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Some voices are so perfectly cast, they make us forget we're watching animation or movie magic at work. Join us as we count down the most outstanding voice acting performances 2026 has delivered so far! Fair warning — we can't discuss at least one performance without diving into spoilers, so proceed with caution!
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00:00Hello, Sidney. Guess who? Did you miss me?
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're looking at the most memorable voice acting performances
00:10across animated and live-action films that 2026 has given us so far.
00:15I raise my fist like that. I'm done!
00:17Yes.
00:17That is the crescendo!
00:20You'll know for the future, my lord.
00:22There's at least one performance here we can't talk about without going into some spoilers.
00:27Number 10. Curry Barker as One Wish Willow Rep. Obsession.
00:31I was calling to see if there's a way I can alter a wish.
00:36Would you like to cancel your wish?
00:39No, no, no, no. It's okay to keep the... I just want to know if I can, like, alter it
00:46a little.
00:48I'm sorry, we don't really do that.
00:50One of the year's most darkly humorous scenes is only made funnier knowing who's on the other line.
00:55Using a One Wish Willow to make his dream girl fall in love with him,
00:59Bear experiences buyer's remorse.
01:02Fortunately, the supernatural toy has a number on the back.
01:05Bear finds himself on the phone with a representative,
01:08voiced by the film's writer and director, Curry Barker.
01:11The rep confirms what Bear suspected, yet struggled to believe.
01:15Magic is real, and his wish came true.
01:18No, I know that the...
01:21Is her love...
01:22real?
01:26Just because you chose this for her doesn't make it less real.
01:30Curry relays this extraordinary revelation in such a casually disinterested way that you can't help but laugh.
01:36He also nonchalantly informs Bear that the only way out is in death.
01:41So she's just stuck like this forever?
01:43Well, yeah, I mean, as long as you live.
01:46As long as I live?
01:48Even when lives are on the line, customer service is never helpful.
01:52In a film stacked with talent, we have to give the MVP award to Gabrielle Union,
02:02who goes from competitive cheerleading to bringing it on the roar ball court.
02:06What's roar ball?
02:07It's basically basketball, although the players are more animalistic.
02:12We need a bucket here.
02:13Moto, hang out on the perimeter.
02:14Space the floor.
02:16Do your thing.
02:17I always do.
02:20Union voices Jet Fillmore, the star player of a team that can barely ball.
02:25While Jet is hard on her teammates, she's even harder on herself.
02:29Union balances Jet's ego with empathy, unleashing the Black Panther's humanity.
02:33It's how everyone treats me.
02:36They all want me to pass the torch, but I'm not done.
02:39I'm still here.
02:40I'm still playing.
02:42I'm still waiting on that claw, Fillmore.
02:44Jet gradually lowers her defenses, revealing the nuances of an aging athlete
02:48determined to prove that retirement isn't in her foreseeable future.
02:52Although Jet still has game, no player goes the distance without a pack.
02:56It's a role that Union sinks her claws into.
02:59Jet, you okay?
03:00I'm fine.
03:00I'm fine.
03:01I just can't feel my legs.
03:04I'm a champion, baby.
03:05Number 8.
03:06Jeremy Allen White as Rada the Hutt, Star Wars, The Mandalorian, and Grogu.
03:11Remember Jabba's son Rada from the 2008 Clone Wars movie?
03:15He's back, and he's not a Huttlet anymore.
03:18Oh, he's so cute.
03:19Just wait until you see what he'll grow into.
03:22Rada didn't just grow up.
03:23This Hutt got totally ripped.
03:25Something we never thought we'd say.
03:27What's even more jarring is that Rada speaks English and sounds like Jeremy Allen White.
03:32Just come on in and, you know, do the thing.
03:35And I did.
03:36And then a year passed, and they shot the movie.
03:39And he was like, we've got some more stuff for you to do.
03:41And I think I realized that they really fleshed that character out a little bit.
03:47And I might be in more of that movie than I had realized originally.
03:51We'll admit the opening credits raised our eyebrows, but like Martin Scorsese as Hugo Durant,
03:57it's a casting choice that strangely works.
04:00White brings dramatic heft to a young Hutt who seems destined to live in his father's shadow.
04:05Rada's determined to carve his own path, however.
04:07Likewise, White avoids doing a Jabba impression, molding a Hutt with a gentle soul,
04:13but also the fighting spirit of a warrior who'll keep spectators entertained.
04:16What kind of vocal work do you want me to do?
04:18Like, do you want me to bring in?
04:19And I was doing some stuff, but he was also like, we're going to mess with it.
04:24And, you know, I haven't heard the finished product.
04:28I haven't seen the film.
04:30So it's hard for me to, you know, talk about it too much.
04:32Number 7.
04:33Tracy Morgan as Boogle slash Firewolf.
04:36Swapped.
04:37In this body swap adventure, natural enemies turned friends Ollie and Ivy receive help from
04:42a fish called Boogle.
