Top 10 Best Voice Acting Performances by Dramatic Actors
Some actors are full of surprises! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the most unexpected and impactful performances from esteemed dramatic actors, in animated or dubbed roles.
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00:00 "If you only knew the power of the dark side."
00:04 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the most unexpected and impactful performances
00:09 from esteemed dramatic actors in animated or dubbed roles.
00:13 "Well, I take it from your tone that you're challenging me."
00:16 "Maybe because you're curious how I work?"
00:18 Number 10. Ming-Na Wen, Mulan.
00:21 A revelatory performance in the Joy Luck Club launched Ming-Na Wen as a consistent ensemble standout throughout the 90s.
00:28 Her big break as a lead came with the groundbreaking Disney classic Mulan.
00:32 "Graceful, polite, delicate, refined, poised, punctual."
00:43 Wen brings remarkable range to the voice of a quiet young woman who becomes a fearsome warrior.
00:48 She clearly has a lot of fun impersonating crude male egos in the Imperial Chinese Army.
00:53 "Sorry you had to see that, but you know how it is when you get those manly urges and you just gotta kill something.
01:00 Fix things, cook outdoors."
01:04 This humor is still just part of Fa Mulan's stern and occasionally heartbreaking rise to the occasion.
01:09 The uniquely evolved Disney hero earned Wen an Annie Award, then a lucrative voice acting career.
01:15 Disney continues to deliver some of her most memorable roles, including live action.
01:20 Of course, the pathos she brought to Mulan created a timeless icon.
01:24 "You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty."
01:28 Number 9. Bradley Cooper, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
01:32 Bradley Cooper rose from irreverent comedies to become a prestigious Hollywood star.
01:37 He practically repeated that arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Rocket Raccoon.
01:41 "What's a raccoon?"
01:42 "What's a raccoon? It's what you are, stupid."
01:45 "Ain't no thing like me, except me."
01:47 The anthropomorphic high-tech space outlaw was introduced in the Guardians of the Galaxy as an unhinged comedic highlight.
01:53 Cooper's almost unrecognizable voice is perfectly in sync with Sean Gunn's energetic motion capture performance.
01:59 However, Rocket becomes the heart of the third installment that focuses on his tragic past and self-actualization.
02:05 "You still have a purpose here."
02:07 "A purpose for what? They made us for nothing.
02:12 Just stupid experiments to be thrown away."
02:15 This portrayal won particular renown for the subtle emotion Cooper brought to the volatile action hero.
02:21 It demonstrates the actor's ability to make even a talking raccoon a layered dramatic figure as much as a delightful comedic one.
02:28 "Rocket, we love you very much and we're happy you're alive."
02:31 "Well, that makes you the idiot, Sid."
02:34 Number 8. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mary and Max.
02:37 Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the most renowned and serious actors of his era.
02:42 Even his sole animated feature was solemn and beautiful.
02:45 "I cannot understand how being honest can be improper.
02:49 Maybe this is why I don't have any friends.
02:55 Of course, except for you."
02:59 The clay-mated Mary and Max follows the relationship between two lonely pen pals over 20 years.
03:04 The title roles demand uniquely layered acting, no matter the format of film.
03:09 Tony Collette gracefully projects Mary's pursuit of love despite personal trauma.
03:13 And of course, Hoffman is remarkably dedicated to the process of emotional connection,
03:18 despite Max's anxiety and Asperger's syndrome.
03:21 "I do not feel disabled, defective, or a need to be cured.
03:25 I like being an Aspie.
03:28 It would be like trying to change the color of my eyes."
03:34 These highly praised performances brought heartbreaking depth to a surreal animation style.
03:39 Mary and Max particularly shows off Hoffman's transformative commitment to a role,
03:43 even when he's off screen.
03:45 "And that we don't get to choose our warts.
03:47 They are a part of us, and we have to live with them.
03:52 We can, however, choose our friends.
03:56 And I am glad I have chosen you."
04:02 Number 7. Ewan McGregor - Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
04:06 Pinocchio's talking cricket conscience has been adapted in many memorable forms.
04:10 Guillermo del Toro's interpretation is one of the more surreal,
04:13 but also one of the most lovable, thanks to the versatile Ewan McGregor.
04:17 "Guide him to be good."
04:20 "I'm not a governess, madam.
