Maybe you know this, or maybe you had no clue, but so many actors have appeared on screen and later voiced iconic cartoon characters from our childhoods. A ton of our beloved faves were actually brought to life by high-profile thespians, probably without us even realizing it; especially in a bunch of Disney films like The Emperor’s New Groove, Tarzan, Mulan, and Hunchback of Notre Dame.
This could explain why so many contemporary animated films are so memorable. The voices behind the characters belong to some seriously multitalented actors who we already love for their live-action work. Like did you know that Demi Moore voiced Esmerelda in Hunchback of Notre Dame? Or that Christian Bale voiced Howl in the English dubbed version of Howl’s Moving Castle?
Seriously, there are so many instances. Luckily for you, we’ve tracked down more than 40 times this has happened.
Here’s proof that famous actors are true chameleons and can make simple cartoon characters spring off the screen.
Below, see which famous actors were the voices of iconic cartoon characters.
Originally published July 2016. Updated July 2017.
Demi Moore in ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’
Yes, Demi Moore voiced the iconic Esmerelda in Hunchback of Notre Dame, but cabaret singer Heidi Mollenhauer was her singing voice in the film.
Kristen Wiig in ‘Despicable Me’
Wiig is the voice for Lucy in Despicable Me 2 and 3. She was also Miss Hattie in the first installment.
Christian Bale in ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’
That’s right, Christian Bale voiced our first crush Howl in the dubbed version of Howl’s Moving Castle. He actually signed onto the film, for any role the director wanted, after he saw Spirited Away.
John Lithgow in ‘Shrek’
John Lithgow voiced Lord Farquaad in Shrek.
Donny Osmond in ‘Mulan’
Donny Osmond was the singing voice of Shang.
Mel Gibson in ‘Pocahontas’
Who knew Mel Gibson was John Smith in Pocahontas?! It was actually the first film that he sang in.
David Spade in ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’
David Spade was Emperor Kuzco.
Eartha Kitt in ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’
Eartha Kitt was Yzma. We were today years old when we found out.
Willem Dafoe in ‘Finding Nemo’
Willem Dafoe was Gill in Finding Nemo.
Kathleen Turner in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’
Did you know that Kathleen Turner voiced Jessia Rabbit? And she did it nine months pregnant!
Billy Crystal in ‘Monsters Inc.’
Billy Crystal lent his voice as Mike Wazowski.
John Goodman in ‘Monsters Inc.’
John Goodman was Sullivan in Monsters Inc. and he was also Pacha in The Emperor’s New Groove.
Steve Buscemi in ‘Monsters Inc.’
Steve Buscemi’s Randall in Monsters Inc, which -co-star John Goodman reportedly pushed for.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas in ‘The Lion King’
Yep, JTT was young Simba!
Matthew Broderick in ‘The Lion King’
Adult Simba? Yeah, that was Sarah Jessica Parker’s hubby, Matthew Broderick.
Jeremy Irons in ‘The Lion King’
Scar was none other than Jeremy Irons.
Glenn Close in ‘Tarzan’
Glenn Close played Kala in Tarzan!
Minnie Driver in ‘Tarzan’
Minnie Driver was the voice of Jane in Tarzan.
Rosie O’Donnell in ‘Tarzan’
Yep, Terk in Tarzan was Rosie O’Donnell.
Samuel L. Jackson in ‘The Incredibles’
Samuel L. Jackson was Lucious Best in The Incredibles.
Craig T. Nelson in ‘The Incredibles’
The Parenthood patriarch voiced Mr. Incredible in The Incredibles.
Patton Oswalt in ‘Ratatouille’
Did you know Patton Oswalt played the min character Remy in Ratatouille?
Mandy Moore in ‘Tangled’
Mandy Moore captured our hearts as Rapunzel in Tangled. Per Showbiz, Moore beat Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, who both auditioned for the role of Rapunzel.
David Schwimmer in ‘Madagascar’
David Schwimmer provided the voice of Melman in Madagascar.
Jada Pinkett-Smith in ‘Madagascar’
Jada Pinkett-Smith’s the Madagascar hippo, Gloria.
Sacha Baron Cohen in ‘Madagascar’
Sacha Baron Cohen was that pesky character Julien in Madagascar.
Mila Kunis in ‘Family Guy’
Family Guy isn’t a blockbuster movie, but it should be noted that Mila Kunis has voiced Meg Griffin since 1999, replacing Lacey Chabert.
Jennifer Tilly in ‘Family Guy’
Another iconic Family Guy character we have to mention is Jennifer Tilly’s character, Bonnie Swanson.
Vincent Price in ‘The Great Mouse Detective’
Did you know horror icon Vincent Price voiced the bad guy, Professor Ratigan, in The Great Mouse Detective?
America Ferrera in ‘How to Train Your Dragon’
Did you know that Oscar-nominated actress America Ferrera voiced Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon movies?
Bill Hader in ‘Inside Out’
That’s right, Bill Hader voiced Fear in the Inside Out movie.
Owen Wilson in ‘Cars’
We honestly forgot this but Owen Wilson played Lightning McQueen in Cars, which was his first ever animated film.
Dakota Fanning in ‘Coraline’
Dakota Fanning voiced Coraline in the film Coraline. Apparently, she was already signed on when the film was set to be live-action, but even when it switched to animated, she was still excited for it.
Jennifer Lopez in ‘Antz’
Remember Antz? Remember that Jennifer Lopez voiced Azteca? Because we sure didn’t.
Meg Ryan in ‘Anastasia’
Meg Ryan was an amazing Anastasia. While working on this film, Ryan and her co-star John Cusack reportedly started up a romance, specifically from 2002 to 2003.
Susan Sarandon in ‘James and the Giant Peach’
Susan Sarandon was in James and the Giant Peach, and played an iconic spider.
Oprah in ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Oprah played the mom Eudora in The Princess and the Frog, despite being originally hired as a technical consultant.
Adam Sandler in ‘Hotel Transylvania’
Adam Sandler is the lead in Hotel Transylvania, playing Dracula in all the shows and films for the series.
Selena Gomez in ‘Hotel Transylvania’
And Selena Gomez continually plays his daughter Mavis in Hotel Transylvania. Fun fact: Miley Cyrus originally had this role, but after the penis-shaped cake fiasco, they fired her and replaced her with Gomez, per Comic Book.
Fergie in ‘Peanuts’
Fergie was the voice of Sally Brown.
Brittany Murphy in ‘King of the Hill’
The late Brittany Murphy voiced the iconic character Luanne Platter in King of the Hill, and we just had to mention this since so many don’t know about it.
Jennifer Love Hewitt in ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame II’
Okay remember the Hunchback of Notre Dame sequel? Well, did you know that Jennifer Love Hewitt voiced Quasimodo’s love interest, Madellaine?
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