Top 10 Animated Movies with the Most Stacked Voice Casts
Top 10 Animated Movies with the Most Stacked Casts
Top 10 Animated Movies with Stacked Casts You've Never Heard Of
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Animated Movies with the Most Stacked Voice Casts. For this list, we’ll be looking at animated features that enlisted a plethora of all-star talent to lend their voices. We’ve made our selections based on the size of the cast and the quality of their performances. We’re leaving off anime dubs, as they deserve a list of their own. What animated flick do you think had the most impressive voice cast? Let us know in the comments.
#10: “Sing” (2016)
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Matthew McConaughey leads this massive animated ensemble piece as Buster Moon, a koala who puts on a singing competition. As the title suggests, the film has no shortage of musically inclined performers, including Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Seth MacFarlane, and “American Idol” alumni Tori Kelly. Taron Egerton can also be heard singing “I’m Still Standing,” predating his turn as Elton John in the biopic “Rocketman” by three years. Nick Kroll is especially unrecognizable as Gunter the German pig. If you listen closely, you can even spot Edgar Wright as a goat and Wes Anderson as a giraffe. With additional supporting work from John C. Reilly, Nick Offerman, and Leslie Jones, “Sing” is proof that there are no small parts, only small animals.
#9: “Anastasia” (1997)
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This Don Bluth film pulled out all the stops with its celebrity cast. Four performers brought the titular heroine to life with Meg Ryan voicing adult Anastasia while Liz Callaway provided her singing chops. Young Anya was voiced by Kirsten Dunst, but that’s Gretchen Wieners herself, Lacey Chabert, singing “Once Upon a December.” John Cusack and Kelsey Grammer voiced Dimitri and Vlad, respectively, two good-hearted con-artists looking to make a buck off Anya’s grandmama, voiced by the invaluable Angela Lansbury. She’s not the only member of Broadway royalty, as Bernadette Peters voiced Sophie. Christopher Lloyd is deliciously villainous as Rasputin while Hank Azaria won an Annie for his work as Bartok. You might even hear J. K. Simmons and Billy Porter’s voices in the ensemble.
#8: “Sausage Party” (2016)
It may look like Pixar on the surface, but “Sausage Party” is a hard-R Seth Rogen comedy at its core. Rogen brings along several other Team Apatow members, including Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Paul Rudd, and Craig Robinson. If only Jay Baruchel and Emma Watson popped up, we could’ve had a “This Is The End” reunion. Some voices are easily recognizable, like Salma Hayek as Teresa del Taco or Kristen Wiig as the bun of Frank’s affection. However, we bet you didn’t know that’s Bill Hader as the Native American liquor bottle. We were as shocked as anyone to learn that Edward Norton voiced Sammy Bagel Jr. Then, there’s good old Nick Kroll again voicing… let’s call him a “feminine hygiene product.”
#7: “Happy Feet” (2006)
You can never have enough Robin Williams and “Happy Feet” sees him tackle multiple roles, including the loudmouthed Ramón and larger than life Lovelace. Reteaming with director George Miller, E. G. Daily goes from voicing Babe the Gallant Pig to Mumble the Penguin as a baby. Elijah Wood takes over as grown-up Mumble, giving the tap-dancing penguin an underdog spirit. Between Wood and Hugo Weaving as Noah the Elder, it’s almost like an Antarctic “Lord of the Rings.” The cast is rounded out by a colony of seasoned singers, from Nicole Kidman as Mumbles’ mother, to Hugh Jackman as his Elvis-esque father, to the late Brittany Murphy as Gloria. This was also the last film featuring Steve Irwin, who recorded his lines as Trev before his tragic death.
#6: “Shrek 2” (2004)
With “Madagascar,” “Kung Fu Panda,” and “Trolls,” DreamWorks has a reputation for attracting giant names. Shrek’s star-studded follow-up naturally saw the return of Mike Myers as the titular ogre, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, and Eddie Murphy as Donkey, each receiving $10 million upfront. Antonio Banderas steals the show, going from Zorro from Puss in Boots. Meanwhile, Julie Andrews went from Queen of Genovia to Queen of Far Far Away. John Cleese may've passed on the chance to voice Cogsworth, but he got to play true animated royalty as King Harold here. Jennifer Saunders’ Fairy Godmother and Rupert Everett’s Prince Charming turn in wicked performances, but that’s only the tip of the tower. From Joan Rivers to Larry King as the Ugly Stepsister, Far Far Away has more star power than Hollywood.
