Alan Tudyk's Voice Roles: Looking at Disney's Good Luck Charm

MsMojo

For over a decade, Alan Tudyk has been Disney's good luck charm. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at how Alan Tudyk became a guaranteed casting choice for every modern Disney animated movie.

Transcript

00:00 "I'm King Candy! That's right! How does that sound?"

00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at how Alan Tudyk became a guaranteed casting

00:10 choice for every modern Disney animated movie.

00:13 "King Candy, and then it was Aleister Cray with Big Hero 6."

00:18 Before this talented actor was named as the Mouse House's good luck charm, he was filling

00:22 up his resume with a variety of iconic roles that put him on everyone's radar.

00:27 He played Watt in one of his personal favorite films, A Knight's Tale.

00:31 A few years later, he made audiences laugh with his silly part as Steve the Pirate in

00:36 Dodgeball.

00:37 "The dread pirate Steve being no man's debt. I'll make a barter with you, truth in our

00:40 star. In exchange for your kindness, I'll be splitting my buried treasure with you."

00:46 But many sci-fi fans fondly remember Tudyk as the eccentric and lovable pilot Wash in

00:51 Firefly.

00:53 In each of these roles, he charmed audiences with his natural charisma and energetic performances.

00:58 "Everybody hold on to something. There's something you can't do."

01:03 Fortunately, those great qualities translated to an unforgettable lead vocal role in 2004.

01:08 Shortly after the turn of the century, Tudyk provided the voice and motion capture for

01:12 the robot Sunny.

01:13 "If you find out what is wrong with me, can you fix me?"

01:19 "Maybe."

01:20 "I think it would be better not to die."

01:26 Despite looking artificial and unreal, he truly made us believe that the character was

01:31 a lively being with emotions and soul.

01:34 His staggering performance was followed by a few smaller vocal roles.

01:37 "My name is not Simon. It is Simone!"

01:41 After playing Simone in Alvin and the Chipmunks' Chipwrecked and another robot in Astro Boy,

01:47 Disney Reps got in contact with Tudyk to ask a life-changing question.

01:51 Could he sound like the Mad Hatter from 1951's Alice in Wonderland?

01:55 "Oh, what a delightful time! Is it?"

01:58 "Thank you, Cap. I'm so excited. We never get compliments. You must have a cup of tea."

02:03 The reason why they wanted the actor to sound like the well-dressed Lewis Carroll character

02:07 boils down to Wreck-It Ralph's King Candy.

02:10 "Hello, my royal subjects! Ha ha! Have some candy!"

02:17 Disney wanted the dangerous antagonist to sound like the silly and energetic version

02:21 of Mad Hatter that the late Ed Wynn voiced in the 1951 film.

02:25 When Tudyk's agent found out what the studio needed, they told the Mouse House that the

02:29 actor could do the voice, without actually asking him first.

02:33 Fortunately, the performer was up for the challenge.

02:36 Not only did Tudyk give Disney the King Candy they dreamed of, but he won an Annie Award

02:40 for voice acting in a feature production.

02:43 The studio would soon learn that his award-winning work here wasn't just a fluke.

02:47 "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you? Ha ha! You hit a guy with glasses. That's

02:52 well played."

02:53 Over the next few years, Tudyk was called back for each of their feature-length animated

02:57 films.

02:58 He played the old and obnoxious Duke of Whistleton in Frozen.

03:01 "The Duke of Weaseltown."

03:03 "Whessleton!"

03:04 "Duke of Whessleton, your majesty."

03:06 A year later, audiences suspected that Tudyk's Alastair Cray would be revealed as the big

03:11 bad of Big Hero 6.

03:12 He followed that role by voicing an actual weasel in Zootopia.

03:16 "What were you gonna do with those night howlers, Whessleton?"

03:18 "It's Weaselton."

03:19 While all of Tudyk's performances were great, his legend as Disney's good luck charm wasn't

03:24 solidified until Moana debuted.

03:27 There he played the hilarious rooster, Hey Hey.

