Celebrate 50 Years of SNL With Pixar Films Featuring Alumni

For those who haven’t been exposed to a television set or YouTube in the last week or so, tonight marks the 50th anniversary of the culturally iconic program, Saturday Night Live. While I can wax poetic about that particular block of television, which cast was the best, etc. etc, I will not. So many others are doing that right now, anyway. However, I can do what I do best…associate the show to projects from Pixar Animation Studios!

Pixar films are no stranger to alumni from the venerable late night variety show, largely because the cast is so talented. Plus, many of them know how to throw a voice - although most of these selections are in fact, this particular cast member’s regular speaking voice. Let’s take a look at where you can find SNL fun in the Pixar universe! Please note, this isn’t a complete guide - there are tons of folks attached to both Pixar and SNL, and some have been overlooked I’m sure.

“Oh Yeah…they were on SNL!"

While Toy Story is full of talent - including 10x SNL host and frequent guest star Tom Hanks headlining the franchise - it wasn’t until Toy Story 2 that they adopted an official SNL cast alum.

That’s when Joan Cusack arrived to provide the voice of Jessie the yodeling cowgirl. A lot of people overlook Cusack as an SNL alum, considering she had already been in films and dramatic roles before landing her spot among the players in the 11th season of the series - AKA: The Weird Year. Since then, she has been nominated for Academy Awards and had a prolific acting career. She has lent her voice to Jessie since Toy Story 2, and will likely return for the upcoming Toy Story 5.

Another SNL Cast Member that people forget was on the show since she is most commonly associated with another comedy series is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. From 1982-1985, she was on the sketch show before later landing the spot as Elaine on Seinfeld. In the Pixar world though, she was Pixar’s first princess (sit down Merida) in the 1998 smash hit, A Bug’s Life, lending her voice to Princess Atta.

To further confuse any fan theories about Pixar and their films, Dreyfus later returned to the studio to lend her voice to Laurel Lightfoot, mother of Ian and Barley, in the 2020 film Onward.

Janeane Garofalo, another comedian that many forget was on SNL, is also part of the Pixar Universe, where she was a pseudo-mentor and object of Linguini’s eye in the 2007 hit, Ratatouille, providing her voice (albeit with a french accent) to Colette.

Mahvelous Monsters

Billy Crystal is largely associated with SNL though he was only on the sketch series for one season (1984-85). He also was famously set to appear on the very first episode of the series back in 1975, but was cut for time from the live broadcast. He had all the time he needed though providing the voice of Mike Wazowski in both Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University (really, the franchise as a whole).

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention John Goodman’s association with SNL - who hosted the show a whopping 13 times - “A Goodman’s Dozen" as he proudly proclaimed at the 40th anniversary special a decade ago. He provides the voice of James P. Sullivan (Sulley) in the film….but still not an OFFICIAL cast member, despite numerous cameos and guest appearances - especially during a high-profile headline making scandal in the 90s. Google it. An official cast member does bring to life a largely overlooked aspect of the Monster world. Original SNL Cast Member Laraine Newman (1975-1980) provides the voice of the simulation computer at Monsters, Incorporated. More SNL arrives in Monstropolis with the prequel, Monsters University.

It’s in this movie that we meet Mrs. Squibbles - voiced by Julia Sweeney who was one part of the legendary SNL cast in the early 90s, bringing characters like Pat to the screen. The mother of Squishy and the OK fraternity house, she also appears again in the short, Party Central.

SNL Alum Bobby Moynihan (2008-2017) also provides the voice of Chet, the secondary villain of sorts to Nathan Fillion’s Johnny Worthington. He is also featured, albeit briefly in Party Central, and reprises the role in the second season of Monsters at Work - a spin-off of the Monsters, Inc. universe, though not produced by Pixar Animation Studios.

Rest assured, this is not the last we’ve HEARD of Bobby Moynihan.

Writing and (The Great) Beyond

SNL Cast might get a ton of attention, but so should the writers of SNL. Many of which have gone on to much greater things themselves, some even becoming part of the cast as well (outside a cameo or background spot). Never an official cast member of the show, but known for his impeccable comedic writing in an era that also gave us Robert Smigel, Conan O’Brien, and others is Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk.

