Beloved Animated Characters Who Were Dubbed by Women
Animated films and TV series play a big part in our lives from early childhood until adulthood. It showed us amusing stories, kept us entertained, and introduced us to many characters we continuously love to this day. However, these animated characters wouldn’t be who they are today if not for the magnificent work of the voice actors behind them. Hence, it is time to shine the spotlight on the unsung heroes of the animation industry.
From playing rambunctious young boys to babbling adorable babies, voice actors play a variety of characters. By adding little quirks and giving them nuanced personalities, voice actors artistically bring depth to our favorite characters. And as this process goes on, we assume that the actors are cast depending on the characters they play. However, some voice actors may surprise you, as they aren’t usually who you expect.
With that, here are a few animated characters you probably did not were voiced by women:
Jimmy Neutron
The titular Neutron is a beloved Nickelodeon character from the early 2000s. Known as the kid genius of Retroville, Neutron first appeared in the 2001 film “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,” which eventually became a smash hit. Later on, Nickelodeon went on to produce three seasons of what would become a hit TV series featuring Jimmy and his many misadventures. Alongside his trusted ol’ pals, Sheen and Carl, Jimmy discovers that not all life problems can be solved by his high-technology inventions.
Surprisingly, our beloved kid genius is voice dubbed by American professional voice actress, Debi Derryberry. Debi, who also voiced Draculaura from Monster High and Coco from Crash Bandicoot, voiced a slew of characters both in animation and video games. Currently, she’s on TikTok sharing her voice-acting prowess with her over a million followers.
Ben Tennyson
The protagonist of the smash hit Ben 10 franchise, Ben Tennyson starts out as your typical adolescent boy. As a young man always up for mischief, Ben often finds himself in trouble. However, when he discovers the Omnitrix during a family summer camping trip, things changed for him for the better. With the Omnitrix, he can transform into different alien species allowing him to play a hero in times of trouble. But, as his newly found powers started gaining notoriety, stronger alien opponents start targeting the boy and his family.
Did you know that Ben Tennyson is among the many characters dubbed by one of Hollywood’s leading voices in animation? Voiced by Canadian-American actress Tara Strong, Ben Tennyson is only one among a myriad of well-loved characters Tara had voiced. She also dubbed Timmy Turner (Fairly OddParents), Bubbles (The Powerpuff Girls), Raven (Teen Titans), and, more recently, Miss Minutes (Loki). Besides voicing animated characters on TV and in Film, she also dubs for video game characters.
Dexter
Another Kid brainiac character on this list is Cartoon Network’s Dexter from the show Dexter’s Laboratory. The show follows the story of the titular protagonist, a known kid genius who secretly has a lab hidden underneath their house. His many misadventures happen when his meddling older sister, Dee Dee, gets in the way of his many fantastic inventions.
“Oh, say it again, Dexter!” This accented kid wiz was actually dubbed by two different voice actresses. Initially, Dexter was voiced by the late American actress Christine Cavanaugh who decided to retire in 2001. After her retirement, another American actress Candi Milo took on the wheel and had voiced Dexter ever since.
Bart Simpson
One of the main protagonists of the longest-running animated TV series, The Simpsons, Bart Simpson, became a classic icon for animation. As the eldest son of Homer and Lisa Simpson, Bart gets into frequent trouble with his mischievousness and rebelliousness. Even so, he remains to be one of the most well-loved and highly recognizable characters to kids and kids at heart today.
Bart, who is known for his famous catchphrase, “Ay caramba!” is dubbed by no other than Nancy Cartwright. Nancy is a well-decorated voice actress who did many other famous animated characters we love. Besides Bart, she is also the voice behind Chuckie Finster (Rugrats), Rufus (Kim Possible), and Todd Daring (The Replacements). She also lends her voice to other projects including audiobooks, video games, and commercials.
Spotted your favorite character on the list? Did their voice actresses surprise you? Share with us your thoughts!
