Hmm... that voice sounds familiar... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for actors you would have never expected to voice Transformers, NickToons, and everyone in between.
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00:00 "I'm Spike, the purebred mutt." "I play Spike the dog."
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for actors you would have never
00:08 expected to voice Transformers, Nicktoons and everyone in between.
00:12 "Our vigilante, or Batman as the news shows are calling him, has committed 70 assaults in the
00:19 past five weeks. Now during this time certain patterns have emerged."
00:23 Number 10. Emily Blunt as Tempest Shadow, My Little Pony, The Movie.
00:29 Emily Blunt isn't exactly a stranger when it comes to fantasy worlds.
00:32 She starred as the beloved Mary Poppins, ventured into the woods, and even braved jungle cruise.
00:38 One of her most surprising roles wasn't even a human. It was as a little pony.
00:42 "It's time that you understand, don't ever count on anybody else in this or any other land."
00:52 Blunt voiced Tempest Shadow, the second-in-command to the evil Storm King.
00:57 Unlike the other Little Ponies, Tempest Shadow has not had a great experience with the power
01:01 of friendship, and she's hoping that the Storm King will repair her broken horn.
01:05 "With this broken horn, you know, and there was something quite impacted about that image of her,
01:09 and so it was really important for me to see the person, or the pony, that I was playing."
01:14 Blunt's performance was so good that she actually helped inspire what Tempest looks like.
01:19 And in case you were wondering, Blunt does sing.
01:22 "You see it all so clearly, the best way to survive is all alone."
01:31 Number 9. Joaquin Phoenix as Kenai, brother bear.
01:35 "Nana, you won't believe this. I was at the top of this huge rock and all of a sudden this-"
01:40 Joaquin Phoenix has played some of the darkest characters in modern film.
01:49 While he's more known for his portrayal of the Joker, Phoenix has also voiced a Disney character.
01:54 And the character isn't even evil. He's a human who's turned into a bear.
01:59 Phoenix voiced Kenai in the film "Brother Bear."
02:01 "He's a very real character. He's flawed and at times almost unlikable,
02:06 but I think that that's something that we can all identify with because nobody's perfect."
02:11 Kenai kills a bear in revenge for the death of his brother, displeasing the spirits,
02:15 who turn him into a bear so that he can experience seeing through another's eyes.
02:19 He's even joined by a cub bear, Coda, and the two become, you guessed it, brother bears.
02:24 "Do you really think I have a fat head?"
02:26 "Well, if you hunched your shoulders a little, it wouldn't seem so big."
02:30 "Oh, you mean like this? Or like this? How about this?"
02:35 Number 8. Hugh Jackman as E. Astor Bunnymund, Rise of the Guardians.
02:41 "Been a long time. Blizzard of '68, I believe. Easter Sunday, wasn't it?"
02:47 "Bunny! You're not still mad about that, are you?"
02:50 "Yes."
02:51 When you think of Hugh Jackman, the words "Easter Bunny" are not usually the ones that
02:57 come to mind. But in the 2012 film "Rise of the Guardians," Jackman voiced E. Astor Bunnymund,
03:02 aka the Easter Bunny.
03:04 "What did you call me?"
03:05 "I'm not a kangaroo, mate."
03:07 "Oh, and this whole time I thought you were. If you're not a kangaroo, what are you?"
03:13 "I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny."
03:16 The film follows a group of mythical creatures, including Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy,
03:21 who band together to stop the sinister Pitch Black from engulfing the world in darkness.
03:26 Like Jackman, Bunny is a true Aussie, so Jackman got to speak in his true accent.
03:31 "Oh, no."
03:32 "That's the Easter Bunny?"
03:37 "Now somebody sees me. I mean, where were you about an hour ago, mate?"
03:41 He even carries around a boomerang rather than an Easter basket.
03:45 #7. Jon Favreau as Pre Vizsla
03:48 Star Wars The Clone Wars
03:50 "This lightsaber was stolen from your Jedi temple by my ancestors during the fall of the Old
03:56 Republic. Since then, many Jedi have died upon its blade."
04:00 Before he started writing, directing, and producing the adventures of a certain
04:04 Mandalorian in a galaxy far, far away, Jon Favreau was already in the Star Wars universe.
04:10 Fittingly enough, he voiced a Mandalorian, the ruthless villain Pre Vizsla on Dave
04:15 Filoni's series Star Wars The Clone Wars.
