Hit animated films you forgot featured big-name celebs

Taylor Swift’s most memorable acting gigs include her guest spot on New Girl, her role in Valentine’s Day, and, unfortunately, her part in the screen adaptation of Cats. But perhaps her best work as an actor was as Audrey in The Lorax . Swift starred opposite Zac Efron in the film. 

Yes, Rosie O’Donnell was in Tarzan. The comedian played the crazy little monkey Terk, who befriends Tarzan and is partially responsible for the “Trashin’ The Camp” scene. O’Donnell hasn’t done much voice work, but her performance as Terk was perfect. 

Meg Ryan wasn’t just in Anastasia , she was Anastasia. The rom-com queen played the titular character alongside other stars like John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd, Kelsey Grammer, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Lansbury. 

Catherine O’Hara has done lots of animated work, lending her voice to films like Frankenweenie, Where the Wild Things Are, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and more. But she was in Monster House, too, a film that performed well at the box office and has gone on to be a kid’s Halloween classic. 

When thinking about the actors behind the voices of Shrek, Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers come to mind first. But another very famous actor was responsible for the voice of Fiona: Cameron Diaz. She reprised her role multiple times after the first installment. 

That’s right. Hugh Jackman was in Happy Feet , the feel-good movie about the adorable little dancing penguins. Other voices in the film were Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, and Brittany Murphy, all of whom made the film as wonderful as it is. 

Not all of Will Smith’s voice-acting projects have been successful, but Shark Tale did very well. Smith was the star of the show, leading the pack alongside Rober De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, and Martin Scorsese. 

Reportedly, Beyoncé was interested in playing Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, but she didn’t want to audition for the role. Ultimately, the role went to Anika Noni Rose, and Beyoncé instead played royalty in the animated film Epic. 

Anna Faris has a great voice for animated work, and she’s used it for such projects multiple times. One that goes somewhat forgotten, despite being successful, is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Faris played Sam, an aspiring meteorologist and Flint’s love interest. 

Voicing a Disney princess is a unique phenomenon. Everyone remembers the princess, but almost no one remembers who voiced her. In Tangled, it was Mandy Moore. She gave life to the beloved Rapunzel, performing both her speaking and singing voice. 

Amy Poehler is another actor who can transition easily between voice roles because she does a great job without having too distinct of a voice. She gave a great performance as Joy in Inside Out, but her character is more memorable than Poehler is as the voice. 

George Clooney rarely does voice work, but when he does, it’s for projects he knows will be successful, like Fantastic Mr. Fox. While the film didn’t perform well at the box office, it was critically acclaimed and received two Oscar nominations — not too bad for Clooney. 

It’s hard to forget Coraline, but it’s easy to forget who voiced the character. It was none other than Dakota Fanning. Fanning played Coraline when she was a teenager, giving life to one of the creepiest children’s movies in existence. 

David Spade played Kuzco in The Emperor’s New Groove. He was one of those characters that audiences hear and can’t quite pinpoint but feel stupid for not recognizing when they know who it is. John Goodman and Eartha Kitt also provided voices for the film. 

Before Chris Pratt played Mario in the hit film The Super Mario Bros. Movie, he was the star of The Lego Movie . Pratt voiced his character alongside stars like Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, and Will Ferrell. 

Dwayne Johnson had to play Maui in Moana. No one else could have done the role justice. Still, it’s easy to forget that it was Johnson. But in the best way, Johnson so thoroughly became that character that they’re inextricably linked.

The cast of The Secret Life of Pets was so stacked with celebrities that it’s easy to forget who was in the film. But Kevin Hart was one of those celebrities. He played Snowball alongside Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Ellie Kemper, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, and Bobby Moynihan. 

You might not remember that Samuel L. Jackson was in The Incredibles, but you definitely remember his character, Frozone, yelling to his wife in the film, “Where is my super suit?!” It’s a memorable line, but it was made iconic thanks to Jackson’s legendary voice. 

The Lion King boasted a star-studded cast. Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones, and Rowan Atkinson were all in the film. But the lead role of Simba went to Matthew Broderick, better known as Ferris Bueller. 

Animation isn’t Angelina Jolie’s typical creative medium, but she proved to everyone she’s just as talented a voice actor as a regular actor when she joined the cast of Kung Fu Panda. She picked a good animated film, too. Kung Fu Panda has lasted for over a decade with new installments.