Can You Match The Actor To The Pixar Character?
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Animation studios have been making it a habit to cast big names in their cartoons for awhile now. Gone are the days of unknowns voicing your favorite characters. These days it's commonplace to cast whoever is getting top billing at the box-office to both take advantage of their popularity and their acting chops. Of course, it's left us with some absolutely amazing, and unforgettable performances. That isn't to say older animated films weren't as good or that you have to be a Hollywood movie star to do a good job, but these days it's much more likely that you'll find your favorite actor's name in the credits. Pixar in particular has made excellent casting choices, beginning with Toy Story in 1995 and continuing through to Cars 3.
A lot of the actors that Pixar cast in their roles are the biggest stars of their generation and we love them for it. They bring characters like Woody, Buzz, Marlin, and Dory to life in a way that's absolutely unforgettable. It's hard not to associate these iconic voices with the characters and for very good reason. They're just so good at what they do! But how well do you know the actors behind your favorite Pixar characters? Can you match these 35 characters to the actors who played them?
Sheriff Woody
Woody is a tragic character. When we meet him at the beginning of the first Toy Story movie, he’s on top of the world. He’s Andy’s favorite toy and all the other toys hang off his every word. That is, of course, until Andy gets a hot new Buzz Lightyear action figure for his birthday and everyone falls in love with him. Well, everyone except Woody. But against all odds, Woody and Buzz become best friends, and it’s one of the greatest love stories ever told. But which actor plays Woody?
Remy
If someone came to you with a movie idea about a rat who controls a chef’s actions using his hair as a kind of joystick and making delicious food, you’d think he had a few screws loose. Rats in the kitchen?! But Pixar decided to take a chance on Brad Bird’s wild premise, and the result is one of Pixar’s finest movies. A big star of the hip alternative standup comedy scene plays the lead role of Remy. Who is it?
Sulley
The actor who plays Mike Wazowski’s best friend and partner in crime Sulley – or James P. Sullivan, if we want to get formal about it – in both Monsters, Inc. and its prequel Monsters University, is a total legend. He’s been in like 100 movies and he’s great in all of them. He’s played Babe Ruth, he’s battled King Kong, he’s played both warm hearted and evil characters, and he always gives a terrific performance. His role as Sulley is no different. Who is it?
Dory
Dory is one of the most lovable characters ever put on film. In fact, she’s not just lovable and funny and sweet, she’s an inspiration. Her catchphrase, “Just keep swimming,” has inspired real life people going through struggles such as cancer treatments. She’s forgetful and it lands her in a lot of trouble, but you won’t find a kinder or more genuinely friendly creature in the entire ocean. Dory’s the best, and it’s reflected in her voice. But which actress provides her voice?
Joy
It was about time that a Pixar movie had a strong female lead (that wasn’t a princess) and with Inside Out, we got two. We got a young girl, Riley, who is forced to move cities by her parents and her emotion of Joy inside her mind. Joy is concerned that she’ll be lost forever as Riley goes through some early teenage angst and she’s cast astray into the memory dump. Boy, that movie was a masterpiece. What an achievement. Anyway, who plays Joy?
Frozone
Where’s my super suit?! No one encapsulated the tone that Brad Bird was going for with The Incredibles, about what a normal group of people with normal lives would do if they had superpowers, than Frozone. He’s the guy with the nagging wife and the friend he wishes he could spend more time with and no kids of his own. He’s a rounded guy with a real life – and ice based super abilities as well. But which legendary actor played him?
Finn McMissile
Usually the Pixar writers are inventive when they come up with names for their characters, but they dropped the ball a little bit when they came up with Finn McMissile, their car version of a British gentlemen MI6 spy in the vein of James Bond. They got one of the most renowned and legendary actors in all of the United Kingdom to play the role of Finn McMissile, and he did not disappoint in the role. But which actor was it?
