In 1917, the first animated film was produced by Quirino Cristiani in
Argentina.  It was titled The Apostle.  The first popular animated
television series was created by Walt Disney and starred Mickey
Mouse.  Spin-off series were launched for supporting characters
such as Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto.  The first widely popular
Disney animated feature films were Fantasia and Pinocchio, which
were released in 1940.  Since that time hundreds of wonderful
animated films and television series have been released.
 
Pixar is a CGI animation production company that has released ten
features to date, beginning with Toy Story in 1995.  Pixar makes
incredible animated movies that are loved by millions of people.  In
2006, Disney agreed to buy Pixar for approximately $7.4 billion.
Pixar’s next release will be Toy Story 3.  I have compiled a list of
ten celebrity actors behind some of our most loved animated
characters.  This list will be focused on more modern film
animation.     

Aladdin is the 31st animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated
Classics series.  It is based on the Arab folktale of Aladdin and the
magic lamp from One Thousand and One Nights.  Robin Williams
was great as the genie in this film.  His energy was spot on for the
eccentric genie.  It was the first time that an American animated
feature film paid advertising attention to a celebrity voice cast
member.
 
Robin Williams’s celebrity combined with an incredible performance
helped make the film a major international success.  Since the
release of Aladdin, animated film making has changed and today
films are almost strictly marketed on famous voices.  

9. Casey Kasem
Scooby-Doo Series - Shaggy 

Scooby-Doo is a long running American animated television series.
It was originally produced for Saturday morning viewing and has
been ongoing since 1969.  Scooby-Doo, Where Are You was
originally broadcast on CBS from 1969 to 1976 and then moved to
ABC. ABC aired the show until canceling it in 1986, since that time
different versions of the show have been aired on Cartoon Network.
The original series was groundbreaking.  It quickly became one of
the first extremely successful animated children’s television series.
 
The original cast included actor Don Messick as Scooby-Doo, Frank
Welker as Fred, Nicole Jaffe as Velma, Indira Christopherson as
Daphne, and Casey Kasem as Shaggy.  Shaggy was a light
hearted character that loved his munchies.  He was easily scared
and jumpy.  Kasem did a wonderful job and Shaggy’s voice is one
of the most recognizable in all of animation.  It helped propel Casey
Kasem’s DJ career.            

8. Alan Young

DuckTales - Scrooge McDuck

DuckTales was a popular animated series produced by Walt Disney
Company from 1987-1990.  It is noted as being the first Disney
cartoon to be released for syndication.  It helped influence the
shows Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and TaleSpin.  DuckTales
features the stories and adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his
group of nephews.  Scrooge is the star of the show and the voice
work of Alan Young is great.  Young did a good job portraying the
undeniably greedy, money-grubbing, and sometimes ignorant older
uncle.
 
Alan Young is probably most widely known for his television role
opposite a talking horse in Mister Ed.  He has voiced numerous
animated characters over the years, including Miner Smurf, Farmer
Smurf, and Scaredy Smurf in the 1981 series The Smurfs. 

7. Judith Barsi

The Land Before Time - Ducky

The Land Before Time is a 1988 animated feature that was produced
by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.  It was released during an
era when animated feature films were not quite as common and the
movie tells a good family story.  The plot focuses on dinosaurs
living in a fantasy-based version of prehistoric earth.  Many of the
characters in the film were voiced by child actors.  Judith Barsi was
a popular child actress in the late 1980’s and landed the role of
Ducky in the film.  With her catch phrase “Yep Yep Yep,” Ducky
was a child favorite.
 
It was a funny character and Barsi’s voice was perfect.  Sadly,
Judith Barsi only lived one more year and was murdered by her
father when she was only ten years old.  She was a special girl and
will be missed.  Barsi also touched many fans with her last
performance and portrayal of Anne-Marie in the popular 1989
animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven.

6. Seth MacFarlane

Family Guy - Peter Griffin

Family Guy is an animated television sitcom that follows the Griffin
family, a dysfunctional group that lives in the fictional town of
Quahog, Rhode Island.  It is a bit of an edgy show and has been
cancelled on two separate occasions, but DVD sales and loyal fans
have saved the show.  Today, Family Guy is a major hit for the Fox
Broadcasting Company and has surpassed The Simpsons in
viewership.  Seth MacFarlane is the force behind Family Guy.  He
does much of the writing, voices, and production work on the
show.