04:43From the moment Tracy Morgan's voice comes out of his mouth, it's clear that Boogle is
04:48there to provide comedic relief.
04:50Wait, I know you.
04:52Didn't we meet a long time ago?
04:53Yes, I knew it.
04:55One moment ago counts as a long time, right?
04:58No.
04:59Oh, then no.
05:00But I'm the only Boogle on the lake, so yes.
05:03Morgan can do this role in his sleep, although Boogle isn't what he seems.
05:08When it appears everything has been resolved, Boogle reveals his true form.
05:12The Firewolf, who set the valley ablaze years ago.
05:15The tail.
05:17You're the one.
05:18You're the one.
05:18You tore the valley apart.
05:20You created the dam.
05:21You drove the zoo out.
05:23Yes, yes, and yes.
05:26I'm good.
05:27What can I say?
05:28We legitimately did not see that coming.
05:30What's even more surprising is that Morgan can actually sound quite menacing, deceiving
05:35our heroes and the viewer.
05:36For a comedian who usually comes off as a goofball, Morgan sells it as a beast who just
05:41wants to watch the world burn.
05:43You think you're a soul?
05:45You're storing peace and harmony to the valley?
05:48You're just an angry little rat fighting in vain for what's yours.
05:55Only this time, it's your life.
06:01This is my valley now.
06:05Number 6.
06:06Glenn Powell as Fox McCloud, the Super Mario Galaxy movie.
06:09Buckle up.
06:11It's about to get crazy.
06:14Star Fox team is ready.
06:22Some of the casting choices in the Mario movies have been better than others, but we'll say
06:26two things.
06:27One, Donald Glover sounds like he's been preparing his entire life to voice.
06:32Two, we need Glenn Powell to reprise his role in a Star Fox spin-off movie.
06:37How desperate for money do you think I am?
06:43All right, you got a deal.
06:45I'll fuel up the R-Wing.
06:46We'll take off in five.
06:47Just as he did as another hotshot pilot in Top Gun Maverick, Powell practically steals
06:52the show with limited screen time.
06:54Powell actually reached out to Illumination, expressing his passion for Fox McCloud.
06:59As it turned out, Illumination and Nintendo were contemplating a Star Fox cameo for the
07:04Super Mario Galaxy movie.
07:06The stars aligned, with Powell's enthusiasm for the character shining through with every
07:10line delivery.
07:12His casting made us all do a barrel roll.
07:14You gotta love a space rogue.
07:16He doesn't look like a rogue to me.
07:19He looks like Miss Castellano's dog.
07:21Can Miss Castellano's dog do this?
07:30I like this guy.
07:38When Digital Circus first commenced on YouTube, most people likely did not expect self-appointed
07:44comedic relief Jax to become the most complex character.
07:47You're a pain in the a**, but you're still one of us.
07:53You think I'm capable of abstracting?
08:03You guys worry too much.
08:06With the theatrically released final episodes of the online phenomenon, the Purple Rabbit
08:11cements himself as a truly heartbreaking figure.
08:14This is largely thanks to voice actor Michael Kovach, who unpacks dimensions of Jax we've
08:19never seen before, but were always there.
08:21When I first started doing Jax, he was basically just a character that's a little sleazy.
08:27I mean, still is to a degree, but very sleazy, doesn't care.
08:31It's just like, you know, if it's funny, I'll put you in the middle of the problem.
08:36And then as the show goes on, you see his mental downward spiral in a lot of ways.
08:41A particular monologue may be Kovach's most tear-jerking performance as the character,
08:46giving us goosebumps by the end.
08:48Jax has been a tough nut to crack, fighting us every step of the way as we've tried to
08:52peek behind that door.
08:54Kovach might have mastered Jax's snarky edge, but by the end, he'll leave you wanting to
08:59hug him.
09:00Number 4.
09:01Piper Kurta as Mabel Tanaka, Hoppers
09:04Mabel is an environmental activist who can sometimes get a little carried away.
09:09Piper Kurta strikes just the right note as a young woman who's fighting a worthy cause,
09:13although that does not mean Mabel knows better than everyone else.
09:16Stop!
09:17Oh!
09:17I need your help!
09:19Oh, I don't go by dog.
09:21Oververate, Dr. Sam.
09:22I know Jerry has permission to destroy the glaze, but something doesn't add up.
09:25Mabel, I'm in the middle of class.
09:28Sup, Mabel?
09:29Upon entering the body of a robotic beaver, Mabel gets in over her head, disrupting the
09:34balance of nature.
09:36Her unrelenting determination plays off well against the laid-back delivery of Bobby Moynihan's
09:41King George.
09:42At the same time, Mabel isn't a stick in the mud.
09:45Pull over!
09:45We need to unhop you!
09:47Now!
09:47I can't!
09:48I'm protecting Jerry!
09:49It does not look like you're protecting Jerry!
