For over a decade, Alan Tudyk has been Disney's good luck charm. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at how Alan Tudyk became a guaranteed casting choice for every modern Disney animated movie.
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00:00 "I'm King Candy! That's right! How does that sound?"
00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at how Alan Tudyk became a guaranteed casting
00:10 choice for every modern Disney animated movie.
00:13 "King Candy, and then it was Aleister Cray with Big Hero 6."
00:18 Before this talented actor was named as the Mouse House's good luck charm, he was filling
00:22 up his resume with a variety of iconic roles that put him on everyone's radar.
00:27 He played Watt in one of his personal favorite films, A Knight's Tale.
00:31 A few years later, he made audiences laugh with his silly part as Steve the Pirate in
00:36 Dodgeball.
00:37 "The dread pirate Steve being no man's debt. I'll make a barter with you, truth in our
00:40 star. In exchange for your kindness, I'll be splitting my buried treasure with you."
00:46 But many sci-fi fans fondly remember Tudyk as the eccentric and lovable pilot Wash in
00:51 Firefly.
00:53 In each of these roles, he charmed audiences with his natural charisma and energetic performances.
00:58 "Everybody hold on to something. There's something you can't do."
01:03 Fortunately, those great qualities translated to an unforgettable lead vocal role in 2004.
01:08 Shortly after the turn of the century, Tudyk provided the voice and motion capture for
01:12 the robot Sunny.
01:13 "If you find out what is wrong with me, can you fix me?"
01:19 "Maybe."
01:20 "I think it would be better not to die."
01:26 Despite looking artificial and unreal, he truly made us believe that the character was
01:31 a lively being with emotions and soul.
01:34 His staggering performance was followed by a few smaller vocal roles.
01:37 "My name is not Simon. It is Simone!"
01:41 After playing Simone in Alvin and the Chipmunks' Chipwrecked and another robot in Astro Boy,
01:47 Disney Reps got in contact with Tudyk to ask a life-changing question.
01:51 Could he sound like the Mad Hatter from 1951's Alice in Wonderland?
01:55 "Oh, what a delightful time! Is it?"
01:58 "Thank you, Cap. I'm so excited. We never get compliments. You must have a cup of tea."
02:03 The reason why they wanted the actor to sound like the well-dressed Lewis Carroll character
02:07 boils down to Wreck-It Ralph's King Candy.
02:10 "Hello, my royal subjects! Ha ha! Have some candy!"
02:17 Disney wanted the dangerous antagonist to sound like the silly and energetic version
02:21 of Mad Hatter that the late Ed Wynn voiced in the 1951 film.
02:25 When Tudyk's agent found out what the studio needed, they told the Mouse House that the
02:29 actor could do the voice, without actually asking him first.
02:33 Fortunately, the performer was up for the challenge.
02:36 Not only did Tudyk give Disney the King Candy they dreamed of, but he won an Annie Award
02:40 for voice acting in a feature production.
02:43 The studio would soon learn that his award-winning work here wasn't just a fluke.
02:47 "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you? Ha ha! You hit a guy with glasses. That's
02:52 well played."
02:53 Over the next few years, Tudyk was called back for each of their feature-length animated
02:57 films.
02:58 He played the old and obnoxious Duke of Whistleton in Frozen.
03:01 "The Duke of Weaseltown."
03:03 "Whessleton!"
03:04 "Duke of Whessleton, your majesty."
03:06 A year later, audiences suspected that Tudyk's Alastair Cray would be revealed as the big
03:11 bad of Big Hero 6.
03:12 He followed that role by voicing an actual weasel in Zootopia.
03:16 "What were you gonna do with those night howlers, Whessleton?"
03:18 "It's Weaselton."
03:19 While all of Tudyk's performances were great, his legend as Disney's good luck charm wasn't
03:24 solidified until Moana debuted.
03:27 There he played the hilarious rooster, Hey Hey.
03:29 "None of which you understand, because you are a chicken."