03:29 "None of which you understand, because you are a chicken."

03:34 Although the character was originally going to be cut from the film, Tudyk was given a

03:37 last-minute rewrite where the rooster was dumbed down.

03:40 The combination of a new script and the actor's committed performance gave us a scene-stealing

03:46 bird that we couldn't imagine leaving out of Moana's story.

03:50 Since that film marked the fifth Disney smash hit that Tudyk had been a part of, the studio

03:54 wasn't exactly ready to let him go.

03:56 "The girl!"

03:57 "I went to Julia."

04:02 The actor had a role in the next six animated films that the studio produced.

04:06 In between parts, Tudyk lent his voice to Iago in the live-action Aladdin and the Skrull

04:11 in Disenchanted.

04:13 And did we mention he played yet another robot named K2SO in Rogue One?

04:17 "Congratulations, you are being rescued.

04:20 Please do not resist."

04:22 The actor's sheer vocal variety ensured that no two characters sounded exactly the same.

04:28 When asked how he developed the range that Disney had become fond of, Tudyk revealed

04:31 that TV was key.

04:33 "I think as a kid I would just learn different voices from cartoons."

04:40 He specifically shouted out the legendary Mel Blanc's work on Looney Tunes as a major

04:44 inspiration.

04:45 Tudyk also credited watching Robin Williams on Mork & Mindy as another helpful step in

04:50 developing his range.

04:52 Thanks to all these influences and some traditional training, the performer could become anything

04:56 from the expressive Tuk Tuk to the talkative Knowsmore.

04:59 "Welcome back to the search bar, madam.

05:01 I hope you were able to find a satisfactory breakfast burrito based upon the search results

05:05 I provided this morning.

05:07 What can Knowsmore help you find now?"

05:09 And just when you think you've watched a movie without him, you can check IMDb and be surprised

05:14 that he played a role like Pico the Toucan in Encanto.

05:17 As a testament to his talent, fans wanted Tudyk to be recognized as a pivotal moment

05:22 in Disney's history.

05:24 When the studio was developing their Once Upon a Studio 100th Anniversary special short,

05:28 they asked viewers who and what they'd like to see.

05:31 There were reportedly a bunch of requests to include a room full of Tudyk's Disney characters.

05:36 "All your characters.

05:38 Neat.

05:39 It's like your multiverse."

05:41 "I like it.

05:42 Like in like a basement of a church and they all have coffee."

05:45 While the studio ultimately passed on that suggestion, they did bring him for a spectacular

05:50 moment.

05:51 When Flounder needs to get into water quickly, the Mad Hatter's hat is used as an impromptu

05:55 fishbowl.

05:56 The Wonderland character is perfectly voiced by Tudyk.

06:00 "Awaita, there's a cop in my cap."

06:03 Having the actor provide the voice he used to get his first role at Disney made it feel

06:07 like his journey had truly come full circle.

06:09 Thankfully, it wasn't over yet.

06:11 "What can Nozmar help you find now?

06:13 A search engine's job is never done."

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06:32 After the special aired, Tudyk's voice was still being heard in trailers for 2023's

06:36 Wish.

06:37 "I'm talking, I am talking.

06:38 Who knew my voice would be this low?"

06:41 His role as the talking goat Valentino let him flex his talent for animal sounds and

06:45 over-the-top dialogue.

06:47 Based on Tudyk's history, this role won't be his swan song for Disney.

06:51 It seems highly likely that we'll hear his voice in big and small studio parts for the

06:55 rest of the decade and beyond.

06:57 Although Tudyk didn't start his career as a voice actor, we think Disney will ensure

07:02 he'll get back in the booth to deliver more iconic performances for years to come.

07:06 "I made a career out of this.

07:07 How cool is that?

07:09 Right?"

07:10 What's your favorite Alan Tudyk role?

07:12 Shout it out in the comments.

07:13 "That's it.

07:14 Oh, it's beautiful."

07:15 Do you agree with our picks?

07:20 Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.

07:23 And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

07:27 -

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07:36 (upbeat music)

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