You may not recognize Billy West's face, but you've heard his voice. A former in-house comedian and impressionist on the radio airwaves for The Howard Stern Show, West and his voice work is especially precious to children of the 90s, gracing Nicktoons, Disney toons, and Looney Tunes alike. Some of his most beloved work is in Nickelodeon's The Ren & Stimpy Show, voicing Stimpy at first then voicing both of the titular characters, and Matt Groening's animated sci-fi sitcom series Futurama, as an array of toon characters including protagonist Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Doctor Zoidberg, and the hilariously vapid Zapp Brannigan.
The most insufferable and incompetent 25-Star General (of the Democratic Order Of Planets (D.O.O.P.)) in the universe, Brannigan is said on the show to be responsible for such feats as his "bloody triumph over the pacifists of the Gandhi Nebula" and "single-handedly defeating the retirees of the Assisted Living Nebula." With smarmy delivery, Zapp oozes blowhard artifice in every line uttered, making a habit of mispronouncing common words like and adding unnecessary inflating syllables (adieu becomes "ah-dyooo-uh"), whilst making the life of his ever-suffering lieutenant, Kif Kroker, a living hell.
He is, in short, the worst kind of person, leagues away from one of the characters influencing West's vocal portrayal of Brannigan.
Speaking with CBR, West explains how he pulls from a variety of sources to create a variety of characters.
"I always kind of thought it was my job to make characters sonically different and try to keep them seamless. There are instances where you can't escape the dynamics of your own voice but that's if you're using it in a certain way. There are voices that I do that sound sort of like me, like Fry and Doug but I'm using a particular placement in my throat. And then there are other characters that no one would be able to relate, like the fact that Zapp Brannigan is Doug Funnie."
Doug Funnie is its title character of Doug, Nickelodeon's beloved '90s animated series about a kid (along with his faithful dog, Porkchop) navigating the peaks and pitfalls of adolescence in his fictional town of Bluffington. Throughout its run, Doug's steadfast morals and lively imagination were equally matched by a quivering sense of impostor syndrome, making everything he said sound slightly meek. Listening to old clips of both Doug and Futurama seems to confirm West's revelation: Zapp Brannigan's voice is, in part, what an adult Doug Funnie might sound like if he had a trust fund and failed upwards his whole life.
The other parts? The most obvious inspiration for Brannigan came from another little sci-fi gem, Star Trek, with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) providing some of the swagger. Other infusions come from the actor once-cast as Brannigan, Phil Hartman (Newsradio), who the character was originally written for and whose tragic death prompted showrunners to recast the role with West. Hartman's smooth tone, which can best be heard in Groening's animated series The Simpsons as Hollywood has-been Troy McClure, found its way into West's iteration of Brannigan, as did the slick-talking "Greaseman," radio personality Doug Tracht.
An IGN interview divulges that West had originally come to an audition call for all roles on Futurama among hundreds of actors, including Whose Line Is It Anyway? improv king Ryan Stiles (Two and a Half Men). Because the role of Zapp was, at the time, exclusively for Hartman, West merely read for Fry, foul-mouthed robot Bender, and Professor Farnsworth, eventually getting the call from his agent that he landed two roles on the series (in addition to Fry) as Dr. Zoidberg and Farnsworth. It was his sonic representation of intergalactic failure Brannigan, though, that brought the series some of its most hilarious moments.
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FUTURAMA Billy West Panel – Sci-Fi Valley Con 2022 | Fandom Spotlite
Futurama voice actor Billy West gave a panel at Sci-Fi Valley Con 2022 to talk about Futurama, his other roles, his career, and answer fan questions.
Billy West portrays Phillip J. Fry, Zoidberg, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, Captain Zapp Brannigan, and others on Futurama, but he has also portrayed characters in hundreds of other shows. His credits also include Doug, Ren and Stimpy, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, CatDog, Disenchantment, Skylanders Academy, The Looney Tunes Show, Jungle Junction, Drawn Together, Squirrel Boy, Johnny Bravo, The Oblongs, Men in Black: The Series, Voltron: The Third Dimension, King of the Hill, Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs and so many more.
