It’s too badChris Rock called voice performance the easiest job in the worldback in 2012 during the Academy Awards ceremony. Sure, it was a joke, but there’s no denying that the talent behind those beloved characters in thehit films from Pixar, DreamWorks, and more deserve better recognition. With that, we decided to look at why the Academy should consider a new category.
First of all, it’s no secret that the Academy, despite being a ceremony dedicated to recognizing the best in cinema, has some oversights in terms of its categories. That includesstunt performers, too, by the way. But when you think about performances such as Jennifer Jason Leigh inAnomalisaand Tim Allen inToy Story, you realize voice performances are a skill as challenging and powerful as physical acting. Several core elements of many films just aren’trepresented at the Academy Awardsat the moment, depriving talented artists in numerous fields of a critical opportunity to get appreciation for their hard work. Here’s a closer look at why the Academy needs to create a category for voice acting.
Related:Explained: Why It’s Time For a Best Stunt Oscar Category
Are There Awards For Voice Acting?
The Oscars should take a note from theAnnie Awards, which are accolades presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally designed to celebrate lifetime or career contributions to animation, the award has been given to individual works since 1992. The 49th Annie Awards ceremony will be held virtually on July 07, 2025.
Beyond the Annies, the Primetime Emmy Awards have been honoring voice work with its Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance category for years now. Last year, it went toMaya Rudolph forBig Mouth. However, when it comes strictly to cinema, the Academy needs to wake up and shed more light on the voices we come to love as equally as the live-action characters.
Animated Films Are Consistently Nominated in Top Categories
Toy Story 3was nominated for Best Picture in 2011.Inside Outwas nominated for Best Original Screenplay in 2016.Soulwon Best Original Score in 2021, while also nabbing a nod for Best Sound — just to name a few. Animated movies at the Oscars are typically regulated in the Best Animated Film section, but on numerous cases they’ve appeared in the other top categories. It’s all the more reason why the voice talents behind these top-tier films are worthy of an Oscars race all their own.
Beyond animation, voice work has brought live-action films to new heights as well. Think about the fan-favorite “Samantha” character, played by Scarlett Johansson, in Spike Jonze’sHer(2013). It was a bummer when theGolden Globes ruled out Johansson’s eligibilityto be nominated that year, since she didn’t physically appear on-screen. Even sadder was when the Oscars and SAG Awards followed suit.
“Working with Spike and Joaquin in this incredibly intimate environment, this tiny little booth — they were with me in this dark room for months and months, and we kept coming back and revisiting and reimagining this story, going to all of these difficult places and heartbreaking moments and heartwarming moments. You just have this heightened sense of the nuance and intonation,“Johannson once toldVanity Fairabout her unique experiencing voicing the computer-generated character. “That has its own challenges that I never experienced before.” Which brings us to our next point…
Voice Performance is as Challenging as Physical Acting
It seems that the perception of voice acting as a laid back job has become permeated in the general consciousness. This underlines the importance of having an annual Oscar category where a selection of voice acting talent can be recognized for their hard work and dedication. Performing as a voice actor is far from “the easiest job in the world,” as Rock put it, and having this profession recognized through a Best Voice-Over Performance category could go a long way to challenging that perception.
“The actors in voice over are some of the best I’ve ever worked with: on screen, on television, on Broadway, off Broadway — they’re just incredibly talented,“saidStar Warslegend Mark Hamill— who has led an incredibly successful career voicing iconic characters likeBatman’sJoker villain — in an interview withNPR. “Not only that, a lot of them have come from the world of stand-up comedy or improv, you know, Second City, Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade. They’re so versatile, and some of them are just brilliant mimics or impressionists.”
Related:Uncharted Video Game Voice Actor Praises Tom Holland as Nathan Drake
The Category Would Give Long-Standing Veterans Deserved Recognition
“I love the idea of adding an Oscar for voice performances,“said Billy Eichner(The Lion King) in an interview withVariety. “Looking back, there are so many iconic and beloved voice performances that didn’t get acknowledged, like Robin Williams inAladdinand Ellen DeGeneres inFinding Nemo.”
Voice performances are eligible in the acting categories, but no one has ever been nominated for such work, presumably because Oscar voters are going to favor live-action performances. Beyond Hamill and Johansson, this new category would also be a way to honor less recognizable faces who have nonetheless been integral in the characterization of many cultural icons, like Jim Cummings — who’s been voicingWinnie the Poohsince 1988 — and puppeteer legend Frank Oz, responsible for most of your favorite Muppets and, of course, Yoda.
