6 Women who voiced famous Male Cartoon Characters
Here’s to off-screen talents who dazzled on the screen
Think of a girl on the big screen drawing crowds with her eclectic mixture of style, beauty, and flamboyant personality. Pretty exciting to win our hearts, right? How about I introduce you to a world behind the screen where women go to work in their ‘pajamas’ and still can win our hearts with the charm of their voices? That’s correct! I am talking about voice-over careers women have been in for a long time.
Dive your imaginative mind into remembering every word thrived from the mouth of your favorite cartoon characters- Bart’s weird ‘Ay, Caramba!’, the coarse and funny tone of Bobby, Jimmy’s ad-lib-crooning a few lines from- “I’m just an old chunk of coal!”-behind all these expressions and interjections are those professional, talented women actors who make them come to life with their unique and consistent voices. These women, though not by appearances, have been the medium of entertainment in many films and TV shows.
Here are some of the women voice actors who never fail to bewilder us with their excellent skills.
Debi Derryberry as Jimmy Neutron
Everybody is fascinated by Jimmy’s scientific discoveries and Derryberry’s exclusive warm, chipper tone to capture his expressions. Derryberry has been a prominent figure in the entertainment industry for the past 15 years. If you are an animated TV show and film-lover, you have heard her voice behind your favorite characters which has dazzled your cartoon universe. She first appeared in America’s children’s TV show, Hey Vern, It’s Earnest as Skeeter. Later, she unveiled the charm of her miraculous voice to appear in many famous TV series. She was Nergal Jr. in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. While she was Weenie the dog and Catrina the Caterpillar in Oswald, we cannot miss her voice as Coco Bandicoot in the Crash Bandicoot video game series.
Despite all their remarkable works, she didn’t get ultimate success until the young, smart, gadget inventor Jimmy Neutron came along. In The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Derryberry’s Jimmy can solve all problems and save his parents from evil egg-shaped invaders. While asked about her inspiration to play the young boy, she traces her acute observation to the boys in her neighborhood,” It’s all about getting inside a kid’s head and understanding their innocence and wide-eyed wonder”.
Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson
The voice behind our mischievous, indecent, irreverent Bart Simpson in the most renowned and longest-played 1989 American Sitcom, The Simpsons, is the versatile actress Nancy Cartwright. Starting her professional career with the voice of Gloria in the animated series, Richie Rich, Nancy rose to international fame voicing Bart Simpson. Following her memoir, My Life As a 10-year-old boy, we are provided with a glimpse of how her character Bart helped create a new identity in the acting industry. Her character got so wildly popular that a 13-year-old Simpson fan was startled when Nancy revealed Bart’s voice in front of him leaving the kid fully astonished.
Nancy’s success lies in some other voice-over work, including Daffney Gill fin in Snoreks, Rufus in Kim Possible, Charles Chuckie Finster in Rugrats, and All Grown Up!
Pamela Adlon as Bobby Hill
Ever thought the cranky and funny, Bobby as a woman? As it turns out, it is, and the name is Pamela Fionna Adlon. The American actress, producer, director, and screenwriter, Aldon became a popular figure for portraying the character of Bobby Hill, in King of The Hill, a stand-up comedy show featuring a soft, cranky, fun-loving boy, Bobby who tries to make his father proud by doing something good but ends up making a mess every time. Her character received positive feedback and earned an Adlon Primetime Emmy Award.
After 13 years of acting as Bobby Hill, Adlon is admired by a huge fan who now want her to be back in king of the Hill: Revival, which in now in works. While asked about her come back as Bobby, she exclaimed,” of course I would”, and went on,” It would be the greatest thing in the world. I feel I learned so much about writing, and about the way I want to make television… from King of the Hill. King of the Hill is my jam.”
Among her other works, the most well-known are Ashley Spinelli in Recess, Otto Osworth in Time Squad, and Californication, etc.
Tara Strong as Timmy Turner
Another actress whose resume includes large list of voice-over works is Tara Strong. Known as a legendary voice actor in the animation and film industry, Strong is mostly famous for her presentation of Timmy Turner in the Nickelodeon Cartoon The Fairly Odd Parents and the ‘softest and sweetest’ Bubbles in The Power puff Girls.
Strong’s voice can work for any character of any age. Even a 10-year-old average kid, Timmy, who is underestimated by his biological parents and cared by fairy parents, Cosmo and Wanda, who gifted him an angel brother, Poof. Though she is 49, her voice succeeds in taking us to the make-believe world of our beloved characters.
She has also been the voice behind the ‘annoying’, ’troubling’, baby Dil Pickles, the younger brother of Tommy Pickles, in the movie Rugrats and Simple, Ben Tennyson who has attained superpower from a powerful watch in Ben 10.
Regina King as Huey and Riley Freeman
Have you ever wondered how the strict, reserved lady; Janine Davis in The Big Bang Theory can fit herself into the role of a 10-year-old boy? Well, yes, she can. It’s the famous Academy Award winner Regina King who has manipulated her voice to adapt various character roles.
Regina has been reigning our hearts since her first performance as Brenda Jenkins in the series 227.In addition to her various contributions in the films, such as Poetic Justice, and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, Regina has amazed us with her astounding voice doing some voice-overs.
The actress got recognition from the famous Tv series, The Boondocks, famous animated series focusing on the suburb life of the two Afro-American protagonists, Huey and Riley Freeman, before she went on venturing the world of films. She portrayed them so brilliantly that we could easily filter out two different perspectives they shared. Whereas we are alarmed by the politically informed and cynical, Huey who detests absurdity in everything, the typical ‘gangsta’ Riley’s approach to life adds all the fun and thrill throughout the series. All credits go to the actress as she talks about her experience adjusting these characters in An Interview.
Veronica Taylor and Sarah Natochenny as Ash Ketchum
We all love the fictional character Ash Ketchum from Pokémon, but we probably never care to know the voice behind him. There are two actresses who have been the reason behind our adoration for the ‘impulsive’, ’passionate’, and ‘adventurous’ Ash.
Veronica is the voice queen of all dubbed work in English. She continues to voice Ash till the 8th season. Her other dubbed works include voice of Mangchi in the English dub of Hammerboy,the voice of Nico Robin in the 4Kids dub of One piece. But among all her accomplishments, Ash Ketchum is noteworthy as she speaks highly of her admiration for the character in an Interview,” I would like to play Ash until eternity….”.
After Veronica establishing the role of Ash, the next on the line to continue as a replacement is Sarah Netochenny, who has played Ash from the 9th season onwards. As per the source , the replacement was due to the production change from 4Kids to Pokémon USA. Sarah also replaced Jamie Peacock in the redub of The Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon.
