You would assume that it should be easy to identify someone by just their voice, but if you hear them completely out of context it really isn’t that simple. Sure, you probably know your mom’s voice no matter what, or your best friend—but someone you’ve only met once or never met at all might be a little harder to identify. That being said, it’s not surprising that it’s hard to recognize an actor (even a really distinct one) when it’s only their voice, like in an animated movie, for example.
What’s really strange, though, is when you finally recognize the voice of the animated character as a certain actor, you can’t stop seeing the cartoon as the human celebrity, or vice versa. There’s so many celebrities that you definitely didn’t know have voiced cartoon characters, but once you know you’ll never be able to stop picturing them as their real-life/animated counterparts.
1. Selena Gomez – Mavis, Hotel Transylvania
She’s one of the most well-known actresses today, but not many people know her as her vampire counterpart—the spunky and hilarious Mavis in Hotel Transylvania. If you didn’t catch the first two movies, you have another opportunity to see (or hear) Selena in the third installment of the series, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, coming out this Friday.
2. Miley Cyrus – Penny, Bolt
A fan favorite in Hannah Montana and, obviously, The Last Song, this time Miley played a kind and adorable 13-year old who loses her dog in Bolt. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time—a definite must-watch.
3. Zac Efron – Ted, The Lorax
Along with another unexpected co-star (see #4), Efron is the voice of Ted in one of the most well-known of Dr. Suess’s stories,The Lorax. Living in an entirely artificial town, he sets out in search of a real living tree to give to his love interest, Audrey.
4. Taylor Swift – Audrey, The Lorax
The voice of Ted’s love interest, Audrey is Taylor Swift! Aside from her music, of course, you probably recognize her from movies she’s physically acted in (like Valentine’s Day and The Giver), but you probably didn’t know about this one.
5. Rihanna – Tip, Home
An adorable movie about aliens that conquer earth and relocate all the humans, Rihanna is the voice of the one little girl that gets left behind. Far from her “Bad Gal RiRi” image, her character Tip is an adorable girl who befriends and set off on adventures with a fugitive alien.
6. Robin Williams – Genie, Aladdin
He’s known for playing some of the world’s most beloved movie characters, and his voice is super recognizable, so it’s a surprise that we didn’t realize he was the voice of Genie in Aladdin. Maybe the singing, elaborate musical numbers, and a little bit of genie magic was distracting us.
7. Mila Kunis – Meg Griffin, Family Guy
She’s been the voice of Meg for almost 20 years (since 1999), but don’t be mad at yourself for not realizing it. It’s honestly a shock that the most ridiculed, insecure and socially-inept of the Griffin family is voiced by someone as inhumanely perfect as Mila. But that’s the magic of animation!
So next time you watch an animated movie, try to figure out who’s the voice behind the cartoon. It might comes as a big surprise!