Nick News Brief: Voice actors Maurice LaMarche (Hey Arnold!, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Futurama, The Real Ghostbusters, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Rick and Morty) and Jim Cummings (CatDog, singer of the Extreme Ghostbusters theme song) will be celebrity guests at Motor City Comic Con 2021, taking place at The Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI between Oct. 15-17. Photo Ops, Phone Calls, Videos & Voice Recordings with both actors are available to purchase. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.motorcitycomiccon.com.
Watch Rise of the TMNT and CatDog on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com
Talking to Rob Paulsen is like taking a guided tour through an exhibition of the last three decades' most beloved animated characters. One of the most prolific and versatile voice actors of his generation, Paulsen can still slip into his most famous voices at the drop of a hat, from Pinky's (of Pinky and the Brain) Cockney twang to Carl Wheezer's raspy whimper. And after almost 40 years in the business, he's lost none of his love for and delight in his profession.
Animaniacs LIVE!. Credit: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage
"Those of us who are lucky enough to make a living doing any sort of performing, we're incredibly fortunate," Paulsen says. "I'm so glad that I get how fortunate I am to do things like this, and to let people know that folks who do this completely understand how lucky we are to do it. And all that does is inspire us to do it better."
His latest stroke of good fortune: reprising his iconic roles in a revival of beloved '90s animated series Animaniacs alongside costars Tress MacNeille (Hey Arnold!, Rugrats), Jess Harnell (Big Time Rush), and Maurice LaMarche (Hey Arnold!, Futurama). With the reboot now streaming on Hulu, Paulsen spoke to Entertainment Weekly about some of the highlights in his storied career.
Paulsen’s breakthrough came when he scored the role of Raphael on the original TMNT animated series. Decades later, he swapped shells to voice Donatello on Nickelodeon’s 2012 reboot, voice directs the current iteration of the franchise, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in which he even guest starred in an episode along with LaMarche.
ROB PAULSEN: At the first recording session [for the reboot], I sat next to Sean Astin, [the new voice of Raphael], and he had a line that was a bit of a tongue-twister, and he had trouble getting through it. So about the fourth try on the line, I said [to the director], “I just want you to know, if he’s having trouble, I can do it if you really need me to.” And everybody laughed, and Sean’s face turned bright red. He goes, “Oh my God. Raphael is here, telling me that he can do Raphael better than I can.” It was great.
Turtles was a total game-changer. It was the first thing I got involved with where I had any tangential celebrity, but moreover, it allowed me to do unbelievable amounts of charity work, stuff that I never in a million years thought that I’d be able to do. Turtles is a big deal to millions of people, and not just kids. That is really what was the glorious aspect — it showed me the power of joy, and the power of these characters. I don’t even know how to quantify what that means to me, [when] somebody says, “My older brother is 36 years old, and he’s going through pancreatic cancer, and he’d really love to talk to Raphael.” And that happens all the time. That is what was such a game-changer, to know that something I would do for free has such a deep connection to millions of people. And I’ve gotten two cracks at it!
Animaniacs (1993-1998, 2020)
The Steven Spielberg-produced series gave Paulsen not one, but two of his signature characters — the mischievous Yakko Warner and the dull-witted mouse Pinky — and became a cultural phenomenon that took his career to a whole new level.
RP:Animaniacs was the only time in my life, before or since, that I was really aware and very cognizant of that axiom that luck is when opportunity meets preparation. I had already had five years of Ninja Turtles, which had changed my career. You get involved with something that becomes iconic and sells a lot of product and gets hundreds of episodes, all of a sudden people pay attention, so you get more auditions and all that stuff. But [with Animaniacs], I really felt like, “Holy smoke. If I can book this gig, this is going to be a big deal.” And I was right. If Turtles changed my career trajectory, Animaniacs changed my life, because it really played to my strengths. Singing, singing in character, working with people I knew, creating new characters — not having to try to do my version of something that was already well-known by millions. It was overwhelming, truly, in the most glorious sense. And personally, the dividends were far, far more than just a nice paycheck.
