Revealing The Faces Behind Popular Animated Disney Characters

Taking a peek behind the magic

Kylin

• Published in Film & TV
• April 10, 2022

Disney has been capturing the eyes and hearts of children, adults, and all those in-between since 1937 when they released their first fully animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. There’s no denying that Disney Animation Studios has pioneered family entertainment as we know it today.

While Snow White was their initial foray into animated filmmaking, since then Disney has churned out a whopping 119 animated movies, with more slated for release. With the launch of their streaming platform, Disney+, Disney Studios have greatly broadened their audience reach.

According to their 2021 Annual Report, Disney owns more than 5,300 movies in total. That enormous number includes both animated, live-action, Disney produced, and later purchased franchises, like Marvel and Star Wars.

All this to say, there’s a LOT of magic that happens at Disney, between story-writing, casting, animating, and casting. We’re not even going to touch on the endless work that goes into their theme parks and cast members.

Walt Disney must have sold his soul to become the father of animated family movies, I just cannot fathom how he figured out the perfect recipe for this success. Of course, it wasn’t Walt alone that produced the magic behind all of Disney’s work.

Aside from the wildly talented writers and animators, the actors they recruit to literally breathe life into the roles they assume transform the movies into a magical world you can lose yourself in. So we decided to gather some of the most iconic animated Disney characters and reveal the faces of the actors and actresses that gave them their voices.

Keep scrolling to see what we’ve come up with, and to learn a new fun fact or two.

1. Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid

Voice actor Christopher Daniel Barnes was only 16 years old when he recorded his lines as Prince Eric for the 1989 film.

2. Alfredo Linguini from Ratatouille

Lou Romano has voiced minor characters for Disney in the past, Bernie Kropp in The Incredibles, Snot Rod in Cars, but Alfredo Linguini in Ratatouille was his first starring role.

3. Bolt

John Travolta not only voiced the action-hero pup, but he also recorded a song with Miley Cyrus for the film

4. Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

9 months pregnant, Kathleen Turner actually ended up going into labor while recording her role as the sexy Jessica Rabbit.

5. Elsa from Frozen

Idina Menzel originally auditioned for the role of Rapunzel in Disney’s 2010 ‘Tangled’. Although she didn't get the part, the casting director recorded Idina’s audition on her iPhone, and two years later, the recording helped her to get the lead in ‘Frozen’.

6. Randall from Monsters, Inc.

Thanks to John Goodman, who pushed to have  Steve Buscemi cast for the voice of the villain in Monsters, Inc., we got the perfect actor to voice the smarmy, evil lizard monster.

7. Lucius Best AKA Frozone from The Incredibles

Before we came to know and love him as Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson voiced another superhero on The Incredibles.

8. Rapunzel from Tangled

Natalie Portman may have been considered for the role of Rapunzel, but ultimately it went to the former teen pop star Mandy Moore. Rapunzel is also the first Disney Princess with magical abilities, with the power to heal.

9. Simba from The Lion King

90's teen heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the voice for young Simba, while Matthew Broderick was the voice behind adult Simba. However, neither actor did any singing for the film.

10. Mulan

Voiced by Ming-Na Wen, Mulan isn't the only badass she's played. Wen has also starred as Agent Melinda May in ABC's Marvel series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and more recently, the Master Assassin Fennec Shand from Disney+ shows The Mandalorian and Book Of Boba Fett.

11. Lightning McQueen from Cars

Famous for his "Wow," Owen Wilson was the one who voiced Lightning McQueen in both Cars and Cars 2.

12. Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles

The wildly experienced actor Craig T. Nelson voiced Mr. Incredible, and allegedly recorded his part over the span of 2 years.

13. Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove

Eartha Kitt was the perfect choice for the evil Yzma, and the nod to her previous role as Catwoman when she was turned into a kitten is often missed. 

14. Gill from Finding Nemo

Willem Dafoe not only played the tough Gill, he even inspired his look, with the scars on Gill's face meaning to look like Dafoe's face lines.

15. Ursula from The Little Mermaid

While it's fairly common knowledge that Ursula was inspired by the famed drag queen, Divine, it may be a surprise that Pat Carroll wasn't their first choice for her voice! Disney originally wanted Bea Arthur to voice The Little Mermaid villainess, but her agent didn't let it go through.

16. Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog

Anika Noni Rosa was the voice behind Princess Tiana. Rosa was later nominated for a Tony for her role in the revival of "A Raisin in the Sun."

17. Aladdin

Scott Weinger provided the voice for our favorite "street-rat," Aladdin, but like the leads in Lion King, he did not do any singing.

18. Princess Jasmine from Aladdin

While Princess Jasmine was modeled after Jennifer Connelly, Linda Larkin was the voice actor for this princess.

19. Tod from The Fox and the Hound

Mickey Rooney is one of those actors, and voices, that most everyone recognizes. Rooney gave life to Tod, the fox who was best friends with a hound dog.

20. Pongo from 101 Dalmatians

Australian actor Rod Taylor had quite the career before his death in 2015. Not only did he voice Pongo in 101 Dalmatians, but he also starred in Alfred Hitchcock's legendary film "The Birds."

21. Dory from Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo was written by Andrew Stanton, while he was developing the character of Dory, he recounts listening to an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show his wife was watching in the background. The way she spoke was like a lightbulb moment for him, and he couldn't picture anyone else in the role.

Stanton said that when he sent her the script he was "screwed" if she didn't take the part, because he didn't have anybody else in mind. He had written the part for her.

22. Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast

The late Broadway star Jerry Orbach voiced the enchanted candelabrum, Lumiere. That same year, he also appeared in an episode of Law & Order, a show he would later work on for over a decade.

23. Belle from Beauty and the Beast

While Jodi Benson (the voice actress for Ariel in "The Little Mermaid") was initially pegged to play Belle, Paige O'Hara was eventually brought on to give Belle a more "European" sound.

24. Ralph from Wreck-It Ralph

Voiced by John C. Reilly, Ralph was one of four characters who was designed purposefully to resemble their respective voice actors. The others include Felix, Vanellope, and Calhoun.

25. Mickey Mouse

For nearly 20 years, Walt Disney himself voiced the character he created. Eventually, in 1946 Jimmy MacDonald took over when Disney became too busy to continue the work. It's rumored that Disney's smoking habit damaged his voice, and he was unable to hit the high notes in Mickey's voice.

26. Queen Elinor from Brave

Described as one of the best actresses of her generation Emma Thompson voiced Queen Elinor, who is accidentally cursed by her daughter with the help of a witch.

27. Sulley from Monsters, Inc.

John Goodman not only voiced Sulley in both Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University, but he's quite a familiar voice within the Disney universe. He's voiced characters such as Pacha from The Emperor's New Groove, Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff in The Princess and the Frog, and Baloo in The Jungle Book 2.

28. Kristoff from Frozen

The seasoned Broadway singer and actor Jonathon Groff, known for his characters in Hamilton, Glee, and Mindhunter, voiced Anna's love interest, Kristoff.

29. Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast

Angela Lansbury voiced the doting Mrs. Potts, and while she originally did not want to do the singing for the iconic song "Beauty and the Beast," the producers had her record it anyway. Her version ended up being the one used for the movie!

30. Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio

Cliff Edwards was the original voice of Jiminy Cricket, although three people have provided voice work for the character. Edwards was also the one who sang the now-iconic "When You Wish Upon a Star."

31. Robin Hood

Everyone's favorite anthropomorphized thief, who stole from the rich to give to the poor, was voiced by the legendary stage actor Brian Bedford.

32. Jafar from Aladdin

Jonathan Freeman not only voiced the evil Jafar, he even reprised the role in the Broadway adaptation of the Disney classic.

33. Peter Pan

Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter Pan, the boy who didn't want to grow up. But fun fact: Walt Disney actually played Peter Pan in a school play.

34. Snow White

Before being cast as Disney's first princess, 18-year old Adriana Caselotti was an Italian opera singer.

35. Marlin from Finding Nemo

Actor and comedian Albert Brooks, known for his frequent guest roles on The Simpsons, was the voice behind the overly cautious clownfish, Marlin.

36. Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.

Billy Crystal is the unforgettable voice of the one-eyed monster, Mike Wazowski. But before taking on that role, he turned down the role of Buzz Lightyear.

37. Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty

Eleanor Audley must have had something about her to make her perfect for Disney villainesses, since she was also the voice for Cinderella's evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine.

38. Woody from Toy Story

Like most kids, Tom Hanks also wondered if toys came to life when no one was around. This curiosity was what led him to play the role of Sheriff Woody.