09:52Well, he's not cooperating!
09:53Kurta brings an infectious energy to her performance that leaves the audience sharing Mabel's enthusiasm
09:58for animals.
09:59Mabel wants to give the animals a voice, yet finds along the way that she can't always
10:04speak for them.
10:05We're gonna give the insect king the chance to do the right thing.
10:08What?
10:08Why?
10:10Because everyone's good deep down.
10:13Mabel, you know that's not true.
10:17Wouldn't you like it to be?
10:19Number 3.
10:20Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, The Sheep Detectives.
10:23What would you say if we told you that Julia Louis-Dreyfus gave one of the most effective
10:28performances of her career as a sheep, and that that sheep was also a detective?
10:34That man had nothing.
10:35Well, actually, there is $30 million.
10:38And we have our motive.
10:39You might call us clueless, but anyone who's seen Sheep Detectives will surely testify to
10:44the quality of the script, direction, and performances.
10:48Louis-Dreyfus leads the herd as Lily, a sheep who sets out to solve a murder alongside a few
10:53others, including Bryan Cranston as the gruff Sebastian.
10:56Lily?
10:58Yes?
10:59Are you coming?
11:00I'm just, um...
11:03You go on ahead!
11:04Why are you yelling?
11:07I'm only a few feet away from you.
11:10Lily soon finds herself pondering greater mysteries about life, death, and our very existence.
11:15Of course, Louis-Dreyfus is still given plenty of comedy gold to sink her teeth into, but we're
11:20reminded that she's unappreciated as a dramatic actress, making us cry over a sheep.
11:26George fed us.
11:27George cared for us.
11:29George loved us.
11:32We owe him everything.
11:33What are you saying?
11:36Our shepherd has been murdered, and we shall solve the crime.
11:41Number 2.
11:42Joan Cusack as Jessie.
11:44Toy Story 5.
11:45Come on, Bullseye!
11:47Hey, wait for us!
11:50Car!
11:51You got a friend being me.
11:55Claire?
11:56The fifth installment in the Toy Story saga features standout newcomers like Greta Lee as
12:00Lilypad and Conan O'Brien as Smarty Pants.
12:03This is very much Jessie's show, though, with Joan Cusack giving her best performance in
12:09the franchise since the second film.
12:10While Cusack maintains Jessie's upbeat attitude, the film finds Jessie working through new and
12:16old crises as she settles into a leadership position.
12:18Now look here.
12:19Me and the Toys have been working all summer to try and get Bonnie to make friends with
12:23the Jordan twins across the street.
12:25Yeah.
12:25But then you had to ruin it with all your stupid...
12:28Got it.
12:28You're not even listening to me!
12:30Oh, no!
12:31I was listening!
12:32Confronting the future of tech, Jessie is also taken back to the past, where her fears of
12:37abandonment are rooted.
12:38The shift to Jessie as the central character brings a fresh perspective, with Cusack's
12:43empathetic line delivery having us crying over what some might see as a piece of plastic.
12:47Of course, we know Jessie is so much more.
12:51Bonnie still needs us!
12:52Our time ain't over yet!
12:54Number 1.
12:55James Ortiz as Rocky
12:57Project Hail Mary
12:58Initially, James Ortiz was only brought on board as the lead puppeteer for Rocky, the
13:03delightful alien who befriends Ryan Gosling.
13:06The filmmakers considered enlisting a better-known actor to supply Rocky's voice.
13:10By the time shooting wrapped, though, the directors couldn't think of anyone who could do it
13:15better than Ortiz.
13:16Not even Meryl Streep.
13:18You're in a ball.
13:19So Rocky no dying great atmosphere.
13:21I come up.
13:21Oh, you're coming up.
13:22Forest, Rocky.
13:23Detective.
13:24Grace and Rocky, big science.
13:26How to kill asteroid age together.
13:28I keep going this way?
13:29This room's boring.
13:30Rocky!
13:31Science!
13:31Save Earth, save Aerith, good plan.
13:33This goes to show just how immersed in the character Ortiz was even before officially
13:37becoming Rocky's voice.
13:39Since Rocky doesn't have a face, his entire personality needs to shine through his body
13:44language and line delivery.
13:46Whoa, whoa, whoa.
13:47What?
13:47What's happening?
13:48A hug.
13:49Oh.
13:50Hmm.
13:51It's usually not something one does by themselves.
13:55Oh.
13:55I do the same?
13:57Would you just get in here?
14:01Orteez doesn't just make us fall in love with this rock spider.
14:04He convinces us that Rocky is real.
14:07Either nominate Ortiz for Best Supporting Actor or create a voiceover Oscar already.
14:11Fist my bump.
14:13No.
14:15It's still not right.
14:17I'll do it.
14:18Good, good, good.
14:20So what we do now?
14:21Question?
14:27We party.
14:28What's your favorite voice acting performance of the year so far?
14:31Let us know in the comments.
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