In the Pixar realm, he lends his voice to Winston Deavor, one half (and spoiler alert: the less sinister one) of the minds behind DevTech in Incredibles 2. Winston is a supporter of Supers returning—all he needs is a hero (or three) to help him change the public’s perception, much to his sister’s chagrin.

Arguably one of the people most synonymous with writing at SN,the first female head writer herself, also became part of the cast. Tina Fey, the creator of a whole other sitcom that is essentially SNL in disguise (30 Rock), is a lead character in the 2020 film, Soul. Lending her voice to 22, she perfectly embodies the lost(?) soul that wants nothing to do with humans or Earth. Unless it’s Pizza. Relatable content, for sure.

She later reprised the role in the short film 22 vs. Earth. There are other writers and cast members commonly associated with Tina Fey - whether it be one of her writing colleagues or her co-host at the Weekend Update desk/famously lifelong friend. Which leads us to….

All Things Inside Out

No Pixar project has had more SNL in it than the Inside Out franchise. Ensembles are always a good place to find an SNL connection, but Inside Out is pure ensemble and practically mined the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players" for spots throughout.

Amy Poehler, who was on SNL from 2001 - 2008, was a legend on the show. She brought a number of characters to life on the sketch series, and famously anchored the Weekend Update desk alongside two head writers, both Tina Fey and Seth Myers. She joined the Pixar universe in 2015, providing the voice of (appropriately enough) Joy, the lead emotion inside young Riley’s head.

She was anchored by a number of other emotions, including Disgust (who was voiced by Mindy Kaling, who famously auditioned for SNL, but did not land the gig, yet is always featured in official  “the ones who didn’t make it" montages for the series), and Fear.

Fear was originally voiced by SNL icon Bill Hader. Known for his roles like Stefon, Vinny Vedicci, and others where Hader shapeshifts into an incredibly accurate impression or caricature, Hader pretty much stays himself as the consistently-frightened and planning for the worst character. Interestingly, Hader was also set to take on a role in the Pixar world similar to that of John Ratzenberger, who has been featured in nearly every film from the studio. Before this plan kind of fizzled out, Hader was also featured in Finding Dory (alongside another SNL alum, Kate McKinnon), Toy Story 4, Lightyear, and a scrapped role from The Good Dinosaur. Hader did not return as Fear for Inside Out 2 or the award-winning Disney+ series, Dream Productions.

More SNL can be found out beyond the personality islands and elsewhere in the mind, where a number of mind workers might sound a bit familiar. Bobby Moynihan returns once again, lending his voice to (appropriately enough) Forgetter Bobby. In both Inside Out and Inside Out 2. The sequel also introduces us to an animated fanny pack from Riley’s youth that gets out of a vault of secrets - Pouchy. This little sack that somehow shows up at just the right time (as long as you call his name!) is voiced by current SNL cast member James Austin Johnson, known for his impeccable spot-on take of the current President of the United States.

Though her role was later expanded, SNL writer Paula Pell originally appeared in a short moment in Inside Out, as a director of Riley’s dreams. Aside from also lending her voice to Mom’s Anger, her role as that director was later expanded into that of Paula, whom the award-winning spin-off series Dream Productions is based on. She is constantly being challenged by the studio-exec Jean.

Jean ALSO has an SNL alum providing her voice, and that is Maya Rudolph (2000-2007). No surprise since she usually goes hand in hand with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey (lookin’ at you, “Bronx Beat"). No stranger to voice acting either, having lent her voice in Disney Animation’s Big Hero 6, Dreamworks’ Shrek the Third, and a number of others including another from the Pixar catalog, Luca, where she provided the voice of Luca’s mom, Daniela Paguro.

Phew. So if you haven’t had enough SNL this weekend and want to keep the party going with some Pixar favorites, those are just a few that can keep you going for a while. Oh, and starting on Wednesday, February 19th, another can be heard as SNL alum Will Forte takes the reins of the Pickles in the championship game in Pixar’s first long-form series, Win or Lose, on Disney+, where each of the titles mentioned above are streaming now.