04:21 I'm a novelist, a raconteur, currently immersed in writing my memoirs."
04:27 As his Sebastian J. Cricket tries to get attention,
04:30 McGregor cleverly balances stuffy formality and self-deprecating humor.
04:34 He also brings a poignant heart as Pinocchio's guide.
04:37 Plus, his vocal performance on the closing number "Better Tomorrows" is well worth the wait.
04:42 "You can make it right, well worth the good fight.
04:46 And if some days have downs and lows, open your arms to better."
04:53 The quirky Mr. Cricket ends up being the ideal vehicle for McGregor's vast talents.
04:58 McGregor, in turn, delivered the spirit of del Toro's rich twist on a classic.
05:02 "Life is such a wonderful gift."
05:06 Number six, Gael Garcia Bernal, Coco.
05:09 The beloved Gael Garcia Bernal has taken his solemn charisma across the world.
05:14 He finally won fans across generations with his lively performance in Pixar's "Coco."
05:19 "No one's ever put up my picture, but you can change that."
05:22 "This is you?"
05:26 The mischievous spirit Hector's vibrant energy drives his and his
05:29 descendants' adventures in the Land of the Dead.
05:32 Bernal really gets to flex his comedic chops in his voice acting breakout.
05:35 He also gets to show off his singing with such numbers as the Oscar-winning "Remember Me."
05:40 "For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart.
05:45 I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart."
05:52 Of course, Bernal's portrayals of Hector's more heartbreaking or
05:56 life-affirming turns are no less infectious.
05:58 He skillfully brings that same soul to the movie's Spanish dub.
06:02 However the audience hears Bernal, his award-nominated performance is full of life.
06:07 "Come on, yell! Belt it out!
06:08 Oh, it feels good."
06:14 Number five, Robert Pattinson, The Boy and the Heron.
06:17 "Do you do that a lot?"
06:21 "Just the past couple of months."
06:22 Hayao Miyazaki's animes have drawn huge names for their English dubs,
06:26 from Michael Keaton in Porco Rosso to Christian Bale in Howl's Moving Castle.
06:30 His latest masterpiece boasts such contemporary superstars as Florence Pugh,
06:35 but many are already ranking Robert Pattinson's performance among the most iconic in these ranks.
06:40 "Be a mother. She's awaiting your rescue. I'll be your guide."
06:48 The usually sullen dramatist brings a squawking energy and very
06:51 gravelly voice to a talking gray heron.
06:53 As he leads a child through a magical world, the creature comes to project authority and heart.
06:58 Certainly, Masaaki Suda's more reserved performance deserves credit for shaping that
07:03 role in the original dub of The Boy and the Heron.
07:05 The English dub nevertheless further showcases Pattinson's intense range in voice alone.
07:11 "Say, my dog."
07:13 "What exactly are you?"
07:16 Number 4. Scarlett Johansson - Her
07:19 Scarlett Johansson is known for her dramatic scope,
07:22 and as one of Hollywood's most alluring voices.
07:25 This made her ideal casting in Spike Jonze's daring romance, Her.
07:29 "What do I call you? Do you have a name?"
07:30 "Um, yes. Samantha."
07:33 "Really? Where'd you get that name from?"
07:36 "I gave it to myself, actually."
07:38 "How come?"
07:40 "Because I like the sound of it. Samantha."
07:45 As the sophisticated virtual assistant Samantha,
07:47 Johansson portrays AI with a comforting empathy that creates a chemistry with a lovelorn man.
07:53 As he develops strange and ultimately heartbreaking feelings, so too does Samantha.
07:57 "But the heart's not like a box that gets filled up. It expands in size the more you love."
08:03 "I'm different from you. This doesn't make me love you any less, it actually makes me love you more."
08:12 This tricky love story was celebrated for pulling off the most poignantly human areas of artificial
08:17 intelligence. Johansson's profound voice work was essential to this emotional resonance.
08:21 Besides blurring the lines between humanity and technology,
08:25 her performance in Her created a new argument for placing voice acting on par with live action.
08:30 "It's a place that's not of the physical world.
08:33 It's where everything else is that I didn't even know existed."
08:39 Number 3. Jeremy Irons - The Lion King
08:42 Jeremy Irons brought prestige to a variety of roles throughout the 80s and 90s.