Flik
The debut feature of DreamWorks Animation, Antz, clashed with the sophomore feature of the computer animation pioneer Pixar, A Bug’s Life. They’re both about a neurotic little worker ant who goes on a larger than life adventure to prove what he’s made of. In Antz, that ant is played by the king of neurotic characters (and unconfirmed allegations), Woody Allen. But in A Bug’s Life, he’s called Flik and he’s played by one of the stars of NewsRadio. Who is it?
Mike Wazowski
A favorite character of many Pixar fans, Mike Wazowski is a short, round, green, cyclops monster. He has one eye and a beautiful girlfriend and he’s a very, very neurotic guy. He runs the station where his friend Sulley works as a scarer of children at Monsters, Inc. It was his dream job in college. Mike is voiced by a comedy legend who has hosted the Academy Awards a good many times, with outrageous success. But which actor is it?
Lightning McQueen
The Cars franchise is considered to be the dark horse of the Pixar canon. But it’s not that bad. The first Cars is set in a deeply imaginative and engaging universe (even if it has a dark history involving human enslavement and genocide) and the story is a wonderful revamp of Doc Hollywood. And the second one is a James Bond inspired spy caper that doesn’t get nearly enough credit. It’s a shame that Cars 3 has underperformed, because it might just be the best of the lot. So, which Frat Pack comedy actor plays Lightning McQueen?
Marlin
The characterization of Marlin as a neurotic and overly protective father, as well as a grieving widow, was somehow perfectly suited to the actor who was cast in his voice role. This actor had a string of critically acclaimed comedy drama movies in the 20th century and he was described as being a kind of Woody Allen of the West Coast. It’s an apt description, and he brings a lovable charm to the character of Marlin in both Nemo movies. But who is he?
Randall
Randall is one of the most nefarious villains in the whole of the Pixar canon, because the target of his evildoing is a child. Not even just a child – a toddler! Randall changes color, which is actually not accurate of real chameleons, but it’s a good thing he’s from a made up monster species that just happens to be inspired by the chameleon and not an actual chameleon, so he’s not bound by any rules. Which Reservoir Dogs actor provides the voice of Randall?
Mr. Incredible
Is everyone excited for The Incredibles 2 next year? It’ll be interesting to see what writer and director Brad Bird does with the genre now that the multiplex is flooded with it. Will we be seeing an Incredibles Cinematic Universe in satiric vein? Who knows? Anyway, the guy who plays Mr. Incredible is not a huge A-list star, but he is popular and talented. He starred in the TV series Coach and he’s been in movies like Poltergeist, Stir Crazy, and The Proposal. Who is he?
Syndrome
When The Incredibles came out, the writers of Captain America comics were receiving death threats for their handling of the characters, so it’s interesting that Brad Bird chose to make his villain the biggest fan of his hero. He took a sad little kid who Mr. Incredible didn’t have time for and grew him up into his most worthy adversary. It was a nice twist. If only he’d listened to his biggest fan. But which beloved comedy actor voices Syndrome?
Gill
Gill is quite possibly the least imaginative name of a character who’s a fish, but the character himself is very strong and developed. He’s got a scar on his face and he hates being trapped in a fish tank in a dentist’s office and not out in the ocean where he had freedom. He’s a grizzled guy and he seems to be a bad guy, but really he’s a good guy who wants to help Nemo escape. “We’re gonna get him outta here. We’re gonna help him escape. We’re ALL gonna escape.” Which actor plays him?
Buzz Lightyear
It’s impossible not to love Buzz Lightyear. He’s so confident and sure of himself, and yet a lot of what he says is wrong. At first, he thinks he’s actually from outer space and actually reporting back to Star Command, and when he has to come to terms with being a plastic toy, it’s tragic. We’ve all had big aspirations and experienced a reality check moment where we must realize we’re just a plastic toy. And then he has little mistakes like calling smores “schmoes.” But which sitcom actor voices Buzz?
Jessie
Jessie is one of everyone’s favorite Toy Story characters, because she’s a kickass female who always does the right thing. She’s also a rootin’ tootin’ yodeling cowgirl with the most tragic backstory. Remember the flashback scene with her origin story? The sad song “When She Loved Me,” her owner Emily slowly moving on from cowgirls to pop music, Jessie finally being taken out again and being exciting about it and then getting left in a box at the side of the road and then realizing it. It’s heartbreaking. And we’ve all done that to our actual toys. But which actress brings that extra touch to the character to make her perfect?
Mater
Mater, as in Tow Mater, is a lovable redneck tow truck. He’s the best friend of Lightning McQueen and although he tends to mess things up, he always means well. He’s the archetypal lovable goof as the sidekick character, and he actually turned out to be the crowning genius at the end of Cars 2 after he figured out who the true bad guy was and saved the day. The actor who plays him is a less than great comedian who plays on the idiocy of fellow rednecks for profit. Who is he?
Disgust
Inside Out interestingly portrays our emotions as people. Anger is a stressed out guy with balled up fists and a shirt and tie and a flame on his head. Sadness is blue, obviously, and Fear is a frightened little pansy. Disgust is interesting, because she’s portrayed as a sassy chick and she’s green, which is the color of envy. That’s an interesting connection to make, between disgust and envy. That’s research for you. So, which actress plays Disgust in Inside Out?
Rex
Can you imagine that Rex is now the name of the US Secretary of State? It’s much more suited to a toy dinosaur, which is why the writers of Toy Story named their cowardly tyrannosaurus rex character accordingly. Like Back to the Future’s Marty McFly, Rex just doesn’t think he could take that kind of rejection, and he was played by an actor from another classic ‘80s comedy hybrid movie, The Princess Bride. But which Princess Bride actor is it?
Fillmore
Fillmore is the hippie van in the Cars movies, and naturally, the casting team at Pixar got the biggest hippie in comedy to play him. This particular hippie is also incidentally remembered as being the greatest standup comedian who ever lived, opening up the medium for more introspective and thought provoking content. Every comedian working today owes a debt to the guy who played Fillmore. Sadly, he had to be replaced for Cars 2 onwards, because the voice artist died. Who was it?
Al
That’s Al of Al’s Toy Barn. He’s also referred to by the characters of Toy Story as “The Chicken Man,” which is also the nickname of Major League Baseball legend Wade Boggs. But this Chicken Man is less athletic. He’s a big, fat, greedy toy collector who only cares about money. His full name is Al McWhiggin. The other Buzz from the toy store calls him, “An agent of Zurg if I ever saw one.” But which Seinfeld actor provides his voice?
The Captain
WALL-E presents a bleak future that we’re headed toward. The world has ended and we’ve had to abandon it. It wasn’t ended by nuclear war or an incompetent President, but it was rather ended by too much trash and not enough green, environmentally friendly practises. The captain of the ship in WALL-E, Captain B. McCrea, is played by a lovable comedy actor from various sitcoms, including The Goldbergs and Curb Your Enthusiasm. But what is the name of the actor?
Hamm
No, not the guy from Mad Men – the piggy bank in Toy Story. The guy who plays Hamm in the Toy Story movies plays someone in every single Pixar movie, because he has a mesmerizing voice. He’s played Hamm in Toy Story, the flea who leads the circus in A Bug’s Life, The Abominable Snowman in Monsters, Inc., the school of fish in Finding Nemo, The Underminer at the end of The Incredibles, Mack in the Cars movies, the waiter in Ratatouille, John in WALL-E, the construction worker in Up, the guard in Brave, Fritz in Inside Out, Earl the velociraptor in The Good Dinosaur, and Bill the crab in Finding Dory. He also played Cliff in Cheers. Who is he?
Hopper
Hopper is the leader of the grasshopper mafia (of sorts) that runs the show in A Bug’s Life. He’s also one of the most genuinely terrifying villains in all of fiction, seriously. He will strike fear into the hearts of anyone, of any ages, let alone the children who are the target audience of the movie! Hopper is played by an Academy Award winning actor. He’s one of the greatest actors of all time, to be included on any top ten list for sure. But who is he?
