Our Favorite Disney Voice Actors over the Years: The People Who Voiced Your Childhoods

Becoming a voice actor for Disney is much like becoming a voice actor for animation. But with Disney, emotion, color and character are taken to their heights. Before going for Disney auditions, an excellent imagination and improvisational skills are crucial. An impactful animation is more about the character that’s brought to life than the words on the script, and a Disney voice actor must be able to give that.

All of us can agree Disney voice acting played a big role in our childhood, and its still doing that with kids today releasing some of the biggest movies that hit the big screen, some of them are remakes of classic cartoons we used to watch when we were kids.

We’re looking back at some of the voices that shaped our childhood from some of the biggest classics we can remember.

The Lion King

Ah “The Lion King”, one of the best cartoons ever made, this one was considered by the studio at the time to be a “B” movie, as while the main team was working on “Pocahontas” the secondary team was working on this one, ironically enough, the big movie ended up bombing while “The Lion King” became a critical and commercial success.

The movie taught us everything from courage, and friendship, to loss and heartbreak. It was a powerful film that is remembered fondly today, and we still consider the original superior to the remake in every regard.

Aladdin

“Aladdin” was really relatable to many of us because of its Middle Eastern theme and setting, something that really hit home for us as Egyptian viewers, and the story was magical, the characters were amazing, and the genie was hysterical, all of which when mixed together became an instant classic to many Disney fans worldwide.

Aladdin – Scott Weinger

Although he was drawn to resemble Tom Cruise, Aladdin was voiced by Weinger, and thankfully his boyish charm easily came though, making him one of Disney’s most charismatic and lovable character to this day.

Jasmine – Linda Larkin

A princess almost everybody fell in love with at first sight, including Aladdin himself, the character has a strong presence and Larkin made that strength felt in ever scene her character was in, giving her a sense of pride, independence, and uniqueness, something Naiomi Scott would focus on in the 2019 remake.

Mulan

“Mulan” taught us an important lesson about taking care of our family and doing what’s right no matter the odds. The film was different than most of the previous ones and we loved it even more for it.

Mulan – Ming-Na Wen

Ming-Na Wen offered a soft yet strong identity for the character, providing her with a steel-willed mind, and the dedication to prove herself, making her a unique character to watch and listen to. There are some famous voice actors in Disney voice acting, and their performance are iconic.

Mushu – Eddie Murphy

On the other hand, you had Mushu, while Mulan was soft-spoken, quiet, determined, and poised, you got Mushu being loud, energetic, and full of life, a great contrast of characters and something we think led to the creation of Donkey from “Shrek” in many ways.

Beauty & The Beast

A tale as old as time, many learned a few things from this classic, like that beauty is only skin deep, to stay humble no matter your origin, and to be kind to others.

Belle – Paige O’Hara

O’Hara brought out the sweet side of the character really well, but when she needed to she brought the fierce independence and strength the character needed to face her opponents, showing her courage, and personality along the way, making her a timeless heroine for viewers everywhere.

Gaston – Richard White

Loud, arrogant, and a bit too much, White did a phenomenal job, bringing this larger than life character to, well, life. His deep voice demanded attention, and although not everything he was saying was worthy of us listening to it, he still had that extra flare villains need to stay memorable.

The Beast – Robby Benson

The guy looks like a beast, and while yes his voice was altered to bring out the deep tones of his character, his performance does shine through significantly, showing both his harsh angry side, but his sweet side too, when he needs to be.

Thank you for your reading.Good Luck!