Disney’s Pixar has become one of most celebrated and beloved animation studios in the world responsible for the happiness of millions of families worldwide, as well as being, per The Film Magazine, one of the leading pioneers in cutting-edge computer-generated imagery. Its animation has always been among the most beautiful and eye-catching in the industry, and its knack for telling engaging stories that resonate with audiences is second to none. Over the years, Pixar has provided us with some of the most memorable characters to ever grace the screen.

A good voice performance is essential to bringing Pixar characters to life and elevating them to new planes. A wide range of emotions needs to be conveyed, with the voice alone being able to express where the character is from, their personality, and how they’re feeling. We take a look at some of the greatest voice performances from Pixar’s list of animated classics.

9 Tim Allen — Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story franchise)

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Buzz Lightyear is a hero to many and one of Pixar’s greatest creations. The inimitable Tim Allen provided a low deadpan vocal delivery throughout the Toy Story franchise that has gone down in history as one of the greatest voice performances, truly capturing every facet of Buzz’s personality audiences have grown to love since he first appeared on our screens in 1995. From his very first appearance as a confused toy/space ranger to his more authoritative and confident appearances in the later sequels, Allen never fails to stay true to the character in his each and every word, cadence and vocal expression.

8 Amy Poehler — Joy (Inside Out)

     Walt Disney Motion Pictures

Inside Out is one of the most beautifully animated and heart rending movies of all time, dealing with an abundance of complex issues regarding one’s emotional and psychological balance while still remaining endearing and approachable for audiences of all ages. The lead protagonist is Joy, the personification of a young girl’s happy and joyful emotion, who lives in her mind. Her role is to keep the girl in question happy, but it turns out to not be as simple as it seems and is all about compromise and balance. After hearing Amy Poehler voice the character, it’s hard to imagine anyone else being able to portray her as she goes on her journey of discovery.

7 Kelly Macdonald — Merida (Brave)

     Disney / Pixar

Not your typical princess, Merida is rebellious and rejects many of the expectations thrust upon her as royalty. In Brave, she’s a free spirit and care-free, and this attitude is masterfully conveyed by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald. Having appeared in family-friendly blockbusters like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Nanny McPhee and gritty dramas like Trainspotting and No Country for Old Men, Macdonald was able to bring a degree of nuance to the character, making Merida far less one-dimensional than your average animated princess.

6 Keanu Reeves — Duke Caboom (Toy Story 4)

A later arrival to the super successful and beloved Toy Story franchise, Keanu Reeves brings his trademark sense of ‘cool’ to Duke Caboom’s role in Toy Story 4. Duke is a toy based on a notorious Canadian stuntman, but despite all his swagger and apparent confidence, he struggles to perform the stunts advertised in his own commercial. Reeves not only delivers on the swagger, but also taps into a level of vulnerability that makes Duke so relatable and enjoyable to watch.

5 Patton Oswalt — Remy (Ratatouille)

     Pixar Animation Studios

Renowned comedian Patton Oswalt was chosen for the role of the rat of culinary excellence in the hit Pixar flick Ratatouille after director Brad Bird, per NPR, heard his food-related comedy routine. No stranger to voice work, Oswalt brings the little chef to life with his distinctive voice as he secretly guides his human companion, Alfredo Linguini, around the kitchen, working together to create the perfect recipe.

4 Ellen DeGeneres — Dory (Finding Nemo / Finding Dory)

     Walt Disney Animation Studios 

2003’s Finding Nemo was a hit with critics and audiences around the globe. It features a whole host of intriguing, funny, complex, and lovable marine life, from Albert Books’ portrayal of Nemo’s overprotective clown fish-father and Willem Dafoe’s fish tank-bound Moorish idol fish Gill to the hilarious giant sea turtle Crush and his son Squirt. One character, however, really seemed to capture the hearts of the public: the lovable, but slightly annoying, Dory, a regal blue tang with short-term memory loss, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. The character and performance made such an impression that it was the subject of an entire spin-off movie, 2016’s Finding Dory.

3 Larry the Cable Guy — Mater (Cars franchise)

     Pixar

Cars isn’t the most popular Pixar movie amongst critics, but it was successful enough to spawn a fairly successfully franchise of sequels and spin-offs. While some argued the story was rather thinly written, the voice acting was certainly never brought into question. Featuring an array of fine performances from the likes of Owen Wilson, Cheech Marin, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Michael Keaton, Jennifer Lewis, and George Carlin, it’s hard to single out the greatest. “Blue Collar” comedian Larry the Cable Guy, who brings his trademark southern twang to his portrayal of the dim-witted but kind-hearted brown rusty truck who helps lead protagonists on his many adventures throughout the franchise, is certainly a good place to start.

2 Billy Crystal — Mike Wazowski (Monsters Inc)

There’s no denying that John Goodman was stellar as Sully in the Monster’s Inc franchise, but it’s the whacky, high-energy performance from Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski that undoubtedly stole the show and provided us with one of animation’s greatest voice performances of all time. Mike is a character of many moods and sides to his personality, and Crystal manages to perfectly encapsulate every facet of this flawlessly. Crystal has even been quoted as saying that of any character he’s ever played, Mike Wazowski is his favorite. A bold claim for someone as accomplished as Crystal, but it’s not hard to see why.

1 Tom Hanks — Woody (Toy Story Franchise)

Toy Story is one of the world’s most successful and beloved animated movies that spawned the world’s most critically successful animated movie franchises, which boasts, between the four movies, an unprecedented average Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%. At the heart of the franchise is lead protagonist Woody. Woody is a complex character; he’s the brave leader of the gang of toys, but is certainly not without his flaws. Funny and sometimes a bit gung-ho, empathetic, and even occasionally romantic, it requires an actor of a certain pedigree to provide a performance that brings such an important character to life. If there’s anyone who can pull it off though, it is multi–Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks. He made the role his own and, in the process, helped create one of Pixar’s most important and enduring characters, a true testament to his incredible abilities.