Top 10 Worst Voice Acting in Animated Movies
#10: Nicolas Cage as Dr. Tenma
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“Astro Boy” (2009) While he may not have star billing, Astro Boy’s creator is arguably the real heart and soul of the film. And not just because his new son is mechanical. Unfortunately, the compelling story of grief and acceptance is buried beneath a lackluster performance from Nicolas Cage. The actor has a history of tackling some of the zaniest roles in Hollywood. So, it’s baffling that he comes across incredibly muted while playing Dr. Tenma. He’s so flat in some spots that you’ll be left wondering which of this family is supposed to be a robot. If you want your fix of unhinged Nic Cage goodness, you’re better off looking just about anywhere else.
#9: Matt Damon as Cale Tucker
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“Titan A.E.” (2000) This movie’s plot received criticism for leaning on just about every sci-fi trope in the cosmos. Ionically, Matt Damon’s leading role suffers from a lot of the same issues. The actor’s work feels like he’s imitating similar roles instead of creating something fresh that stands out on its own. The result is a central character that comes off as bland. To be fair, Damon wasn’t exactly given a deep role to begin with. But any potential characterization Cale had is buried beneath his actor’s unconvincing attempts at bravado. At the very least, the film’s visuals are good enough to enjoy even when he’s on mute.
#8: The Whole Cast
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“Scoob!” (2020) Ruh-roh, there’s a major mystery afoot. Today, we’ll try to solve the mystery of why anyone thought replacing the iconic Scooby voice-cast was a good idea. The Mystery Inc. crew had been brought to life by a pretty consistent bunch of actors over the last few decades. However, most of them were overlooked here in favor of casting big names like Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried. Despite their best efforts, their voicework pales in comparison to the established Scooby voices fans were used to. Their casting ensured that “Scoob!’s” main characters didn’t feel authentic. For a “Scooby-Doo” movie, that’s an inexcusable sin.
#7: Billy Bob Thornton as Jigo
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“Princess Mononoke” (1997) Pulling in a great actor like Billy Bob Thornton to work on the English dub of Princess Mononoke seemed like a no brainer. Unfortunately, his performance ended up being a bit head-scratching. Thornton’s delivery alternates between being incredibly awkward and jarringly overblown. And at some points, it just sounds like he’s reading from a script. The main issue here is that his subpar performance doesn't live up to the incredible reputation “Princess Mononoke ”has. Given how prominently Thornton was used to market the film, it feels like he was cast more for his name than his voiceover abilities. In the end, all we got was another disappointing dub performance.
#6: Taylor Swift as Audrey
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“The Lorax” (2012) While Swift has a stellar musical resume, her acting reputation isn’t quite as strong. Her role in the “Lorax” definitely didn’t help her case. Although it sounds like Swift has enthusiasm for her Audrey character, a lot of her lines have the same emphasis and emotion. This makes most of her dialogue blend together into one flat performance. Swift’s missteps only become more evident when compared to her more nuanced and dynamic cast members. And despite being a world famous singer in a quasi musical, she bafflingly doesn’t get a chance to sing within the movie. While Swift’s stunt casting could’ve uplifted the film’s reputation, her performance knocked the project down a peg.
#5: Rob Schneider as Norm
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“Norm of the North” (2016) It’s only fitting that one of the most terrible animated movies ever made also has some of the worst voice acting. As expected, the biggest culprit is none other than Norm himself. Rob Schneider stars as the titular bear. Although he’s had a lengthy career in Hollywood, his voice acting here doesn’t live up to his acting history. His performance is so hollow, obvious, and annoying that it almost comes across as mean-spirited at times. It’s almost like Schneider was trying to parody what the lead of a children’s film should sound like. If his misguided performance was the best they could do, maybe Norm should’ve just stayed in the North.
#4: Cher as Herself
“Bobbleheads: The Movie” (2020) The Goddess of Pop has done fine long form work in films and TV shows for years now. So, this role should’ve been a walk in the park. Cher was just slated to cameo as a bobblehead version of herself that has a very small role in the narrative. But her awful performance here makes it feel like she’s on screen for much longer. Cher’s line delivery is incredibly wooden and uninspired. Although she’s supposed to motivate the other bobbleheads, the lifeless performance might just put you to sleep. Despite the fact she only has a few minutes of screen time and an extended cameo in the credits, Cher somehow completely overstays her welcome.
#3: James Corden as Hi-5
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“The Emoji Movie” (2017) The personalities of sentient emoticons should practically write themselves. But James Corden somehow managed to make a walking, talking high-five feel obnoxious. The big hand lacks nuance and his comedic timing is all off. While Corden is given plenty of screen time to crack jokes, we often end up sighing every time we hear a line. This makes us cringe every time the high five character gets put in the spotlight. To be fair, “The Emoji Movie '' isn't exactly high art. But given Corden’s experience in comedy, we were expecting him to at least try and sell these jokes. In the end, his half-hearted work on the film is a total poop emoji.
#2: Charlie Sheen as Dex Dogtective
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“Foodfight!” (2012) It’s movies like this that make you wonder just what goes on in a recording booth. At some point in production, someone surely must’ve realized that Charlie Sheen sounded like he was sleepwalking through his lines. It’s a genuinely awful performance that’s not even so-bad-it’s-good. As a matter of fact, it’s no stretch to say there’s more product placement than good line reads from Sheen in this whole movie. Admittedly, even Christopher Lloyd struggled to turn in a good performance in this maligned film (xref). But the fact that Sheen was such a boring and uninteresting lead made watching this disaster particularly rough.
#1: Pauly Shore as Pinocchio
“Pinocchio: A True Story” (2022) The boy who wished upon a star isn’t even the most wooden part of this movie. In the end, Pauly Shore’s acting is the most stiff aspect of this film. When the movie’s first trailer came out, people blasted Shore’s awkward, cringey, and downright eye-rolling interpretation of the character. After the movie itself finally released, his detractors had a field day with some of his absurdly ludicrous acting choices. His baffling performance stood at the forefront of one of the most botched English dubs of all time. The fact that the actor also failed to do justice to a beloved character also made things worse. Honestly, our noses would grow if we said Pauly Shore’s work here was anything less than an absolute disaster.
