Top 10 Animated Characters That Were Designed After Their Voice Actors
#10: Oscar – Will Smith “Shark Tale” (2004)
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“Shark Tale” has a surprisingly stacked cast and nearly every one of the characters bears an uncanny resemblance to their actors–well, as uncanny as animated fish can look like human beings. However, we have to give a nod to the lead character Oscar, played by Will Smith. If, for some reason, you haven’t seen the movie, it’s about a blue-streaked cleaner wrasse, Oscar, who becomes rich and famous after gaining a reputation as a shark killer. While the film itself is a bit all over the place, Smith brings all of his trademark charisma to the character, and that’s aided by the animation of his famously expressive face.
#9: Eep Crood – Emma Stone “The Croods” (2013)
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Eep Crood is the adventurous daughter of the titular cave-clan. Her bright attitude and inquisitive nature are portrayed amazingly by Emma Stone, but we can also see the actress in other ways. For example, Eep shares the red hair Stone so frequently sports. Eep’s green eyes, and the shape of her face are also reminiscent of Stone’s. Usually, comparing someone to a caveperson would be seen as an insult, but any character modeled after Emma Stone is bound to be radiant and you’d be remiss to deem Eep the exception!
#8: Sergeant Calhoun – Jane Lynch “Wreck-It Ralph” (2012)
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This Disney film about the lives of video game characters has several characters who look strikingly similar to their real-life counterparts, from the titular Wreck-It Ralph pretty much just being John C. Reilly in overalls, to Fix-It Felix, Jr.’s remarkable resemblance to actor Jack McBrayer. Of them all, however, we think Sergeant Calhoun’s inspiration is rather obvious. Jane Lynch’s signature short blonde hair, as well as her tall frame and facial features all have Calhoun feeling like she’s just an animated, alien-battling version of Lynch herself. Even Lynch’s dry humor shines through.
#7: The Mad Hatter – Ed Wynn “Alice in Wonderland” (1951)
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For being such an out-there cartoon, “Alice in Wonderland” draws more from the real world than you might think – at least, from the appearances of its actors. Kathryn Beaumont, at the time that she voiced Alice, looked just like her, and it’s easy to see Jerry Colonna in the March Hare. But, for our money, the Mad Hatter is a dead ringer for Ed Wynn. The batty top-hat enthusiast has the same nose, eyebrows, and tufts of hair coming off the back of his head. You can really see the resemblance in the test footage Disney did for the tea party scene.
#6: Fairy Godmother – Jennifer Saunders “Shrek 2” (2004)
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If Jennifer Saunders’ greatest desire was to look like a fairy godmother on screen, then we’d say her wish was granted. The magical, winged, wish-granting lady is not only a scheming businesswoman, but she also has a flair for the dramatic, and quite the set of pipes, thanks to Saunders! While there are a lot of differences between the two–for instance, body type and hair color–the Fairy Godmother’s face is a wildly close match to Saunders’. And she looks “absolutely fabulous!”
#5: Sadness – Phyllis Smith “Inside Out” (2015)
The internal personification of melancholy within a young girl named Riley, Sadness is one of the main characters of “Inside Out.” She’s played by Phyllis Smith, who’s famous for her quiet demeanor and unassuming roles with wholesome attitudes. For fans of “The Office”, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about! While Smith isn’t small and blue, Sadness does manage to capture some of Smith’s physicality, including her facial features, from her mouth to her nose to her big blue eyes. Smith may be playing a tragic role, but we couldn’t be happier about her character’s likeness.
#4: Zazu – Rowan Atkinson “The Lion King” (1994)
Zazu is the advisor to King Mufasa and frequently the voice of reason at Pride Rock, discouraging both Scar and Simba’s particular brands of rebelliousness. One might expect that it would be difficult to make a human look like a red-billed hornbill, but weirdly… it doesn’t seem very odd at all. Zazu shares Atkinson’s prominent eyebrows, wide eyes, and, even sort of a similar nose. The turn of their mouths are similar too! All those parallels help convey Atkinson’s rather theatrical delivery even better, given just how expressive the actor is.
#3: Phil – Danny DeVito “Hercules” (1997)
Although it was tempting to discuss James Woods as Hades since the entire character changed when he was cast, we ultimately had to go with Danny DeVito as Phil. Both short and balding, Phil has much of DeVito’s appearance already, but his personality is also very reminiscent of the bad-tempered, over-the-top characters he so often plays. Of course, there are distinctions such as DeVito’s nose, which is nowhere near as red or bulbous but, otherwise, he and Philoctetes could be twins…if one of them was a satyr. It wouldn’t be the first time Danny DeVito had a twin who was quite different from him!
#2: Lady Tremaine - Eleanor Audley “Cinderella” (1950)
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Eleanor Audley has lent her likeness to several iconic Disney characters, including Maleficent. However, despite arguably being less famous, we’re choosing her part as Lady Tremaine, the evil stepmother from “Cinderella.” This is because we contend that Lady Tremaine looked more like Audley. The character shares Tremaine’s graying hair, as well as her nose and the curl of her lips, particularly when frowning – which Tremaine does a lot of. Tremaine may be a more subtle villainess than Audley’s other Disney role, but that only means that more of her performance comes through on screen. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Al McWhiggin – Wayne Knight, “Toy Story 2” (1999) It’s Like If Newman Ran a Toy Store…& Kept up His Goatee! Principal Brian Lewis – Kevin Michael Richardson, “American Dad!” (2005-) K.M.R. Has a Cartoon Doppelganger Wesley – Steve Buscemi, “Home on the Range” (2004) There’s No Mistaking Buscemi’s Face, Even with the Moustache! Olaf – Josh Gad, “Frozen” (2013) It’s the Eyebrows & Mouth Princess Tiana – Anika Noni Rose, “The Princess and the Frog” (2009) They’re Practically Identical!
#1: The Genie – Robin Williams “Aladdin” (1992)
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Yes, you probably saw this coming. The Genie was created and designed with Robin Williams in mind. The wish-granting, blue djinn’s zany attitude, facial features (from that strong chin to those wide, expressive eyes), as well as his numerous pop culture references are all classic Williams. The comedian famously improvised frequently in the recording booth, which led to plenty of Genie’s famous lines coming directly from him. So much about his appearance and actions are all owed directly to Williams. It’s safe to say that without Robin Williams, we’d “never have a friend like” him!