A Goofy Movie (1995)
Paulsen voiced Max Goof’s best friend P.J. on Disney’s Goof Troop and its big-screen adaptation. Though not a major success upon release, A Goofy Movie has become an unexpected cult favorite in the decades since.
RP: Five years ago, I got a call from Disney about [coming to] their D23 event for the 20th anniversary of A Goofy Movie. And I said, “Oh, sure. I'm really flattered that they're bringing us down there.” And the guy said, “Oh, dude. You don't know? It's huge.” I started laughing, and I said, “You're kidding me.” “Oh my God, no. We have a thousand-seat auditorium, and it'll be full.” And it was! They had to turn people away. I truly didn’t know. It turned out to be a really good movie, and it has really withstood the test of time. I think the reason is because, like a lot of other Disney projects, it really hits people where they live. Let me tell you, [Goofy voice actor] Billy Farmer is one really fine actor, and when you watch the scenes between Max and Goofy, the joy and the heartbreak and the difficulty in understanding one another, all that s--- that real humans go through, is beautifully portrayed. Billy is wealthy in spirit and bank account for very good reasons.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius (2002-2006)
Another of Paulsen’s roles that took on a life he never expected was Carl Wheezer, Jimmy Neutron’s hyper-allergic and much less intelligent best friend. The actor voiced Carl in the 2001 Nickelodeon film as well as its spin-off TV series.
RP: I love Carl, because it's a totally different character for me, and I made some conscious choices that I think helped define the character. I appropriated P.J. and tweaked him a bit [for Carl], but I decided to add that sort of lazy L — Tom Brokaw is a great example, [where] the L is a glottal L, it’s in the back of his throat. It's a subtle thing, but it’s an endearing little vocal hook that played really well. And that was a total choice from yours truly. And the cool thing is that the folks making the show heard it and said, “Let's keep that in.” Also, I'm a fairly good improviser, and I would add things like, if Carl would fall off a llama, I’d say, “I think I dislocated my scapula.” Scapula is a funny word, and it also has an L in it. And when I say “scapula,” it works perfectly for Carl.
Carl's kind of become iconic in a backhanded sort of way. I just joined TikTok six weeks ago; [there are] like 115 million Carl Wheezer interpretations! Talk about the sincerest form of flattery. I’m so incredibly humbled by that. People love that guy. I put my own [Carl voice] on there and said I'm really who I am, and people said, “Oh, you're not really the guy.” I was like, “Why would I lie about that?” [Laughs]
Rick and Morty (2013)
If there’s one project besides Animaniacs that Paulsen knew right away would be something special, it’s Adult Swim’s acclaimed sci-fi series. The actor played super-intelligent canine Snowball on “Lawnmower Dog,” the show’s second episode.
RP: When [co-creator] Justin Roiland called — and Justin is also the voice of both Rick and Morty, in addition to being a remarkable writer — he said, “Rob, I gotta tell you, you, Tress [MacNeille], and Maurice [LaMarche] were people who I grew up watching. And I thought, if I ever,” dot dot dot, “I'm gonna hire [them],” and he did. He lived up to his own commitment, called me and got me in right away, and Maurice too.
The first lines I had on Rick and Morty were, “Where are my testicles, Summer?” I looked up at him and said, “This is great!” That episode is a pretty excellent example of why Rick and Morty is so freakin’ good: it was a really interesting, clever way to proffer that insight into what dogs would do if they had the power that we have over them. And it was a real privilege to be part of it. I hope [Snowball] comes back. I would work on that show anytime, for scale. You can print that. I love that show.
