5 Instances of Voice Actors Making Me Laugh


I don't laugh very much. It's not a terribly great trait of mine. I can make people laugh. Or at least, I think I can, unless my wife is a really good actor. I guess I'm jaded, I feel like I've seen it all. So when other people are busting their guts, I've got a smile like Colossus in winter (that's the X-Man who can turn his body into steel). That's a roundabout way of saying it doesn't crack.

Animated gifs, YouTube videos, people falling on their ass, jokes (practical or text), G.I. Joe PSAs, silly kittens and puppies, the best stand-up comedians. Not a smirk. Oh, I get the jokes. I think they're funny/amusing. They just don't make me laugh.

Silly things will tend to make me laugh. Non sequitir, ridiculous stuff that's hard to predict or deduce. Monty Python is good for this (so are three to five year old girls). I also love silly voices. Here's a few of my favorites.

Star Wars Script Reading at Emerald City Comic-Con 2012


Somehow they got greats like Billy West, Tara Strong, Joe DiMaggio, Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Maurice La Marche. You know, basically everyone from your childhood, reading the script from Star Wars. It's simply hilarious.

Spongebob Squarepants Voice Actors Dub Classic Movies

This is the kind of thing you'd expect out of amateurs, but no! These are the real guys. It's not as funny as other selections in this list, but everyone who Patrick plays is fantastic.


Jay Pharoah's Impressions

I saw this video shortly after he was announced to be on Saturday Night Live. I was blown away. It's pretty typical to see black people impersonating other black people -- Chris Rock as 2 Live Crew, Tim Meadows as Johnnie Cochran, Kenan Thompson as Bill Cosby. With the exception of Maya Rudolph (who I think might be a shapeshifter), impersonators keep to their race. That's why Pharoah's diversity impressed me so much -- Christopher Walken, Owen Wilson, Heath Ledger. Not to mention he always nails it. I thought he was going to game-change SNL when he came on. Unfortunately, his first season seemed to be marred by his lack of stage experience. I guess impressions were all he could do. But he's gotten experience, and now I see him often.


Family Guy Impressions

Seth MacFarlane is inhuman. He does producing, writing, directing, and multiple voices -- all for multiple shows. And there is no sign of slowing down. So a single impersonator won't have too much trouble. Except for the ones that do the voices of the entire cast, like Patrick Warburton's Joe and Mike Henry's Cleveland. There are more than one "golden" voice for these videos, but I think the hilarity comes from hearing voices speak things that they'd never say.


Pinky and the Brain "Porn It Up"

Like in Star Wars, the fun when you get voice actors together is getting them to say things (in their characters) that they'd never say. I wish this bit had gone on longer -- you could have a hilarious sketch with these kid's cartoon characters finally saying what they should have said in the first place. But I think most VAs don't like to act like performing monkeys. Plus if these things go viral, it could damage their future acting gigs.

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