#5: “The Lego Movie” (2014)
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Many underestimated “The Lego Movie,” but the voice cast alone screamed comedic genius. How can you go wrong with Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, and Nick Offerman in key roles? Even actors who are better known for their dramatic chops, like Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman, are hilarious. The Justice League has never been funnier with Will Arnett as Batman and Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill reunite as Superman and Green Lantern, respectively. Makes sense, as Phil Lord and Christopher Miller also directed “21 Jump Street.” That’s not the only Lord/Miller connection, as Will Forte revisits his “Clone High” days as Honest Abe. Cameos keep coming with Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Shaq.
#4: “The Prince of Egypt” (1998)
Adapting from the Book of Exodus, DreamWorks needed an epic voice cast to match the source material’s gravitas. After all, 1956’s “The Ten Commandments” had Oscar winners like Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, and Anne Baxter. DreamWorks found an equally biblical cast with Val Kilmer giving Moses an everyman quality, Ralph Fiennes bringing out Rameses’ complex nature, and Michelle Pfeiffer supplying Tzipporah with a fiery spirit. Steve Martin and Martin Short provide comedic relief while Sandra Bullock and Jeff Goldblum lend their voices to Moses’ siblings. The cast is only made more prestigious with Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh Seti, Helen Mirren as Queen Tuya, and Danny Glover as Jethro. Kilmer additionally voices God, creating an especially poignant parallel between the almighty and Moses.
#3: “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009)
Wes Anderson films always have stacked casts and his animated features are no exception. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” assembles many of Anderson’s usual suspects, such as Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Adrien Brody. Anderson himself even voices Stan Weasel. The film marked Anderson’s first collaboration with George Clooney, who was tailor-made to voice the cool and clever, not to mention fantastic, Mr. Fox. Cate Blanchett ultimately backed out as Felicity Fox, but it’s hard to complain when the replacement is Meryl Streep. Adding to the authenticity of the animal characters, Anderson decided to record dialogue outside. Anderson re-teamed with Murray for “Isle of Dogs” while adding Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, and more to the pack.
#2: “Toy Story 4” (2019)
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“Toy Story 4” brought back almost all the characters we’ve come to love, including Annie Potts’ Bo Peep. While we wish some fan favorites got more screen time, the film more than compensates with the introductions of Keanu Reeves’ Duke Caboom, Christina Hendricks’ Gabby Gabby, and Key and Peele as Ducky and Bunny. Tony Hale even scored an Annie nomination for his lovable turn as Forky. Bonnie’s toy collection isn’t scarce of comedic legends with Betty White, Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, and Carl Reiner making cameos. This would notably be the final film role for Reiner while archival dialogue of the late Don Rickles was used for Mr. Potato Head. It’s a reunion and a goodbye, with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen getting especially emotional. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018) John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, & Every Disney Princess “Hotel Transylvania 2” (2015) An “SNL” Reunion & a Monster Mash “Robots” (2005) Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, & Is That Really Jim Broadbent as the Villain? “9” (2009) From a Student Film to a Feature with Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, & Christopher Plummer
#1: “The Lion King” (1994)
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Robin Williams popularized celebrity voiceover performances in “Aladdin,” but Disney’s next animated feature set the gold standard for stacked voice casts. Between Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick, Simba evolves from lion cub to lion king. You couldn’t ask for a more commanding voice than James Earl Jones’, a wiser voice than Robert Guillaume’s, or a more devious voice than Jeremy Irons’. Speaking of which, Irons won an Annie for voicing Scar, although he got some help during “Be Prepared” from Jim Cummings, the voice of Ed. Before they were Timon and Pumbaa, Nathan Lane auditioned for Zazu while Ernie Sabella tried out for a hyena. With Rowan Atkinson, Cheech Marin, and Whoopi Goldberg, though, everyone took their rightful place in the circle of life.