39. Emperor Kuzco from The Emperor's New Groove

Emperor Kuzco turned 18 at the end of The Emperor's New Groove, but the actor who voiced him, David Spade, was in his mid-thirties at the time of recording.

40. Genie from Aladdin

The late, great comedian and actor Robin Williams famously voiced Aladdin's magical sidekick, Genie. By the time they were finished recording for the movie, Williams had improvised over 16 hours of material, that's not including the dialogue that WAS used in the movie!

41. Remy from Ratatouille

Famed comedian, Patton Oswalt, voiced the culinary genius rat, Remy.

42. Copper from The Fox and the Hound

Now debunked by Disney, there was a rumor that Kurt Russell wore his "Escape from New York" costume while he recorded his lines for Copper since both movies were released around the same time.

43. The Beast from Beauty and the Beast

Robby Benson voiced the fearsome Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Until he was cast, there wasn't a song planned for Beast, but since he could sing really well, they wrote "Something There" for him, which he recorded in one take.

44. Colette Tatou from Ratatouille

Comedian Janeane Garofalo said she was "endlessly flattered" that she was chosen to voice the tough-as-nails chef, Colette Tatou.

45. Flynn Ryder from Tangled

Zachary Levi, former star of the television show "Chuck," auditioned for Flynn Ryder with a British accent. Thankfully they dropped it once it was time to record.

46. Bambi

Donnie Dunagan was briefly a child actor and provided the voice of Bambi for the 1942 film. As an adult, he joined the Marines and was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

47. Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story

Chevy Chase was initially offered the role of Buzz Lightyear, but turned it down. Apparently, Chase is one of Tim Allen's greatest influences, so when they offered the part to him next, he accepted!

48. Pocahontas

Irene Bedard was also the physical model for the animated character she voiced.

49. Vanellope von Schweet from Wreck-It Ralph

Sarah Silverman's memoir "The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee" inspired director Rich Moore to create the character Vanellope von Schweet, and later cast Silverman as the voice actor.

50. Tarzan

Before Tony Goldwyn played the President of the United States on Scandal, he was the actor behind the tree-swinging, loin-cloth wearing Tarzan.

51. Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Esmeralda was voiced by the talented Demi Moore. While retired from "Disney Princess" status around 2004, Esmeralda was the first princess to have green eyes!

52. Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians

Flamboyant actress Tallulah Bankhead may have been the inspiration for De Vil's personality, it was Betty Lou Gerson who brought the despicable character to life.

53. Penny from Bolt

No stranger to working with Disney, Miley Cyrus voiced Penny, Bolt's best friend and owner.

54. Scar from The Lion King

Jeremy Irons' performance as the Lion King villain, Scar, impressed the animators so much that they incorporated a lot of his facial expressions into the onscreen character.

55. Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty

Mary Costa, a well-known opera singer, was called by Walt Disney himself to offer her the part mere hours after she auditioned for Princess Aurora.  

56. Helen Parr AKA Elastigirl from The Incredibles

Elastigirl was Holly Hunter's foray into superherodom as she was later cast in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016.

57. Carl from Up

Carl Fredricksen's face and gruff personality are based on Spencer Tracy and Walter Matthau. But the legendary actor Edward Asner provided the voice for grumpy Carl.

58. Anna from Frozen

Like most young girls, Kristen Bell also grew up wanting to be a Disney princess. Her wish came true when she was cast as Anna!

59. Timon & Pumba from The Lion King

Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella voiced our favorite duo from the Lion King. The two were originally supposed to sing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" as a duet, but it was nixed after Sir Elton John expressed reluctance to include that version.

60. Ariel from The Little Mermaid

Jodi Benson not only provided the voice for Ariel but, she was also one of the few actors who also sang as their character.

61. Merida from Brave

 Kelly Macdonald, who happened to star on Boardwalk Empire with Steve Buscemi who was earlier mentioned on our list, defaulted to her natural Scottish accent to voice the fiercely independent Merida.

62. Hercules

Until being cast as the voice for Hercules, Tate Donovan hadn't, and hasn't since performed voice-over work. His acting career has all been in person.

I don’t know about you, but I actually learned a handful of fun new things while researching this list. Can you imagine how Tangled or Beauty and the Beast would’ve been if they went with the other actors that auditioned?

Were there any surprises for you? Let us know in the comments section below, and be sure to share with your fellow Disney-fanatics. 

Kylin