The Best Big Screen Toon Characters
We found everything from flying fairies, flatulent warthogs and femme fatales in our quest to come up with our 25 favorite animated characters. We chose the toon characters -- in movies that run the gamut from 'Aladdin' to 'Up' -- that entertain us, make us laugh ... or scare us a little bit.
Click through our countdown of the 25 most entertaining characters; they take the top spots in our hearts ... and more importantly, our DVD collections. -- By Ed Tahaney
Everett Collection (2) / Buena Vista / Everett Collection
25. Jessica Rabbit ('Who Framed Roger Rabbit' 1988)
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way," explains the mammiferous redhead. True that. Jessica's accused of playing pattycake behind the back of her honey bunny, Roger, in this whodunit, a mix of animation and live action that won three Oscars. Kathleen Turner provided the sultry voice while Amy Irving did the singing. The bombshell's look was inspired by Tex Avery's Little Red Riding Hood as well as classic Hollywood stars like Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake and Lana Turner. Va va voom, indeed.
Everett Collection
24. Chesire Cat ('Alice in Wonderland' 1951)
The mysterious stripped blue cat with a smile like a crescent moon befriends poor Alice in this Lewis Carroll classic. This grinning and floating feline prankster can disappear and reappear at will and gives our heroine cryptic directions that usually help her get into more trouble. Character actor Sterling Holloway -- also known for his work on 'Winnie the Pooh' -- lent his falsetto voice for the trickster.
Disney
23. Carl Fredricksen 'Up' (2009)
The lovable and cantankerous 78-year-old Carl Fredrickson is an instant classic. Actor Ed Asner is the older voice of Carl, the grumpy old man who's a combination of Asner's 'Lou Grant' TV persona with a dash of Walter Matthau's role in 'The Bad News Bears.' Fredrickson's dreams of a South American adventure in his fly-away house really picks 'Up' up and away in this fun fable.
Walt Disney
22. Lumiere ('Beauty and the Beast' 1991)
Despite being turned into a candlestick, the Beast's chef is a swell guy and hopeless romantic. Voiced by Jerry Orbach (best known as Det. Lennie Briscoe on 'Law & Order'), Lumiere's in love with Babette, the Feather Duster, and gives the Beast advice on how to impress the lovely Belle. Orbach based his performance on French actor/singer Maurice Chevalier. 'Beauty' was the first animated movie nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, but it lost out to 'The Silence of the Lambs.' C'est la vie.
Everett Collection
21. Mike Wazowski ('Monsters, Inc.' 2001)
Billy Crystal regretted turning down the role of Buzz Lightyear in 'Toy Story' and thankfully agreed to play Mike Wazowki, a four-fingered, three-toed green Cyclops living in Monstropolis, where children's screams are converted into power. Mike and his big hairy palooka pal and roomie, Sulley, have their hands full when a cute little human named Boo enters the picture. Who knew that monsters were afraid of kids?
Disney/Pixar Pictures
20. Scrat ('Ice Age' films, 2002, 2006, 2009)
Scrat is an acorn-obsessed prehistoric squirrel/rat who's always in search of the elusive nut -- like a ship that sails on the horizon. The nutty character was originally just supposed to appear in the film's opening sequence, but he tested so well that director and voice Chris Wedge added more scenes. According to 'Ice Age' lore, the silent and silly character and his acorn are responsible for the continents we have today.
20th Century Fox
19. Timon & Pumba ('Lion King' 1994)
A wise-cracking meerkat, Timon, and a flatulent warthog, Pumbaa -- can't you just feel the love? Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, who voiced the dysfunctional duo, were originally supposed to play hyenas Banzai and Shenzi (voiced in the movie by Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin). The oddball outcasts befriend Simba, an exiled lion cub, and teach him Hakuna Matata, and then later help him regain his throne as king of the jungle.
Everett Collection
18. Remy ('Ratatouille' 2007)
"If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff," says Remy the rat, star of 'Ratatouille.' Certainly words to live by. Comedian Patton Oswalt lent his voice for the little blue gourmand with a highly developed sense of taste and smell who dreams of becoming a five-star French chef. The pink-nosed vermin charms and serves up the best meals -- and laughs -- in all of Paris. So tasty and delicious, the movie won a Best Animated Feature Film Oscar.
