Toon Talk Special: The 101 Greatest Disney Voice Artists - Part 1 of 2
Page 8 of 9

The Early Shorts
While their names may be unknown to you, these early practitioners of cartoon voice work helped lay the groundwork for all that followed.

Marcelitte Garner

The original voice of Minnie Mouse, Garner was a member of the Ink and Paint Department at the Disney Studios before taking over the role from Walt Disney after Steamboat Willie. She voiced Mickey's sweetheart from 1928's Plane Crazy to 1939's Mickey's Surprise Party.

Minnie was her only film role.

Billy Bletcher

"With a huff! And a puff! And I'll blooooow your house in!" With those immortal words, we are introduced to one of the first Disney villains, the Big Bad Wolf, voiced by Bletcher in the classic Silly Symphony The Three Little Pigs.

Bletcher returned as BB Wolf in the sequel that bared his name and subsequent shorts The Three Little Wolves and The Practical Pig, as well as providing voices for such other classic shorts as Who Killed Cock Robin? (as Judge Owl), Mr. Mouse Takes A Trip (as Pete), Goofy's How to Play Golf (as the Narrator) and Old Sequoia (as Donald's Boss). He was also a Clown in Dumbo.

Florence Gill

Gill voiced the operatic hen Clara Cluck in both versions of Orphan's Benefit, as well as Mickey's Grand Opera, Mickey's Amateurs, Mickey's Birthday Party and Symphony Hour. She also was heard as the title character in The Wise Little Hen, Donald Duck's screen debut.

Gill and Clarence Nash can be seen recording a duet as Clara and Donald in the film The Reluctant Dragon.

John McLeish

McLeish, who previously worked in Disney animation and story, was by all accounts a very serious man. It was his poised way of speaking that made the Disney animation team think of him as perfect for the Narrator of the Goofy "How To" shorts. As the story goes, because of his dignified air, they didn't tell him that the straight-forward narration was actually part of the gag, as Goofy would (as Goofy does) goof up all of the instructions.  McLeish went on to narrate the How to Ride a Horse segment of The Reluctant Dragon, Goofy's Glider, The Art of Skiing, The Art of Self Defense, The Olympic Champ, How to Be a Sailor and Goofy Gymnastics (as well as the feature Dumbo), apparently without ever discovering this ruse.

He was also the voice of Pegleg Pete in Bellboy Donald, Jupiter and Vulcan in Trombone Trouble and the Prosecutor in The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad.