Animation ManiaLists about films and TV shows told by the visuals-intensive medium that allows storytellers to weave fantastical legends told by unforgettable characters.
Vote up the voice casts with way more clout than necessary.
You might not think of animated kids movies as a place to experience the vocal talents of megastars, but animated films with stacked casts are surprisingly common. From Oscar-worthy animated films like Toy Story 4 to flops like Shark Tale, animated movies often feature outrageously famous actors whose voices you might not expect to hear coming out of animated cars, birds, or yetis.
Have you seen the 2006 movie Flushed Away?If you love Hugh Jackman or Kate Winslet, you might want to check it out. Fans of Peter Dinklage, Kate McKinnon, and Sean Penn might want to watch Angry Birds,whether or not you've played the mobile game that inspired it. Love Tim Curry and Robin Williams? Both of their voices can be found in FernGully: The Last Rainforest,a '90s film that escaped many people's notice.
Is it just us, or are these casts a little too impressive?
Just because a film has pop culture giants like Will Smith, Jack Black, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, and Martin Scorsese doesn't mean it's going to be well-received. Shark Taletells the story of a fish who dreams of becoming wealthy - but runs into trouble with the mob.
Though the film netted $374.6 million at the box office, it also scored an abysmal 36% on Rotten Tomatoes and didn't fare much better anywhere else. It was generally considered derivative and reliant on pop culture its target audience wouldn't understand. Plus, it was dinged for its negative depiction of Italian American stereotypes. Overall, it doesn't even begin to qualify as any of its stars' best work.
Actors: Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie
Released: 2004
Directed by: Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, Rob Letterman
Most people wouldn't expect a movie based on an app to have an especially noteworthy cast, but with a budget of $80 million - plus the $100 million Rovio Entertainment and Sony Pictures pledged to spend on marketing Angry Birds - it's not too surprising. The film features an absolute beast of a cast, including Jason Sudeikis, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Sean Penn, Peter Dinklage, Kate McKinnon, Keegan-Michael Key, and Maya Rudolph. This is a group with too many Emmys and Academy Awards to count. Hader is a Saturday Night Live mogul, Dinklage was on Game of Thrones,and Penn is Penn.
If you don't lean too hard into the "old man yells at a cloud" urge to ignore a movie based on a mobile game, it's kind of worth seeing for the cast alone.
Actors: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon
Robots was a decent if not especially critically successful film about a young robot who uncovers a conspiracy to trick older robots into buying expensive replacement parts. Its lack of success wasn't due to its cast.
The protagonist is played by Ewan McGregor, whom you probably know from his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars.Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Paula Abdul, James Earl Jones, Halle Berry, and Drew Carey all had roles as well. Any one of those talented actors could have easily headlined a show, so it's genuinely surprising the movie didn't get much attention.
It's hard to imagine Hugh Jackman, a man who played Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and Wolverine in multiple iterations of X-Men,playing a pampered mouse who ends up having to survive in a gigantic underground rat city, but that's what Flushed Awayis all about. The film also stars Kate Winslet, who has won five Golden Globe Awards and twice been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Winslet plays a city rat with an attitude. Sir Ian McKellen, who has been knighted for his acting prowess, plays the evil antagonist, The Toad.
Critics thought the movie was just okay - it's up to you to determine if this was the best use of the actors' talents.
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Jean Reno, Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis
FernGully: the Last Rainforestis a '90s film about the impact of human behavior on the environment. The film features Robin Williams as a bat who escaped from a lab, Tim Curry as anthropomorphic sludge, Christian Slater as a fairy named Pips, and comedy duo Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong as minor characters named Stump and Root. FernGully certainly won't be the biggest thing any of these actors are known for - most people think of The Rocky Horror Picture Show when they think of Curry, and Williams is better known for roles like Aladdin's Genie, his stand-up career, or his roles in live-action films like Mrs. Doubtfire or PatchAdams.
Maybe the film's important environmental message attracted these top performers?
Actors: Robin Williams, Tim Curry, Christian Slater, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong
Over the Hedgedidn't do quite as well as other DreamWorks films like Kung Fu Panda or Shrek,but its failure to leave a huge imprint in the cultural zeitgeist wasn't because of its cast. After all, the con artist raccoon protagonist RJ is played by Bruce Willis, a recipient of countless awards, whom you may have seen in films like The Sixth Sense, Die Hard,or Motherless Brooklyn.
Other notable figures are a squirrel played by Steve Carell of The Office fame; Star Trek actor William Shatner and pop-punk star Avril Lavigne as a father-daughter possum duo, Ozzie and Heather; and a porcupine named Penny played by Catherine Anne O'Hara, a Canadian actor who's been in movies and TV shows like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Schitt's Creek.
Actors: Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Allison Janney