Rob Paulsen On Voicing Your Childhood, Beating Cancer And TikTok’s Carl Wheezer Challenge
To quote Fight Club: “His name is Robert Paulsen.”
If that name doesn’t ring a bell, maybe these will: Carl Wheezer, Yakko Warner, Mark Chang, Pinky the mouse, Jack Fenton, Donatello, and Raphael.
Over the course of almost four decades, Rob Paulsen has cemented himself as a legendary icon of the voiceover world. He grew up on a healthy diet of Looney Tunes, Johnny Quest, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and The Flintstones, eventually following in the footsteps of his personal heroes, like Mel Blanc and June Foray.
“I don’t pretend to put myself in that category, that’s for other people to decide once I’ve gone to that big animation corporation in the sky,” Paulsen told me during a recent phone interview. “I remember working with Mel and June the first times when I was 28 or 30, and it really got my attention. I’ll never forget it. [Their] characters certainly made an indelible mark on myself and others.”
While my call with Rob was originally pegged to Hulu’s reboot of Animaniacs, our interview soon snowballed into a much larger creature that had us merrily chatting away for over an hour. Like most of us, I grew up hearing Rob on television. He is, quite literally, one of the voices of my childhood.
“You know it’s funny,” he said, “every now and then, people say, ‘Man, I grew up watching Pinky and the Brain or Animaniacs’ … We’re all good, as long as you don’t say, ‘I threw up watching Pinky and the Brain.’ I’m sure there are those who would say that, too, but already, just the fact that you say that, you can imagine what a remarkable, humbling remark that is to me.”
Rob constantly hears about the profound impact of his work at various fan conventions around the country (back when it was still safe to hold them, of course).
“It’s not about me, it’s about the characters — they are so profoundly impactful. I don’t even know how to tell you how humbling that is,” he added. “It gains in its power to me. Every time I hear that, it reminds me that this is something that is timeless and will be around much, much longer than I am. That is what this legacy is about.”
He recounted some truly moving stories from fans, who got through incredibly difficult experiences by watching his shows. Here’s just one example: “Mr. Paulsen, I was in the Marine Corps and I did two tours of duty and I need to show you something. Here’s a picture of me and my friend who didn’t make it back, but we both had our Pinky and the Brain T-shirts on.”
While those inspirational stories never cease to amaze Rob, he also has one of his own. In 2016, he was diagnosed with a voice actor’s worst nightmare: throat cancer. “Not only is it deadly, but it’s a really bad way to go,” he explained. “When you get cancer of the throat, mouth, neck, and they gotta start hacking pieces of you off to save you, it’s not a great way to go. It’s really messy.”
Fortunately, he received the proper treatment via Gardasil (a vaccine originally developed to prevent HPV in young women) and kicked cancer’s big fat behind. He then detailed the harrowing experience in a 2019 memoir entitled Voice Lessons.
“This is about everything we discussed: humor, the power of joy and getting me through my own time in the cancer cage; the power of joy in helping parents reconcile the loss of their children. It boils down to the way people react when I say, ‘NARF!’ or ‘Hell000000 Nurse!’ or ‘Turtle power!’ ... You see my point, all of it makes you smile.”
These days, Rob serves as the official 2020 spokesperson for the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, a role he happily inherited from former Buffalo Bills quarterback, Jim Kelly. “They were very smart because now they know that my story (and specifically because of what I do for a living) can be helpful, informative, and maybe even inspirational,” he said. “Right away, they can say, ‘Hey, what if I told you the guy who’s responsible for being the voice of your childhood had throat cancer?’ You’d say, ‘Oh my God, really? Did it kill him?’ [They can now say,] ‘Actually, no, it didn’t. It would’ve, but he went through the treatment.”
As our discussion began to wind down, Rob and I talked about the most important topic of them all: Tik Tok’s “Carl Wheezer Accent Challenge,” in which Jimmy Neutron fans attempt to replicate the nasally voice of the nebbishy Nickelodeon character.
