For decades, most voice actors in animated films were not famous celebrities. They were typically character actors, talented individuals who lent their voices to dozens if not hundreds of animated characters in a variety of mediums. Some were even uncredited, hidden masters of their craft. 1992’s Aladdin changed everything. Directors Jon Musker and Ron Clements deliberately sought out comedian Robin Williams to voice the Genie. His instantly iconic turn as the Big Blue Guy taught executives a lesson: famous voices can capture people’s attention, and capturing their attention secures profit. Williams, a household name by 1992, was no doubt a major factor that led to Aladdin’s success as the highest grossing film that year.
One decision sparked by creative enthusiasm and experimentation has since snowballed into an industry-wide practice that has become equal parts uninspired and depressing.
With the precedent set, other studios scrambled to follow this trend. The casts of animated films soon became inundated with SNL alums, sitcom legends, pop stars, and whatever flavors of the week executives thought could draw a crowd. Movie posters were covered in massive block text listing an endless stream of A-listers. Genuinely talented performers seemed to have all their charisma sucked out of them as soon as they stepped into the recording booth. They made little effort to make any changes to their voices, doing nothing to fully immerse themselves into the characters on screen. Yet, for how bleak this practice is, voice acting is not a lost art. Throughout the years, there have been actors that have delivered stellar performances, movie stars or otherwise. 2022 was no different. A remarkably robust year for animation, there were telltale uninspired turns in the recording booth; however, there were also amazing performances to be found amongst different animated mediums and genres.
Cate Blanchett may be the name on everyone’s lips due to her arresting performance as my close personal friend Lydia Tár, but this wasn’t her only captivating role as a troubled performer this year. Blanchett is one of many fantastic voices found within Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio. She plays Spazzatura, the monkey assistant of one of the film’s villains, a cruel ringmaster. It may seem surprising to highlight a performance that mostly consists of monkey noises with various shrieks and grunts, but it’s that very element that makes Blanchett’s performance so wonderful. She is egoless as she throws herself into the character. Instead of recording her lines to be edited into the film later, as is the custom in animation, she recorded her lines shot-by-shot. She is specific and particular in how Spazzatura expresses himself nonverbally, even basing his snicker on Del Toro’s own laugh. She makes full use of her vocal range, from deep growls to ear-piercing screeches. Even when Spazzatura speaks through his puppets, none of them sound alike, each featuring different lilts and tones. Blanchett seamlessly transitions between comedy and tragedy, turning the seemingly villainous monkey into a sympathetic figure with a few grunts and murmurs. Blanchett’s role is small within a vast tapestry of voices, but it’s easily the most unique of the bunch.
There were quite a few movie musicals released in 2022, but none with a voice so enchanting as Avu-chan’s performance as Inu-Oh, the titular lead of Masaaki Yuasa’s thrilling and mystical period piece. Anime enthusiasts might recognize Avu-chan as the singer of the infectiously catchy rendition of “Devilman no Uta” from Yuasa’s adaptation of Devilman Crybaby. In Inu-Oh, Avu-chan is both singer and actor. Born accursed and disfigured, Inu-Oh begins the tale as an outcast. At first, Avu-chan plays the character with an almost feral snarl on his words, yet there’s a kind of squeakiness to his voice that reveals the innocent child beneath the mask. Once Inu-Oh becomes a singer, Avu-chan’s performance takes on an entirely new dimension: Inu-Oh is a storyteller, regaling audiences with the tales of warriors and battles presumed to be lost to time. Avu-chan’s voice captures the rage of battle, the sorrows of the damned, and the lighthearted lilt of the troublemaker the character has been since he was a boy. Avu-chan’s range is astounding. As a singer, Inu-Oh is a 14th-century androgynous glam rock star, reaching soaring high notes and whipping crowds into a frenzy. Yet offstage, he can be shy and playful. Avu-chan never loses sight of the earnestness beneath the glamor. He can be mischievous, but Avu-chan transforms that mischief into a transfixing vulnerability that makes Inu-Oh into a dynamic star that burns fiercely with his love of music and stories.
It sounds ridiculous to say that one of the most achingly human and tender performances of the year came from a talking shell, but Dean Fleischer Camp’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On just loves to exceed expectations. Mockumentaries tend to be very tongue-in-cheek, but Marcel’s story is given weight without being overly saccharine or sacrificing the humor in its inherently silly premise. Most of all, it’s uplifted by Jenny Slate’s stellar voice work. It’s not a novelty because she’s an adult woman playing a little boy; animation has done that plenty of times. Slate is doing a lot to her voice to become Marcel. The shell seems to have a permanently stuffy nose, an accurate detail if you’ve ever spent time with grubby elementary schoolers. In an attempt to appear more mature, he’ll deliberately pitch his voice deeper, but it’ll soon crack the second he loses himself in an exciting conversation. True to his size, Marcel is a quiet mutterer, always filling the air with his tuts and musings. None of it ever feels like too much. Slate is not trying to convince the audience of anything — Marcel just exists. He’s a real little boy, one who has had to assume far too much responsibility and has developed various ways to cope, from his hobbies to his sarcastic sense of humor. He also happens to be a little shell. But this little shell is sincere and sweet. He asks thoughtful questions, loves his family to the ends of the earth, and is exceptionally kind.
I’ll admit, I’m very biased when it comes to Jenny Slate’s Marcel. In the last couple of months, our journeys have been very similar. Like Marcel, I’ve had several shake-ups and losses within my family that have been very difficult to maneuver. This is what cements Slate as not just one of the best performances in animation in 2022, but one of the best performances of the year, period. Marcel is a palpable character, made real with every crack in his voice, every giggle, every note he mutters or hums to himself. It’s as if I could find him padding about right in my backyard.
The best performances are the ones that make us forget that the characters we’re watching are attached to a real figure outside of the world of the film. One would think that would be easier in animation, when you can’t even see the actor’s face, but that’s not always so. Dull vocal performances can render stunning animation listless, like a cheap sock puppet show. They can sap the art form of its wonder and whimsy. Blanchett, Avu-chan, and Slate’s performances are a testament to the brilliance that can be achieved when imaginative animation blends with masterful voice acting. They bolster their stories, imbuing the characters with passion and emotion. These three performances are a testament to the unique power of animation, and a reminder that a great actor can create something transformative with just their voice.
