The Jungle Book has hit the big screen today and boasts some wonderful voice performances from a super talented cast; including Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, and Christopher Walken.
Over the years, we have seen some truly wonderful voice performances in animation and live-action movies and we are going to look back and pick out some of our favourites. Are there any that stand out for you?
- Robin Williams - The Genie
When it comes to animation voice performances, there's not one that is better and more iconic than that of Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin.
It was 1993 when Aladdin hit the big screen here in the UK and it is up there as one of the all-time Disney classics. The film was based on the folktale Aladdin and the Magic Lamp from One Thousand and One Nights and was the thirty-first animated feature from the studio.
Williams was one of the first mega-stars to voice a character in an animation film... kicking off the trend that we see so often today. He gives a knockout and unforgettable performance.
Williams brings a terrific energy to the film as he is really let loose with this character. He improvised rather than read from a script and that works so well as it leaves his dialogue feeling so in the moment and off the cuff.
For me, the Genie is not only a driving force in this film but delivers some wonderful comic relief when the story gets a little dark. And, at the heart of it, you have a character who is truly good. Williams captures all that perfectly and his voice performance remains one of the best in Disney history.
Aladdin went on to become one of the most successful films of the year and grossed over $504 million worldwide. When it comes to Disney films, Aladdin is still up there as one of my all-time favourites.
- Bradley Cooper - Rocket
We have seen a whole host of great voice performances in live action movies in recent years... and Bradley Cooper as Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy really is up there as one of my favourite. I also love Groot in this film but he does have a rather limited vocabulary.
Cooper is one of the best and most in-demand actors around at the moment and yet, we never see his face in this Marvel film. But he still delivers a wonderful performance as he brings bounty hunter Rocket to life.
Rocket is one of the film's larger than life characters and Cooper really does capture his 'I don't give a s**t attitude.' He also bring some fantastic comic relief and has some of the best lines. I love the banter between Rocket and Peter Quill - with both actors doing their bit to make these exchanges unforgettable.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a mix of live action, motion capture, and CGI effects, with director James Gunn bringing all that together so it works without a hitch.
The movie is based on the Marvel comic of the same name and both Rocket and Groot are two characters that have been brought to life on the big screen so wonderfully. They have become fan favourites since the film was released back in 2014.
The movie went on to be both a critical and commercial success. It was the third highest grossing film of the year behind Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies.
- Ellen DeGeneres - Dory
Pixar is one of the leading lights when it comes to animation movies and Finding Nemo is one of the jewels in the studio's crown. Hard to believe, but it was back in 2003 when we were introduced to the characters for the first time and Dory is one that audiences really took to their hearts.
Ellen DeGeneres was on board to voice the character of Dory, a regal blue tang with short-term memory loss. Dory teams up with Marlin to help find his son, who is captured by scuba divers.
Finding Nemo is a movie that is packed with wonderful characters and Dory is one of the most loved. DeGeneres creates a character that is incredibly funny but is wonderfully optimistic and warm-hearted.
Dory and Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) make a wonderful comic team and develop a touching and charming central relationship. It is an unlikely friendship that drives this film forward and results in some memorable moments.
Finding Nemo is a movie that is a visual spectacular but it is a film that is packed with heart and it is Dory & Marlin and the performances from DeGeneres & Brooks that help deliver that.
DeGeneres will be back as Dory this summer with Finding Dory, which sees this wonderful character reunite with Marlin to go and find her long-lost family.
- Kathleen Turner - Jessica Rabbit
Kathleen Turner has one of the most recognisable movie voices and she lent her sexy and gravely tones to the character of Jessica Rabbit when she appeared in Who Framed Roger Rabbit back in 1988.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a movie that was a mix of live action and animation and saw Robert Zemeckis in the director's chair. Turner joined Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd on the cast list and delivered a great performance.
There is no other actress who could have delivered such a sexy and sultry performance without ever being seen on the big screen. Yes, the animation is fantastic but it is Turner's performance that really bring the sultry old fashioned Hollywood glamour to Jessica Rabbit.
For me, this is one of the best voice performances from an actress of all time as she helps turn her into a mysterious and truly interesting character.
- James Earl Jones - Darth Vader
Darth Vader is one of cinema's greatest and most iconic villains and was introduced for the first time back in Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977.
His powerful physical on-screen presence was courtesy of actor David Prowse... but we have James Earl Jones to thank for that menacing voice.
That deep voice sent a shiver down your spine and those rasping breaths terrified a generation. Vader went on to appear in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and was part of one of the biggest and best movie twists of all time.
'I am your father' remains one of the most iconic lines in cinema history and is delivered in a calculated and rather cold way by Jones in The Empire Strikes Back - a twist that no one saw coming.
Star Wars is one of the most beloved film franchises of all time and together, Jones and Prowse were responsible for creating a true cinematic icon.
- Tom Hanks & Tim Allen - Woody & Buzz Lightyear
It was back in 1995 when the animation genre changed forever as Toy Story hit the big screen. Toy Story was the first full-length computer animated film and introduced us to studio Pixar for the first time.
John Lasseter took up the director's chair for this pivotal film... which went on to change the direction of the animation genre forever.
We weren't just introduced to Pixar for the first time with Toy Story, but also character Woody and Buzz Lightyear - brought to life by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. They are two of the best and most iconic animation characters of the last twenty years.
These two start out at loggerheads but, over the course of the film become the best of friends. Together, they are the heart and soul of this entire franchise with Hanks and Allen delivering some of their best work.
The jostling to be 'leader' at the beginning of Toy Story provides some great comic moments but I love these two characters more when they become allies and then good friends.
Toy Story has gone to become a hugely successful animation franchise will all three movies enjoying both critical and commercial success. Toy Story 3 went on to gross over $1 billion at the global box office in 2010.
Other great voice performances in movies include Douglas Rain as HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Scarlett Johansson as Samantha in Her, Phil Harris as Baloo in The Jungle Book, Eddie Murphy as Donkey in the Shrek series, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug in The Hobbit trilogy.
The Jungle Book is out now.
Tagged in Finding Nemo The Jungle Book Aladdin