“I fired up Tik Tok and I noticed that, ‘Jesus!’ There were thousands of people who did their own Carl Wheezer thing,” he said. “I wrote a few lyrics to an old Barry Manilow song and just did an a capella version of it [as Carl]. Then I put up a bunch of stuff with different emphasis on ‘Are you gonna finish that croissant?’ One of them got like 3 million views or something in the first week.”
“I don’t know what it is, but people sure love Carl Wheezer and I could do it all day,” he continued. “It’s the greatest thing in the world, man. It’s great and I’m really looking forward to spending more time on Tik Tok and learning how to access it ... I’m gonna do more Carl stuff because people just love that guy. Stay tuned!”
Rob is as genial and down-to-Earth as they come, always happy to do a voice or two when you just so happen to mention your favorite characters among his long list of credits. Even when he name-drops some of his famous friends (Tress MacNeille, Mark Hamill, Nancy Cartwright, Billy West, Kevin Conroy, and John DiMaggio, to name a few), he’s a little self-deprecating about it.
“My buddy Dave Coulier had a great joke, years ago. He said, ‘I gotta stop dropping names, Bob De Niro told me that,’” Paulsen concluded. I have very famous friends, movie star friends — not because I’m a movie star, but because they worked on cartoons and we hit it off and we’ve become buddies ... I’m a fan [of these people too], I pinch myself all the time.”
The new Animaniacs is now streaming on Hulu.
The Head and Neck Cancer Alliance will be participating in this year’s Giving Tuesday (taking place tomorrow). You can get more info here.
Originally published: Saturday, November 21, 2020. Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon News and Highlights!
Animaniacs star Jess Harnell shared his audition story for Nickelodeon's hit SpongeBob SquarePants series, even though he didn't land the role.
SpongeBob SquarePants almost sounded a little different. In an interview with CBR, Animaniacs star Jess Harnell recalled his audition for a role in the beloved animated Nickelodeon series, even though he didn't make the final cut.
Asked which one of his projects surprised him the most over his long career, Harnell recalled, "Sometimes, you never know what's going to really hit the bullseye in popular culture. I remember, years ago, I did a number of auditions for a certain cartoon and that came down to the wire and I almost got the role and I didn't, in the end. That's fine, because the guy who got it did a fantastic job, but I remember thinking, 'Well, you know, how long is a show about a talking sponge gonna last, anyway?'"
"So you never know! You never know what's going to hit the zeitgeist, and there's certain things you get your hopes up about and think, 'Oh, this one's gonna be a very big deal' and nobody ever hears of it! And there's other things that last forever," he added.
Harnell, of course, has played his fair share of iconic characters. In addition to his role as Wakko Warner in Animaniacs, he voiced Ironhide in the Transformers film series and Crash Bandicoot throughout the popular game franchise of the same name. His past credits also include ChalkZone, Big Time Rush, TMNT, My Life as a Teenage Robot, The Wild Thornberrys, The Tick, Wreck-It Ralph, The Super Hero Squad Show, Drawn Together, Codename: Kids Next Door, Cars, Johnny Bravo, 2 Stupid Dogs and many more.
Debuting in 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has remained popular on Nickelodeon for two decades, with an entire generation growing up with the character and his undersea home of Bikini Bottom. The show follows the title character as he balances his job at the Krusty Krab and his friendships with the other various characters in his hometown, including his neighbors Patrick and Squidward.
The new series of Animaniacs is streaming now on Hulu!
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SpongeBob CameoPants!SpongeBob has been popping up in a few unexpected places this year! First off, he made a slight cameo in The King of Staten Island, and just recently, the new horror movie Come Play. Now the beloved sponge has made another small cameo: in Hulu's brand new reboot of the iconic animated series, Animaniacs! HEELLLLLOOO SPONGE!
In the scene, SpongeBob can be seen in one of the content panels that floats around Yakko's head.
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