Tony Anselmo

American voice actor and animator
  • Voice actor
  • animator
Years active1980–present

Tony Anselmo (born February 18, 1960)[1] is an American voice actor and animator. He has been the official character voice of Donald Duck since 1985 following the death of the original voice actor, Clarence Nash. He has also provided voices for Donald's triplet nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Prior to voicing for Disney projects, he became an animator for the company in 1980. As of 2023, he has been credited in 23 animation roles.

Early life

Anselmo was born on February 18, 1960, in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1]

Anselmo formed an early interest with Disney after attending a screening of Mary Poppins at the age of four. Anselmo says, "I remember leaving the theater and asking, 'How did they do this? Who did that?' and so on...So a seed was planted there, and from that time on I never wanted to be a fireman, an astronaut, or anything else. I wanted to work for Disney."

Anselmo's family moved to Sunnyvale in northern California when he was seven, and he continued to actively study Disney and animation. He began drawing, utilizing the famed Preston Blair art book, Advanced Animation, built a light table of his own, and began creating animation with a Super 8 camera.

He attended Marian A. Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, California. He began night art classes at local colleges and began a regular correspondence with the artists who animated the Disney films, including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Eric Larson, and Milt Kahl.[2] Anselmo says, "Ollie wrote a lot and sent me drawings, advising me to learn quick sketch, life drawing, and design.”[3]

Anselmo studied at the Character Animation Department of California Institute of the Arts on a full scholarship from the Disney Family in fall 1978.[3]

Career

Tony Anselmo and Clarence Nash

Anselmo's career as an animator began in 1980, at age 20. In subsequent years, Anselmo contributed to the animation of 20 Disney animated features, including The Black Cauldron, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Tarzan and The Emperor's New Groove.[3] Anselmo was trained and mentored by the original voice of Donald, Clarence Nash, who died in 1985 and Anselmo inherited the role of Donald Duck just as Nash had wished.[4] He first voiced Donald on a 1986 D-TV Valentine special on The Disney Channel.[2]

Walt Disney insisted on character consistency and integrity. As long as Clarence Nash was alive no one other than Nash was permitted to provide Donald's voice. Continuing in that tradition, in 1988 Roy E. Disney created the department of Disney Character Voices to insure the continuation of character integrity, consistency, and quality in recording methods.[5]

During an interview, Anselmo stated that “Most people believe that Donald’s voice is done squeezing air through the cheek, that is not true. I can't reveal how it's actually done, but it is definitely not done by squeezing air through the cheek. The Hanna-Barbera character ‘Yakky Doodle’ is done that way. Donald Duck is not."[3]

Anselmo is the only person to both animate, and voice Donald Duck in Mickey Donald Goofy: The Three Musketeers, Funny You Don’t Look 200, The Prince and the Pauper, and the 60th Annual Academy Awards.[2]

He has voiced the nephews on the TV special Down and Out With Donald Duck and the shows Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse (while Russi Taylor voiced the nephews in DuckTales, Mickey's Once and Twice Upon a Christmas, Mickey's Speedway USA and the remastered DuckTales video game in 2013.). He also lent his voice to minor characters in The Great Mouse Detective, Mickey's Around the World in 80 Days and Phineas and Ferb.[2][3]

Anselmo has also worked as a voice actor for the Kingdom Hearts series, which features Donald Duck as one of three main characters. He also provided the voice of Donald in the video game Kinect Disneyland Adventures in 2011.

Anselmo has been honored with several awards and nominations. He was a winner of the 2014 BTVA Television Voice Acting Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series - Children's/Educational for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, as well as the BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game - Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

In September 2009, Tony Anselmo was named a Disney Legend by Roy E. Disney.[6]

Anselmo began collecting Disney merchandise at an early age, and is known for his comprehensive collection of Disney posters relating to the works of Walt Disney. This expertise resulted in a 2002 art book, The Disney Poster Book featuring the Collection of Tony Anselmo.[citation needed] Anselmo's collection was used in exhibits at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.[3]

Filmography

Film

List of voice performances in feature and direct-to-video films
Year Title Role Notes
1986 The Great Mouse Detective Thug Guard #3
1987 Down and Out with Donald Duck Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Donald Duck
1990 The Prince and the Pauper
Disney Sing-Along Songs: Disneyland Fun Direct-to-video
1994–1995 Mickey's Fun Songs series Direct-to-video series
1998 The Spirit of Mickey Direct-to-video film
1999 Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
2000 Fantasia 2000
2001 Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie Direct-to-video film
2002 Mickey's House of Villains
2004 The Lion King 1½ Donald Duck
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers Nominated - Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Direct-to-video film
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas Direct-to-video film
2023 Once Upon a Studio Short film