04:17 "For generations, my ancestors fought proudly as warriors against the Jedi.
04:21 Now that woman tarnishes the very name Mandalorian."
04:26 Pre Vizsla led the terrorist organization Death Watch and was about as tough as they come,
04:31 crossing sabers with Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Maul.
04:35 "And only the strongest shall rule Mandalore."
04:39 "So be it."
04:45 He also wielded the Darksaber, which of course made a return in The Mandalorian.
04:50 #6. Tim Curry as Nigel Thornberry
04:54 The Wild Thornberries
04:55 Tim Curry has been known to play some wild roles, but Nigel Thornberry actually lives in the wild.
05:01 "I've lost the sight in my eye."
05:04 "Move your hand, Nigel."
05:08 "What a woman."
05:09 Curry voiced the patriarch of the Thornberry clan,
05:13 who travels the world with his family making wildlife documentaries.
05:17 Despite the dangerous adventures his family would embark on,
05:19 Nigel was always enthusiastic and did his best to keep his family together,
05:24 even trying to entertain his bored eldest daughter Debbie.
05:27 "And it appears they are building a fire under a porch in preparation for a communal meal."
05:33 "This is so uncool."
05:36 Nigel was a true British gentleman, not just because of his posh accent,
05:40 but also because of his true love of kippers.
05:43 Only Curry could voice such an eccentric character.
05:46 "Well, Nigel is, um, Nigel never really grew up."
05:49 "Right."
05:51 #5. John Ritter as Clifford
05:53 Clifford the Big Red Dog
05:55 "Oh no, what's Emily Elizabeth going to say?
05:58 I was trying to make less work for her, not more work.
06:02 What am I going to do?"
06:03 Throughout his career, John Ritter appeared in over 100 films and TV series,
06:08 but one of his roles was a bit furrier than the others.
06:11 He voiced the lovable Clifford the Big Red Dog,
06:13 the gigantic scarlet canine who's best friends with his owner, Emily Elizabeth.
06:17 Ritter's upbeat voice fit Clifford's personality perfectly,
06:21 especially when he got into trouble.
06:22 "Ghost?"
06:23 "Yikes, it must be Wiffy! Run!"
06:31 "Come on, Cleo, let's get out of here!"
06:33 When Ritter passed away in 2003, no new episodes were made,
06:37 and Clifford's really big movie served as the series' conclusion.
06:40 Today, singer-songwriter Adam Sanders voices Clifford on the 2019 PBS reboot.
06:46 "Whoa, and you're really good at balancing those treats."
06:50 "Hmm, wonder how high I can stack these things before they fall over."
06:55 "Let's find out."
06:55 #4. Michael Cera as Brother Bear
06:59 The Berenstain Bears
07:00 Before he became Mr. Manager on Arrested Development,
07:03 Michael Cera voiced Brother Bear on an animated series of The Berenstain Bears.
07:07 "I got it! I got it! I... Oh, oh!"
07:15 "Aw, crumb."
07:18 Like their literary counterparts, the animated series follows a family of bears
07:22 and their day-to-day lives in bear country.
07:24 In each episode, the characters learned a lesson such as the importance of saying
07:28 "please" and "thank you."
07:29 "Uh-oh. Gee, I guess we... I mean, I did forget. Thank you for the extra berries."
07:37 Like Cera, the series was known for being very sweet and very Canadian.
07:42 Just be sure not to mix this series up with the Berenstain Bears,
07:45 as they're known in a parallel universe.
07:47 "Everyone had so much fun flying Big Red, we all forgot about the contest."
07:52 "And you know what was just as much fun as flying Big Red?"
07:55 "Making Big Red with you and Mama and Papa, all together."
07:59 Number 3. Bruce Willis as Spike - Rugrats Go Wild
08:03 In 2003, for the first and only time, 90s kids had a dream fulfilled.
08:09 They finally heard Tommy Pickles Dog Spike talk.
08:12 "Spike was here!"
08:13 "Uh, sorry, I know. Where are my manners? I am Spike. Full name?
08:21 Town Spike! Down! Get off that couch!"
08:23 To make this momentous occasion even better, Spike was voiced by action star Bruce Willis.
08:28 In Rugrats Go Wild, the Rugrats meet the wild Thornberries,
08:32 and since Eliza Thornberry can talk to animals, she's able to understand what Spike is saying.
