in abundance to the role of Jane.

“Anastasia” features one of the most stacked casts of any animated film of the 1990s. From John Cusack to Kelsey Grammar to Hank Azaria, it’s really a who’s who! While we can’t deny the comedic evil power of Christopher Lloyd’s Rasputin, in this case we’ve got to go with the titular role. Meg Ryan’s performance of the Anastasia character feels like it could have been pulled straight from any of her live-action romantic comedies. Ryan’s Anastasia is feisty, funny, and strong. In short, she’s everything a young girl could want in a leading lady. Pair that speaking performance with Liz Callaway’s incredible singing stylings, and you’ve got yourself a princess for the ages.

1998’s “The Prince of Egypt” has a way more star-studded cast than you might remember. Beyond Val Kilmer as Moses himself, you’ve got Sandra Bullock and Jeff Goldblum as Moses’s siblings Miriam and Aaron, respectively. Not to mention Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, Danny Glover, and Michelle Pfeiffer. We could go on! But among that incredible line-up, one actor stands out for his impeccable embodiment of the villain, and that is Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes voices Rameses, Moses’s adoptive brother and eventual adversary. The English actor is menacing in the role, but also brings a certain empathy to his performance that might be lost with a lesser-skilled actor. And to think he does all of that with just his voice!

“Hercules” is another one of those Disney movies where it seems like every name involved is a big one. But for every celebrity cast member like Danny DeVito, there were actors like Susan Egan. She may not have had the name recognition, but she had plenty of skill. Egan was primarily a Broadway actress before landing the role of Meg, and that probably explains the professional level of theatrics in her performance. With more than enough sass to go with that Disney princess sweetness, Egan proves that she’s indeed the belle of the voice acting ball.

By the late ‘90s, Eddie Murphy was already one of the biggest stars in the world. From his run on “Saturday Night Live” to a slew of hilarious ‘80s comedies, he certainly was a gift to viewers around the world. But in 1998, a Disney movie introduced him to a whole new audience. In “Mulan,” Murphy voices the role of Mushu, a small dragon who attempts to prove his worth by guiding the titular character as she joins the army under a guise. Murphy provides some great comedic relief, but also showcases a softer side as Mulan’s helper. Mushu is, without a doubt, one of the best sidekicks in the Disney canon. Just remember - Dragon! Not lizard.

In 1994, a host of Hollywood and theater legends joined forces to bring us one of the greatest animated films of all time. James Earl Jones’ booming voice gave King Mufasa gravitas, but if there’s one thing this phenomenal cast proves, it’s that good guys never win. In “The Lion King,” it’s the villain who completely steals the show. Even Darth Vader himself will be impressed with Jeremy Irons as the evil Scar. The character design of Scar is slinky and suspicious, and Irons perfectly matches his vocal tics to that blueprint. It’s voice acting at its finest and we couldn’t be more grateful to be spectators of it.

When you have such wonderful songs from the likes of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, you need the vocal talent to match. So it makes sense that so many of the cast members of “Beauty and the Beast” come from the world of Broadway. Theater legend Jerry Orbach certainly proves his worth during Lumière’s rendition of “Be Our Guest.” But the inherent warmth Angela Lansbury brings to Mrs. Potts cannot be overstated. Her jovial British accent and motherly demeanor bring just as much comfort to us as they do to Belle. And “Beauty and the Beast” would be nothing without her masterful delivery of the titular song.

A buddy comedy but make it animated, “Toy Story” broke barriers when it premiered in 1995. However, we don’t think it would have been quite as successful if it wasn’t for the stars at its helm. Tim Allen is perfect as Buzz Lightyear, but Tom Hanks’ Woody took whatever expectations we had and just outright shattered them. Hanks is such an important piece of casting in the movie, partly because of his uncanny ability to make us root for characters we might otherwise dislike. Woody’s particular brand of orneriness somehow adds to his charm, and we all have Hanks to thank for it. You just can’t help but love that grouch, no matter how much he grinds your gears.

Throughout the 1990s, there were only so many projects that didn’t feature Robin Williams, from live-action to the world of animation. And while he might have lent his voice to other animated films, such as 1992’s “FernGully: The Last Rainforest,” nothing can top him as the Genie in “Aladdin.” Williams lays the blueprint for how vocal acting should be. And this is not just the nostalgia talking, everything about the performance is just downright amazing. The way he delivers comedic gem after comedic gem, combined with his genuine warmth make this an all-time great, especially for a family-friendly movie. We certainly will never forget how special Williams was, as he immortalized himself with performances like this.

Did your favorite 90s voice acting performance make the list? Tell us in the comments.