Comedic actor Bobby Moynihan recently joined the Walt Disney Family Museum to share fun stories from his career and the way it has intersected with Disney. From hosting The Muppets Take the Hollywood Bowl to providing voices for Pixar, Star Wars, and Disney animated projects, here are a few of the fun things we learned during Bobby Moynihan’s Happily Ever After Hours event.
He Hadn’t Seen Monsters, Inc. When Pixar Asked Him To Be In Monsters University
Bobby Moynihan was very busy as a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live when he got a call from Pixar to voice Chet Alexander, a ROR frat monster in Monsters University. Director Dan Scanlon saw Bobby in a sketch on SNL where he had one line that felt right for the character. “What a weird thing to get me a job, that one random line in a thing… I feel like I got in that one Pixar movie and then animation became a priority for me,” Monihan shared. Shockingly, he revealed that he never watched the original Monsters, Inc. until very recently. “I hadn't seen it until a week ago. I think I thought I saw it and it’s shameful… The best part of being in Monsters University for me is that it was my first big animation job and if you start in one, you start with Pixar… It’s like going to a spa version of Disney World. It’s a fascinating place and the amount of creativity going on, you can feel it… That one was fun because I had 3 lines. I came in, I messed around with a few things and the character got bigger.” As his character expanded, Bobby kept being brought back in to record more dialogue. The experience also lead to a role in Inside Out as one of the forgetters.
Working on Star Wars: Resistance was a Dream Come True
“It’s a dream,” the actor shared about getting to live his childhood wish of being part of the Star Wars universe. “Getting on Saturday Night Live was something that I wanted my entire life and I still can’t believe it happened. And when I got there, I used a lot of it to make Star Wars stuff.” During the conversation, Moynihan revealed that his favorite SNL sketch he ever wrote was “Kylo Ren Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base.”
But when there was a chance to be part of a Star Wars project, Bobby Moynihan wasn’t shy about his interest. “I think the only time I’ve called my agent in my career asking for something was Star Wars: Rebels. I had just started doing voiceover stuff and I thought Dave Filoni was a genius.” Filoni let Moynihan audition, but he didn’t get a role on the series. However, Dave Filoni told Bobby that he would keep him in mind for the future and while casting Star Wars: Resistance, Moynihan was given another chance to audition. “The characters were Oscar and Felix, not Orka and Flix, in the script.” Bobby’s audition was with another actor named Jim Rash, who he knew through other friends, and their fun dynamic in the recording studio landed both actors the parts.
Working with The Muppets Was The Best Day of His Life
“I’ve had a daughter and that was the best day of my life, the Muppets,” Bobby Moynihan joked about being the host of The Muppets Take the Hollywood Bowl. “I think back on my life and how certain things have happened and how hard I’ve worked in some ways and how lucky I got in other ways. I’ve been a Muppets fan my whole life and I got on Saturday Night Live and I met the Muppets.” His idol is Dave Goelz, who has become a friend since their first time working together. “I can’t believe it. They asked me to do the Hollywood Bowl and I stood on the Hollywood Bowl stage… At ‘Rainbow Connection,’ all three nights at the Hollywood Bowl, I was shaking, just couldn’t understand turning to the side and seeing every single Muppet singing ‘Rainbow Connection.’ I can’t explain it, it was crazy. I got to do something that I’ve always wanted to do and it was a perfect experience.”
He Almost Played Winnie the Pooh
When Bobby Moynihan brought this up, it was in response to a question about working with Jim Cummings on Star Wars: Resistance. While it never made headlines, it appears that Disney at one point attempted another TV series based on the characters from the Hundred Acre Woods that would’ve been somewhat of a reboot. “I once got cast as the new Winnie the Pooh and I was terrified because Jim Cummings is a genius,” Moynihan explained. “It got canceled before it came out and I was never so happy in my life.” We can only guess as to what the series would’ve been like as this is the first we’ve heard of it.
On Playing Louie in Ducktales
“I grew up on Ducktales, I loved it,” Bobby shared about being cast in the reboot on Disney XD. “You definitely don’t want to screw up something that people loved.” He gave a lot of credit to Matt Youngberg and Francisco Angones for making it so good. “I don’t think there was a chance that they would let themselves screw up, they knew the material so well.” As to why the reimagined Ducktales has been so warmly embraced, Bobby Moynihan has a theory on why it’s so special. “It’s a great combination which is family and adventure. I think all of us would’ve enjoyed our families more if we were trotting the world getting into hijinks and had our own plane and pilot.”
Fans can see the full schedule of Walt Disney Family Museum virtual events, including the Happily Ever After Hours speaker series, at waltdisney.org/calendar.