Still, it was actually The Simpsons that first brought the celebrity trend to television in the early `90s and it has worked for them. At this point about the only reason a newspaper or magazine will mention the show is because of stunt casting.

"A decade or two ago, many actors with on-camera livelihoods shunned cartoon voice work," says animation writer and voice director, Mark Evanier. For example, if a four-time Emmy winner like Don Knotts appeared in a Scooby Doo cartoon, it was often considered a last resort just to make a living. "Many actors feared someone would say, 'His career must be on the skids,' which is the kind of thing that can become a self-fulfilling observation if enough people say it. But when you have folks like Liz Taylor doing The Simpsons and top film names in Disney animation, it no longer has that stigma," explains Evanier.

"[Studio execs] gravitate towards celebrities," says voice actor Corey Burton, "so that they have actors who have already developed a persona they can draw from to fill out the character, whereas a multi-voiced person is waiting for their idea to produce the particular voice. They get somebody like Don Rickles coming in to Toy Story, and say, `Okay, Don, you're Mr. Potato Head,' and they are able to use his personality. Plus, they see it as a big marketing plus, since they get little bits on Entertainment Tonight and other `behind the scenes' TV shows. That's not bad, but it's just insulting when they completely ignore the regular voice people."

Voice Track Quality
Celebrities might bring with them publicity opportunities and a pre-conceived personality for the audience, but are they really improving the quality of an animated voice track? "Any time your concern is to produce anything but the best possible voice track, you're doing something wrong," states Evanier.

"The rationale that they use is pretty bogus and insulting to voice-only actors," says Seibert. "Disney suggests that the real reason they cast celebrities is because they're fantastic actors. In fact, the reason, the whole reason that they're celebrities is because they're such wonderful thespians, and, of course, any director, animation or live-action, just wants the best available." The implication, Seibert suggests, is that "voice actors are not really actors, they're merely voices who can't hold onto a character."

"I don't think anyone in this business seriously, deep down, believes that you necessarily get better performances from celebrities than from professional voice actors...but it may give the show a special status as something above an ordinary cartoon. It shouldn't...but some folks think that way," says Evanier.

Veteran voice acting agent Don Pitts, whose stable of clients include both celebrities and full-time voice actors, feels more of the work should be going to the non-celebrities who are trained in mike technique and vocal acting. "They have the background in this area that movie stars could never achieve. It is a great disservice to the true voice actor. An actor trained in audio knows how to caress the microphone, how to get the most out of their voice. It is like in the days of The Lux Radio Theater on radio when the radio-trained actors got the small roles but they had to carry the show anyway because the big movie stars in the lead roles weren't trained in radio."

Bergen suggests the reason many voice actors might lose out on a part is because "when many so-called regular voice talent audition for a part, often they rely on changing their voice, giving the producer a 'cartoony' read...which most of the time is not what they are looking for in a feature. Rather they hire the actors whose own voices have the character they are looking for and whose acting skills are exceptional."

Evanier agrees that all celebrities are not bad choices for animated fare, but points to a problem with some producers. "Some celebrities, like Mark Hamill and David Paymer, give first-rate performances, fully the equal of most non-celeb voice actors, whereas others are hired for their marquee value only. I once had a producer tell me he wanted his show cast with 'names,' even if it meant an inferior voice track. He thought it gave his show -- which otherwise was done on a K-Mart budget -- an air of prestige. He thought it meant something to station managers who might buy the series and, even if it didn't, he liked the idea of being able to go to parties and say, 'I hired Ed Asner.'"

Seibert is of two minds about celebrity casting when it comes to his shows, but explains a smart give-and-take attitude: "Clearly, I want the best people for the part, whether they have a recognized name or notand unlike some of my counterparts, I love cartoons and cartoon voices. As far as I'm concerned, those great voices I've heard over the last fifty years are some of the reasons I like my favorite characters so much."

"On the other hand," Seibert concludes, "stunt casting can work very well to get attention for the films with which I'm involved. If it can be done correctly -- weirdly enough, Isaac Hayes in South Park comes to my mind -- it gets you ink, and it works for the picture."

The bottom line is: "Producers are looking for really good acting -- as well as a name for the marquee," states Bergen.