Television

List of voice performances in animated shows
Year Title Role Notes
1986 The Real Ghostbusters The Mayor of Morrisville 1 episode
D-TV Valentine Donald Duck Television special
1987–1988 DuckTales 8 episodes
1988 Totally Minnie Television special
Mickey's 60th Birthday
1989–1990 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1993 Bonkers Episode: "Going Bonkers"
1995 Gargoyles Additional voices
1996 Quack Pack Donald Duck 39 episodes
1999–2000 Mickey Mouse Works Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie 31 episodes
2001–2003 House of Mouse 48 episodes
2006–2016 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Donald Duck 122 episodes
2007 Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt Season 1, episode 24
2009 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo-Choo Express Season 2, episode 33
Mickey's Adventures in Wonderland Season 2, episode 38
2010 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally Season 3, episode 9
2011 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Space Adventure Season 3, episode 22
Phineas and Ferb Additional voices Episode: "Mommy Can You Hear Me?/Road Trip"
2012–2016 Minnie's Bow-Toons Donald Duck 40 episodes
2013 Wheel of Fortune: Making Disney Memories Week
2013–2019 Mickey Mouse 38 episodes
2016 Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special Television special
2017 The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular Television special
2017–2021 DuckTales Main cast
2018 Legend of the Three Caballeros
2020–2023 The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse
2021–present Mickey Mouse Funhouse

Video games

List of voice performances in video games
Year Title Role Notes
1997 Disney's Magic Artist Donald Duck
2000 Mickey's Speedway USA
Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers
Mickey Mouse Preschool [7]
Mickey Mouse Kindergarten [7]
Mickey Mouse Toddler [7]
2002 Kingdom Hearts
2002 Disney Golf
Disney's PK: Out of the Shadows
Disney Sports Soccer
Disney Sports Skateboarding
Disney Sports Football
Disney Sports Basketball
2003 Disney's Party
Toontown Online
2006 Kingdom Hearts II
2008 Disney Think Fast
Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
2009 Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
2010 Epic Mickey
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
2011 Kinect Disneyland Adventures
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
2012 Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
2014 Disney Magical World
Disney Infinity 2.0
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0
2017 Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
2019 Kingdom Hearts III
2020 Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
2021 Cookie Run: Kingdom Cookie Donald Duck [7]
2022 Disney Dreamlight Valley Donald Duck [7]
2023 Disney Illusion Island
Disney Speedstorm

Theme park attractions

Year Title Role
1993 Mickey's Movie Barn Donald Duck
2002 Animagique
2003 Mickey's PhilharMagic
2007 Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
2020 Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

Animator

Year Film Animation Characters
1985 The Black Cauldron Assistant Animator
1986 The Great Mouse Detective Key Assistant Animator
1988 Oliver & Company Animating Assistant
1989 The Little Mermaid Character Animator
1990 The Prince and the Pauper (Short)
1991 Beauty and the Beast Animator Wardrobe
1992 Aladdin Assistant Animator Jasmine
1994 The Lion King Key Assistant Animator Additional Young Simba and Miscellaneous Characters
1995 Pocahontas Flit
1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Associate Lead Key Assistant Clean-Up Animator Gypsies, Guards and Others
1997 Hercules Key Assistant Animator: Additional Clean-Up Animation
1998 Mulan Additional Key Assistant Clean-Up Animator
1999 Tarzan Lead Key Assistant Animator Professor Archimedes Quincy Porter
2000 Fantasia 2000 Key Assistant Animator / Additional Animator
The Emperor's New Groove Key Assistant Animator Pacha
2002 Treasure Planet Sarah Hawkins and Miscellaneous Characters
2004 Home on the Range Key Assistant Animator Miscellaneous Characters
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (Video) Animation Clean-Up / Key Clean-Up Artist Donald Duck
2005 Pooh's Heffalump Movie Clean-Up Artist
2006-07 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Storyboard Revisionist / Prop Designer Episodes: "A Surprise for Minnie", "Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt"
2008 The Replacements Storyboard Revisionist Episode: "Tasumi Unmasked"
2010 Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil Prop Designer Episode: "Mellowbrook Drift"/"The Gift of Wacky"

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result
2005 Annie Awards Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers Nominated
2009 Disney Legend Award Animation - Voice Won
2009 Behind the Voice Actors Television Voice Acting Award Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series - Children's/Educational Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Nominated
2014 Behind the Voice Actors People's Choice Voice Acting Award Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series - Children's/Educational Nominated
2014 Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series - Children's/Educational Nominated
2015 Nominated
2015 Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series - Children's/Educational Nominated
2018 Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series DuckTales Nominated
2018 Won

References

  1. ^ a b Joseph Walker (May 27, 1987). "An Utahn is the man behind Donald Duck". The Deseret News. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Staff, The National Era (2022-02-18). "If it Quacks like a Duck, it Must be Tony Anselmo: The Only Animator to have Voiced the Character He Animated". The National Era. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Uncovering Donald Duck's Official Voice, Tony Anselmo | 🎥 LatestLY". LatestLY. 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  4. ^ "If It Quacks Like This Odd Duck, It Must Be Tony Anselmo". People. May 18, 1987. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "The Classic Character Voice Department". Disney. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  6. ^ "2009 Disney Legends Award Recipients to Be Honored During D23 Expo in Anaheim" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. September 1, 2009. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Tony Anselmo (visual voices guide)". Behind the Voice Actors. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

External links

  • Tony Anselmo at IMDb
  • Interview
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Anselmo.
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