21 actors you probably didn't realize voiced Pixar characters
"Toy Story" debuted in 1995, with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen starring as Buzz and Woody. But do you remember who voiced Rex?
Latest1 min readThat would be Wallace Shawn, perhaps best known for his role of Vizzini in "The Princess Bride."
Four years later, a new "Toy Story" character was introduced: Stinky Pete the Prospector.
He was played by none other than "Fraiser" star Kelsey Grammer.
Ken and Barbie had a starring subplot in "Toy Story 3," but you probably didn't realize who the real-life hunk behind Ken's voice was.
Michael Keaton! He might have won an Oscar for "Birdman," but we think his hilarious take on Ken was award-worthy as well.
In the 2006 hit "Cars," Chick Hicks was the green nemesis of Lightning McQueen.
The petty race car was ALSO voiced by Michael Keaton, who clearly has quite the vocal range.
In "Cars 2," another antagonistic race car was introduced: Francesco.
The Italian car was played by John Turturro, who now stars in HBO's summer hit "The Night Of."
1998's "A Bug's Life" brought a new take on the tiny world of ants, with Princess Atta as a main character.
Atta was voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the "Seinfeld" breakout star who is now winning Emmys for "Veep."
Princess Atta's enemy was Hopper — the villainous grasshopper in "A Bug's Life."
Kevin Spacey — now starring as Frank Underwood in "House of Cards" — was the man behind the bug.
The tiniest ant-star of "A Bug's Life" was Princess Dot.
"Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere was only 9 years old when she was cast as Dot.
"Finding Nemo" fans all know Ellen Degeneres as the comedian behind Dory, but do you know who played Nigel the pelican?
That would be Geoffrey Rush, who Disney fans will recognize from his role as Captain Barbosa in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.
The year after "Finding Nemo" hit theaters, Pixar released "The Incredibles." Regular-guy-turned villain Buddy Pine ("Syndrome") was a clever antagonist.
He was played by Jason Lee, best known for his role as the titular character in "My Name is Earl."
"Ratatouille" is best known for Pat Oswald's portrayal of Remy the rat, but Chef Skinner had another recognizable face behind the animation.
He was voiced by Ian Holm, known for playing Bilbo Baggins in "The Lord of the Rings."
One of the few human characters in "WALL-E" was the Captain of the Axiom spaceship.
The real-life captain actor was Jeff Garlin, who many should recognize from Larry David's series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
The "Monster's Inc." prequel — "Monster's University" — featured a scary dean of admissions named Abigail Hardscrabble.
Helen Mirren was the voice behind the formidable Dean Hardscrabble.
In the same film, a new goofy monster named Art was introduced.
Art was played by Charlie Day, who plays a loveable goon by the same name on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
A minor "Monster's University" character, the Greek Council President, was also voiced by a TV comedy star.
Aubrey Plaza's deadpan humor was a hit for her role as April on "Parks and Recreation."
"Brave" introduced a new kind of royal family, featuring Queen Elinor as a stubborn Scottish ruler.
Emma Thompson switched up her usual British accent for the role.
The 2015 Pixar hit "Inside Out" featured a youngster named Riley and her two parents. Did you realize who voiced dear old Dad?
That was Kyle Maclachlan, who's recognizable as Paul Atreides from "Dune" and the delightful Dale Cooper in "Twin Peaks."
Amy Poehler was the bubbly voice of Joy, but fans of "The Office" were in for a treat when it came Sadness.
Sadness (personified) was played by Phyllis Smith. (Her character on "The Office" shares her first name).
Fans of "Finding Dory" likely fell in love with the new character Hank the septopus.
Hank O'Neill — star of "Modern Family" — played the seven-armed critter.
O'Neill wasn't the only "Modern Family" actor featured in the movie. Bailey the Beluga whale was voiced by none other than ...
... Ty Burrell! His charming humor translated perfectly onscreen.
Another comedic new character was Destiny, a whale shark with poor vision.
Destiny was voiced by another "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star — Kaitlin Olson.
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