Toon Talk Special: The 101 Greatest Disney Voice Artists - Part 1 of 2
Page 5 of 9

Wise Ones
Every hero needs a mentor to guide them on the journey to the "happily ever after".

James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones in Summer's End
(c) Showtime

After a Lord of the Sith, then where do you go? How about the King of the Jungle? One of the most recognizable voices in the world, thanks to Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, Jones brought a regal baring to his performance as Mufasa in The Lion King.

Jones as Mufasa also returned (in ghostly form) in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.

Robert Guillaume

(c) PR Newswire

Following the death of his father, Simba turned to the wise and slightly eccentric baboon Rafiki, voiced by Guillaume, for guidance. Rafiki helps Simba back onto the path to become the true Lion King.

Guillaume, a talented stage actor who has played Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera, finally got a song to sing as Rafiki in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. He also provided Rafiki's new dialogue for The Legend of the Lion King show at the Magic Kingdom.

Mary Wickes

A stone gargoyle with a heart of gold was Wickes' final film role. Playing the grandmother figure to Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wickes' Laverne was a memorable swan song for the beloved character actress, whose varied career also included additional voices in 101 Dalmatians and her memorable Sister Mary Lazarus in the Sister Act movies.

Wickes passed away during the making of the original Hunchback. Her friend, actress Jane Withers (best known as Josephine the Plumber in Comet Cleanser commercials), finished the minimal dialogue that remained for the film, and will also play Laverne in the upcoming video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.

Karl Swenson

The legendary Merlin the Magician was voiced by Swenson in The Sword in the Stone. He brought a fresh spin to the oft-portrayed denizen of Camelot. Constantly befuddled, he still managed to provide the future King Arthur with solid advice, a few daring exploits through Medieval England and a little "higitus figitus".