08:37 Spike explains to Eliza that he's lost his babies, which she believes are puppies,
08:41 and agrees to help him.
08:42 "We'll help you find them, and I won't tell anyone you lost them."
08:45 "Really? You really will help me find them? Thank you! That is so nice!"
08:52 It's a bit jarring to hear Spike voiced by Willis,
08:55 but since Spike behaves like a brooding action hero, Willis' voice works.
08:59 And the best part of all? You get to hear Spike sing!
09:02 "Thank God she's in there singing with me, 'cause I just sing like a dog.
09:05 I don't really sing as much as I howl."
09:07 Number 2. Brian Cranston as Lieutenant James "Jim" Gordon.
09:15 Batman Year One.
09:16 "Our vigilante, or Batman as the news shows are calling him,
09:21 has committed 70 assaults in the past five weeks.
09:24 Now during this time, certain patterns have emerged."
09:27 Winning consecutive Emmy Awards for his immortal role as Walter White,
09:31 Brian Cranston was initially reluctant to lend his voice to an animated project.
09:35 His misgivings about the cartoon medium were quickly quelled by the mature
09:39 and morally labyrinthine script for Batman Year One.
09:42 The adaptation of Frank Miller's comic book allowed a young Jim Gordon story
09:46 to equally share the screen with Bruce Wayne's, and Cranston loved that.
09:50 "You must be wearing armor under that jacket."
09:52 "Something like that."
09:54 "You know, I'm practically blind without my glasses."
09:58 He appreciated the portrayal of a man with a relatable sense of justice,
10:02 but the fallibility to take corruptible missteps,
10:05 and the compelling humanity of Cranston's performance highlights that understanding.
10:09 Though the film's reviews were mixed overall,
10:12 Cranston's contribution to the cast was seen by many as one of Year One's most inspiring attributes.
10:17 "It's a long-sorted story. The bullet points are police corruption,
10:23 a cop who wanted to believe the system works, and one incredibly bad decision."
10:28 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
10:32 Scarlett Johansson as Princess Mindy, the SpongeBob SquarePants movie.
10:37 Before she was Black Widow, she was the daughter of King Neptune.
10:40 "Mindy!"
10:41 "I'm coming! Good luck, SpongeBob."
10:43 "Wait, how did you know my name?"
10:45 "Oh, I'm gonna be Queen of the Sea one day. I've learned the names of all the sea creatures."
10:50 Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, the Lion King.
10:53 As Zazu, he could wait for Simba to be king.
10:56 "Well, I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair."
11:00 George Takei as Keo Hiredol, Hey Arnold.
11:04 He didn't just trek through space, he was also the father of Helga's sidekick Phoebe.
11:09 "I'm certain I made contact."
11:10 "And I am certain you did not."
11:12 "Ah, then I must be mistaken. I know full well how honest you are, little treasure.
11:18 I do not doubt you for a moment."
11:20 Jimmy Stewart as Wile E. Burp, an American tale, Fievel Goes West.
11:24 He helped Fievel realize that he was the hero the Wild West needed.
11:28 "But you pulled me out of a gutter, and for that I owe you some thanks.
11:33 Just remember, Fievel, one man's sunset is another man's dawn."
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11:53 Number 1. Orson Welles as Unicron, The Transformers, The Movie
12:00 The late, great Orson Welles, who directed Citizen Kane, surprised us all with his final role,
12:06 voicing Unicron, the villain of the Transformers, The Movie.
12:09 "I have summoned you here for a purpose."
12:12 "Nobody summons Megatron."
12:16 "Then it pleases me to be the first."
12:20 Unicron is the size of a massive planet that can eat other planets.
12:24 He's definitely got a big appetite, and his hunger only increases after he makes a deal
12:29 with Megatron to give him a bigger and better body as long as Megatron destroys the Autobot
12:34 Matrix of Leadership. "Your bargaining posture is highly dubious, but very well.
12:39 I will provide you with a new body and new troops to command."
12:45 It's not exactly clear if Welles even understood the role he was playing,
12:49 as he told his biographer that, quote, "I menace somebody called something or other."
12:53 Even if Welles didn't understand the intricacies of the Transformers,
12:57 he did seem to have fun voicing Unicron. "The warrior and his armada."
13:04 "And this shall be your ship. Now go."
13:09 Which of these actors surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!
13:15 "Looks like we've got some more work to do."
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13:26 [Music]