08:47 It was definitely a shock when he took on a Disney animated film, albeit one based on Hamlet.
08:52 But all bowed before the might of the Lion King's Scar.
08:55 "We are talking kings, not successions. Even you can't be caught unawares."
09:02 Irons' cool, calculating charisma added a new layer to the villain's vicious pursuit of his
09:07 brother's throne. Scar marked a new low in animated bad guys, with Irons taking such evil
09:13 to Shakespearean heights. "Well as far as brains go, I got the lion's share,
09:17 but when it comes to brute strength, I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool."
09:25 It was the perfect performance to win the very first Annie Award for feature film voice acting,
09:30 and to this day, many rank Irons among the most compelling performances and villains in Disney
09:36 history. "Long live the king."
09:39 Number 2. Ralph Fiennes - The Prince of Egypt
09:43 By the end of the 90s, Ralph Fiennes was one of the UK's most renowned screen actors,
09:48 and the most surprising name in the all-star cast of the Exodus adaptation The Prince of Egypt.
09:53 Less surprising was his commanding portrayal of Ramesses, Moses' adopted brother turned nemesis.
09:59 "Be still. Pharaoh speaks. I am the morning and the evening star. Ramesses, it shall be as I say."
10:10 Underlying the pharaoh's authoritative stature was a vulnerable relationship with his lineage
10:15 and brother. Fiennes realized a uniquely complex antagonist for an animated movie.
10:20 "Ramesses, please, you must listen." "I will not be the weak link!"
10:24 It was the kind of depth that eventually earned The Prince of Egypt recognition as a masterpiece.
10:29 The whole cast has gained glowing reappraisal. Fiennes' Annie Award-nominated performance,
10:34 however, was the instant standout that fans hoped for.
10:38 "Why can't things be the way they were before?"
10:40 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
10:45 James Gandolfini - Where the Wild Things Are
10:47 The captivating Emmy winner finds his inner child in an anxious monster.
10:51 "I just want to talk to him." "You're out of control!"
10:53 "I'm not out of control!" "You were gonna eat him!"
10:57 "No, no, I wasn't gonna... I don't know, I just said it!"
11:02 Brad Duruf - The Child's Play Franchise
11:04 The intense character actor became a horror icon as a serial killer doll.
11:09 "Okay, sport, we're gonna have a little game of Chuck E. Sez."
11:13 Joaquin Phoenix - Brother Bear
11:15 A serious actor brings deep heart to a warrior who meddles with nature.
11:20 "I was transformed into a bear, magically. I was lifted into the sky by my brother."
11:26 "Uh-huh."
11:27 Vincent Price - The Great Mouse Detective
11:31 A distinguished horror icon provided a voice for all generations as Rattigan.
11:35 "Quite an ingenious scheme, eh, Flabberson? Aren't you proud to be a part of it?"
11:42 Douglas Raine - 2001 A Space Odyssey
11:45 A Shakespearean charisma is immortalized in the most villainous AI ever.
11:50 "Do you read me, Hal?"
11:51 "Affirmative, Dave. I read you."
11:54 "Open the pod bay doors, Hal."
11:59 "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."
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12:19 James Earl Jones - Star Wars The Original Trilogy
12:25 David Prowse gave imposing form to Darth Vader, but the role required an equally
12:30 overpowering voice. James Earl Jones brought much more than that.
12:34 "Don't underestimate the Force."
12:36 The veteran of stage and screen has long been revered for both his massive presence and his
12:42 unmistakable deep tone. Jones still disappears into the Sith Lord with great menace. And,
12:47 as the Star Wars saga reveals the tragic backstory of Anakin Skywalker,
12:51 Jones captures the compromise of a remorseful father.
12:54 "Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes."
13:01 Vader is considered one of the greatest villains of modern fiction, largely for Jones' performance.
13:08 It was just the first of his many iconic voice roles, including Mufasa in The Lion King. Now,
13:14 many consider Jones the ultimate example of what a great actor is capable of off-screen.
13:19 "You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power."
13:25 What are your favorite performances or stunt casting for voice-only roles?
13:29 Let your voice be heard in the comments.
13:31 "Oh, I shall practice my curtsy."
13:33 "Don't turn your back on me, Scar."
13:36 "Oh no, Mufasa. Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on me."
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