What is something that must stand out in animated films, other than the animation itself? The voice work! When you watch films like Toy Story, Inside Out and The LEGO Movie, you come out remembering the voice work! It is always great when you get high caliber talent in your animation, especially with people like Tom Hanks, Vin Diesel and Liam Neeson. With The LEGO Batman Movie being released in theaters this weekend, I'm here to give my top 5 voice overs of the last five years.
5. Sammy Bagel Jr. (Edward Norton) - "Sausage Party"
When I found out that Edward Norton was voicing a bagel in a Seth Rogen-written film, I was shocked. To my surprise, he was outstanding in the film. He's one of my favorite actors and the character of Sammy Bagel Jr. was a standout of Sausage Party. He was clever, sarcastic and very wicked. The last scene of the film contains one of my favorite lines from his character. It's not one for everyone to enjoy, but Norton is fantastic as a Woody Allen-like bagel.
4. Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) - "Wreck-It Ralph"
John C. Reilly is a versatile talent, with being in many comedies and dramas. I remember seeing the trailer for the 2012 Disney hit and I knew from the beginning that Reilly was a good pick for playing the titular character. His crazy antics fit the character perfectly, as well as Reilly's charm. I cannot wait to see him reprise the character in the sequel that comes out next March.
3. Olaf (Josh Gad) - "Frozen"
2. Batman (Will Arnett) - "The LEGO Movie"
Oh, you knew someone from The LEGO Movie would be on here! It just had to happen. Will Arnett has one of the best voices in Hollywood, as he crushes as the titular character on the Netflix series BoJack Horseman. But, he owned the role as The Caped Crusader in the form of bricks. He might be the best Batman we have and his voice is just so smug that it works for the role.
1. Joy (Amy Poehler) - "Inside Out"
Inside Out is an extremely important piece of animation. The character of Joy is one of the best written and performed characters of the last five years and Poehler was the perfect actress to portray her. She is the hero of the story and her performance is extremely powerful. The emotional core behind the character is what made me put her at #1. Inside Out is a beautiful film and it's probably the best animation of the decade.















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