Ken
After introducing Barbie in Toy Story 2, the writers brought in Ken for Toy Story 3. They made him exactly as upbeat and camp as one would expect from the guy, and they cast an actor who used to play Batman in the role. At first, the casting didn’t seem as though it would work out and the actor didn’t seem suited to the role. But then the movie came out everybody saw it because come on, it’s Toy Story, and he actually really did a good job. Which Batman actor was it?
Ramone
Ramone is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala Lowrider in the Cars movies and he’s voiced by an actor whose usual movies and performances are not appropriate for the intended target audience of the Cars franchise, which is young, impressionable children. That’s because this particular actor is a raging stoner and the movies he makes tend to reflect that. So, you wouldn’t think you’d find him in a kids’ movie, but here he is, in Cars. What is the name of the actor?
Merida
For the first Pixar movie to ever feature a female character as the main protagonist, Brave was no huge departure from the norm for Disney animated movies and their gender problem, as it was about – surprise, surprise – a princess. Well, the one redeeming factor was that the character sent to rescue her was not some handsome prince, but rather her mother, so that was good. Merida was voiced by a popular Scottish actress from Trainspotting. What is the name of the actress?
Fear
The guy who plays fear in Inside Out is one the funniest actors to ever go through the ranks of the cast of Saturday Night Live. He consistently knocked it out of the park, and now he does the same in the supporting roles of various comedy movies, including Superbad, Adventureland, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up – and Pixar’s Inside Out. So, who is this comedy dynamo? Who is the SNL superstar who played the ominous sounding role of Fear in Inside Out?
Stinky Pete
Stinky Pete is the fat prospector in the Woody’s Roundup gang. Until the big twist in Toy Story 2 where he reveals himself to be the bad guy with a diabolical scheme to keep Woody from going back to the warm, loving embrace of Andy, he pretends that he’s stuck in a box in mint condition and needs to be turned around by Bullseye. But he was lying the whole time, and he’s been behind everything that’s been tearing the group apart. Which Frasier actor plays him?
Destiny
Finding Dory was a gargantuan success last summer. The long awaited sequel to Finding Nemo came out and audiences weren’t disappointed, as the worldwide box office receipts shot past $1 billion. The plot introduced a lot of cool new characters. In a facility in California, Dory met a whale named Destiny. Turns out she can speak whale. Destiny was played by a lovable actress from a popular TV show that’s currently on the air. Which actress was it who played the part?
Mr. Potato Head
One of the few actually established, real world toys to be featured in the first Toy Story movie, Mr. Potato Head was always the jokester. He was the guy with the one liners and the cultural references. That’s why Pixar hired one of the pioneers of standup comedy to do his voice. Sadly, that comedian died earlier this year and will therefore need to be replaced for the upcoming Toy Story 4, which will be released in 2019. But which comedian made us laugh in the role before then?
Lotso
Lotso – short for “Lots O Huggin’ Bear” – is the sinister villain of Toy Story 3. Even after Woody and Buzz risk their lives to save his, he continues trying to kill them. See, he was emotionally scarred when his owner abandoned him and it led him to turn a daycare center into a harsh bureaucratic state under his iron fist rule. But his voice wouldn’t give any of that away, as was the intention of the filmmakers. Which sweetly voiced actor did they cast in this role?
Charles F. Muntz
In Up, curmudgeonly but lovable old man Carl Fredricksen used to idolize adventurer Charles F. Muntz. That was until he met him and realized he’s a jerk who enslaves dogs and doesn’t care about anybody. Director Pete Docter was inspired by real life adventurers Howard Hughes, Percy Fawcett, and Charles Lindbergh in his creation of the character. Muntz’s airship, The Spirit of Adventure, is named after Lindbergh’s airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis. But which acting legend provides his voice?
Bing Bong
If Bing Bong’s final scene in Inside Out didn’t reduce you to a fit of tears, then your heart is made of stone. It’s one of the most emotionally affecting scenes in all of Pixar. The moment is so sweet and at the same time devastating – and certainly memorable. Most of the credit goes to the actor who provided the voice of the Bing Bong character. He’s a cast member from Curb Your Enthusiasm and he’s great. But what is his name?