Disney
17. Jiminy Cricket ('Pinocchio' 2007)
Be careful when you wish upon a star -- the singing bug voiced by Vaudeville veteran and famed ukulele player Cliff Edwards became Pinocchio's conscience, counselor in moments of temptation and guide along the straight and narrow path, after a wave of a Blue Fairy's wand. This storybook fable flopped when it was first released but eventually won over generations of fans. The vagabond bug was never far from his buddy and just a whistle away -- well, most of the time. Toodle-oo!
Everett Collection
Reader Comments (76)
nichole at 12:17PM on Jul 20th 2009
im a 16 year old who grew up with disney as a kid. i loved watching winnnie the pooh, so tigger is my favorite toon, he always makes me smile.
Griff at 10:40PM on Jul 20th 2009
Bugs Bunny is missing.
ToonBuff at 7:54PM on Aug 15th 2009
That's because Bugs is NOT a Disney character, but a Warner Brothers one!!! Just like Wile E./Road Runner, Tweety & Sylvester, etc.. BUT... they did not include Mater from "Cars"? No Jack-Jack from "The Incredibles"?? Or "Dory" from "Nemo".... I mean, Nemo himself was juat a wuss!!!
timmyelliot at 4:10PM on Nov 7th 2009
I guess bugs didn't make the list because, even though he was on the big screen, people who don't know better associate him with TV. From 1930 to 1969, many Warner Bros shorts were released at the theater.
But I think Pooh is another glaring mistake. He definately was on the big screen with, _The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh_ (1977).
If not Bugs, then I think Mickey Mouse should have been number one. Sure he was only in a small number of feature film roles, but, like Bugs, he also showed up in the big screen in a countless number of shorts that would play before the main feature in theaters.
Elisa at 6:45PM on Jul 20th 2009
101 dalmations was made in 1961. The live action one with Glenn Close was made in 1996.
Maureen at 11:22PM on Jul 20th 2009
Oh, my gosh! No Little Mermaid?! What were they thinking when they put togetherTHIS list!? ....and Buzz Lightyear is in, and BAMBI isn't?! Pumba is in and Cinderella is not #!? Okay so I guess i 'll need to accept Mickey on the list, but no Belle? and no Alladin?! Yikes, I demand a recount!
C-Mon at 12:02PM on Jul 21st 2009
where is Edna Mode from the Incredibles??
moviegoer247 at 12:47PM on Jul 21st 2009
omg i forgot about her!
cassie! :) at 11:49AM on Jul 21st 2009
Tiger from winnie the pooh definately needs to be on the list!
meggie at 6:38PM on Jul 21st 2009
"tigger" i spelled t-i-double guh-er
Stormie at 11:59AM on Jul 21st 2009
I actually knew these and love most. I would have liked if Pocahontas and Ariel were included.
johnnysam at 12:20PM on Jul 21st 2009
what???? No Bugs Bunny? And I seem to remember Homer and his family is a movie not too long ago.
Super Mario at 1:38AM on Jul 28th 2009
Guys they are from MOVIES!!1
Bugs and winnie the pooh are TV SHOWS
Tim Childs at 12:34PM on Jul 21st 2009
Wait a minute! Dory! Remember Dory, a fish with short-term memory loss is a much more fun and ore original character than Nemo. Or most of the other characters on the list.
Marty at 12:47PM on Jul 21st 2009
I hardly see how a 2009 "Up" character can already make the list. The Emporer's New Groove, Robots, Hoodwinked and Treasure Planet have great characters, as well.
meggie at 6:39PM on Jul 21st 2009
where the crap is peter pan???? i mean tink wouldn't be in existance without peter pan!!!!!!
Brenda at 8:38PM on Jul 21st 2009
Why isnt Mickey Mouse #1 he's like the most recognizable animated charecter in the world!
Crissy at 12:27AM on Oct 15th 2009
Thank you!
Guillermo Gomez at 9:27PM on Jul 21st 2009
Whatever happened to Garfield, Tweety, Taz, Bugs... I love the disney movies but it isnt all there is.
Ryan at 4:54AM on Jul 24th 2009
The problem is that this is a movie list, and while the Bugs cartoons are amazing, the Looney Tunes movies went from decent (Space Jam) to forgettable (Back In Action).