MacFarlane voices some of the shows most famous voices,
including Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, Glenn Quagmire,
and Tom Tucker.  MacFarlane’s talent has been recognized by the
masses and he has recently signed a new deal with Fox reportedly
worth $100 million.  This has made MacFarlane the highest-paid
television writer and producer in history. 

5. Tom Hanks & Tim Allen

Toy Story Series - Woody & Buzz Lightyear

Toy Story was a 1995 computer animated feature produced by Pixar
Animation Studios.  It was the company’s first release.  The writing
and voice work used in this film was ground breaking.  Two of the
most successful actors in Hollywood voiced the lead characters of
Woody and Buzz Lightyear.  Tim Allen is wonderful and constantly
on cue with his futuristic portrayal Buzz Lightyear.  The modest
Woody is perfectly played by Hanks.  Both of the actors returned
for the widely successful 1999 release Toy Story 2.  They will also
be back for Toy Story 3, which will be out next summer.      

4. Ellen DeGeneres

Finding Nemo - Dory     

Finding Nemo is a 2003 film that was Pixar’s fifth animated feature.
It tells the story of the protective clownfish Marlin who sets out on a
voyage to find his missing son Nemo, joining Marlin on the mission
is the funny character and tag along Dory.  Dory is a Regal Blue
Tang fish.  In the film she suffers from Anterograde amnesia and
DeGeneres is hilarious in her expressions.
 
Ellen’s script analysis and character development was great and
Dory clearly stood out as the most lovable and entertaining fish in
the movie.  Finding Nemo was an international blockbuster and
grossed around $864 million worldwide.  The American Film
Institute named it the tenth greatest animated film ever made. 

3.Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer,
Jada Pinkett Smith

Madagascar Cast

Madagascar is a 2005 computer-animated film produced by
DreamWorks Animation.  It is a funny movie and great for both
children and adults alike.  I have decided to include all four
members of the ensemble cast of this animated feature.  Ben Stiller
as Alex the Lion, Chris Rock as Marty the zebra, David Schwimmer
as Melman the giraffe, and Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria the hippo
are all great characters.
 
Chris Rock has been an outstanding voice-over comedian his entire
career, portraying commercial star Little Penny in the early 1990’s.  I
was a bit disappointed with Madagascar 2 and felt it lacked a plot
and character development.  A third film will be released in the
summer of 2012 and all four actors will be reprieving their individual
roles.       

2. Mike Myers

Shrek Series - Shrek

To date there have been three Shrek animated features and they
have all been extremely successful and entertaining.  In the films
the character of Shrek is portrayed by Mike Myers.  Myers is a
Canadian actor who became famous in the 1990’s while starring on
the hit television show Saturday Night Live.  For this role he
transformed his voice and truly developed the character of Shrek
the ogre.
 
Myers performance as Shrek, along with Eddie Murph, Cameron
Diaz, and John Lithgow’s roles has helped make Shrek a multi-
billion dollar franchise.  Shrek was the first film to win an Academy
Award for Best Animated Feature, as the category was introduced
in 2001.  Be sure to watch out for Shrek Forever After, which is set
to release May 21, 2010.  All of the title character voices are back,
including Myers in the lead.  

1. Dan Castellaneta

The Simpsons - Homer Simpson

The Simpsons is an animated television sitcom that has broadcast
close to 500 episodes.  The show was created by Matt Groening
and premiered on December 17, 1989.  The Simpsons Movie was
released in theaters on July 26 and July 27, 2007, and grossed
$527 million worldwide.  The Simpsons is the longest-running
American sitcom and the show has won 24 Primetime Emmy
Awards.  During the origins of the show it seemed Bart was the title
and most famous character, but over the years the show has
shifted to focus more on Homer Simpson.
 
Homer Simpson is widely considered one of the greatest animated
characters of all time.  His crazy antics have entertained millions of
people all over the world.  Dan Castellaneta is an American actor,
comedian, and voice artist.  He has the uncanny ability to think and
behave like Homer Simpson.  Castellaneta also voices the
Springfield characters Abraham "Grandpa" Simpson, Barney
Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, and Mayor Quimby.