Yashashree Malpathak
www.mediaeyenews.com
Many well-known actors have appeared in animated films in recent years. These actors lend their voices to some of our favorite characters. Voice actors in animated films have only their voice as an instrument of character development, hence they need to have a wide vocal range. It takes months, if not years, of training and practice to perfect the process of establishing unique voices for multiple characters.
Voice coaches train actors through a variety of exercises to optimize their vocal cords and condition their mouth muscles. It is expected by the voice actor to control their breathing and speak on the breath. Several jaws, throat, and tongue warmups help to relieve the tension. The key is to have a relaxed, open back of the throat rather than a stiff, fixed one.
Voice acting can be very physical while recording. The voice can follow the artist's body to capture a broader variety of emotional expressions. While it may not always happen, the animated characters have been known to resemble the actors that voiced them. Be it Zazu from 'The Lion King,' who looks like Rowan Atkinson, or Mumble from 'Happy Feet,' who looks like Elijah Wood, Irene Bedard in 'Pocahontas,' or Edward Asner as Carl Fredericksen in 'Up,' the list goes on. This happens because the animated studios design their characters according to the actors or mimic the voice actors' facial expressions and movements to ensure that they resemble the character.
Here are ten all-time favorite animated movie characters and the famous actors who played them.
- Genie in Disney's Aladdin (1992)
Robin Williams, the late actor, played the part of Genie in the Aladdin film. He was even awarded a Golden Globe for it.
2. Simba in ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
Matthew Broderick voiced the grown-up version of Simba in ‘The Lion King’. He sang the song, ‘Hakuna Matata’.
3. Shrek in ‘Shrek’ (2001)
The film's title character, Shrek, was played by Mike Myers. After Chris Farley's unexpected death in 1997, Mike took over as Shrek.
4. Dori in ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003) and ‘Finding Dori’ (2016)
Ellen DeGeneres played Dori in Finding Nemo, the character was so loved that it had its sequel in ‘Finding Dori’.
5. Oscar in ‘Shark (2004)
Will Smith, actor and musician starred in the animated film ’Shark Tale’ of 2004, by playing the voice for Oscar, the main character.
6. Tigress in ‘Kung Fu Panda’ (2008)
Master Tigress, of the Kung Fu Panda movie franchise, has been voiced by none other than Angelina Jolie.
7. God in ‘Despicable Me’ (2010)
Steve Carell has voiced Gru in Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Minions, and Despicable Me 3, where he also voices Gru's long-lost brother, Dru.
8. Princess Anna in 'Frozen’ (2013)
Kristen Bell has sung for Princess Anna of Disney’s Frozen. She even has done her speaking voice.
9. Grinch in ‘The Grinch’ (2018)
As the green grump in a new animated version of Dr. Seuss's iconic Christmas tale, Benedict Cumberbatch played the lead role of Grinch.
10. Woody in ‘The Toy Story 4’ (2019)
Since the mid-'90s, Tom Hanks has been the voice of Woody in the Toy Story film franchise, which was created by Disney and Pixar.