03:34 Although the character was originally going to be cut from the film, Tudyk was given a
03:37 last-minute rewrite where the rooster was dumbed down.
03:40 The combination of a new script and the actor's committed performance gave us a scene-stealing
03:46 bird that we couldn't imagine leaving out of Moana's story.
03:50 Since that film marked the fifth Disney smash hit that Tudyk had been a part of, the studio
03:54 wasn't exactly ready to let him go.
03:56 "The girl!"
03:57 "I went to Julia."
04:02 The actor had a role in the next six animated films that the studio produced.
04:06 In between parts, Tudyk lent his voice to Iago in the live-action Aladdin and the Skrull
04:11 in Disenchanted.
04:13 And did we mention he played yet another robot named K2SO in Rogue One?
04:17 "Congratulations, you are being rescued.
04:20 Please do not resist."
04:22 The actor's sheer vocal variety ensured that no two characters sounded exactly the same.
04:28 When asked how he developed the range that Disney had become fond of, Tudyk revealed
04:31 that TV was key.
04:33 "I think as a kid I would just learn different voices from cartoons."
04:40 He specifically shouted out the legendary Mel Blanc's work on Looney Tunes as a major
04:44 inspiration.
04:45 Tudyk also credited watching Robin Williams on Mork & Mindy as another helpful step in
04:50 developing his range.
04:52 Thanks to all these influences and some traditional training, the performer could become anything
04:56 from the expressive Tuk Tuk to the talkative Knowsmore.
04:59 "Welcome back to the search bar, madam.
05:01 I hope you were able to find a satisfactory breakfast burrito based upon the search results
05:05 I provided this morning.
05:07 What can Knowsmore help you find now?"
05:09 And just when you think you've watched a movie without him, you can check IMDb and be surprised
05:14 that he played a role like Pico the Toucan in Encanto.
05:17 As a testament to his talent, fans wanted Tudyk to be recognized as a pivotal moment
05:22 in Disney's history.
05:24 When the studio was developing their Once Upon a Studio 100th Anniversary special short,
05:28 they asked viewers who and what they'd like to see.
05:31 There were reportedly a bunch of requests to include a room full of Tudyk's Disney characters.
05:36 "All your characters.
05:38 Neat.
05:39 It's like your multiverse."
05:41 "I like it.
05:42 Like in like a basement of a church and they all have coffee."
05:45 While the studio ultimately passed on that suggestion, they did bring him for a spectacular
05:50 moment.
05:51 When Flounder needs to get into water quickly, the Mad Hatter's hat is used as an impromptu
05:55 fishbowl.
05:56 The Wonderland character is perfectly voiced by Tudyk.
06:00 "Awaita, there's a cop in my cap."
06:03 Having the actor provide the voice he used to get his first role at Disney made it feel
06:07 like his journey had truly come full circle.
06:09 Thankfully, it wasn't over yet.
06:11 "What can Nozmar help you find now?
06:13 A search engine's job is never done."
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06:32 After the special aired, Tudyk's voice was still being heard in trailers for 2023's
06:36 Wish.
06:37 "I'm talking, I am talking.
06:38 Who knew my voice would be this low?"
06:41 His role as the talking goat Valentino let him flex his talent for animal sounds and
06:45 over-the-top dialogue.
06:47 Based on Tudyk's history, this role won't be his swan song for Disney.
06:51 It seems highly likely that we'll hear his voice in big and small studio parts for the
06:55 rest of the decade and beyond.
06:57 Although Tudyk didn't start his career as a voice actor, we think Disney will ensure
07:02 he'll get back in the booth to deliver more iconic performances for years to come.
07:06 "I made a career out of this.
07:07 How cool is that?
07:09 Right?"
07:10 What's your favorite Alan Tudyk role?
07:12 Shout it out in the comments.
07:13 "That's it.
07:14 Oh, it's beautiful."
07:15 Do you agree with our picks?
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