Tony Anselmo

American voice actor and animator From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tony Anselmo

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.

Quick Facts Born, Alma mater ...
Tony Anselmo
Anselmo with Donald Duck in 1998
Born (1960-02-18) February 18, 1960 (age 65)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Alma materCalifornia Institute of the Arts
Occupations
  • Voice actor
  • animator
Years active1980–present
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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

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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, using 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

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Tony Anselmo and Clarence Nash, 1980s

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 (the voice of Minnie Mouse) 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.

Honors and acclaim

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.[citation needed]

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

More information Year, Title ...
List of voice performances in feature and direct-to-video films
Year Title Role Notes
1986 The Great Mouse Detective Thug Guard No. 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
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
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Television

More information Year, Title ...
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
2025–present Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+
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Video games

Web series

More information Year, Title ...
List of voice performances in Web shows
YearTitleRoleNote
2024 Hot Ones Donald Duck Episode: "Donald Duck Tries to Keep His Cool While Eating Spicy Wings"[8]
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Theme park attractions

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Animator

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Year Film Animation Characters
1985The Black CauldronAssistant Animator
1986The Great Mouse DetectiveKey Assistant Animator
1988Oliver & CompanyAnimating Assistant
1989The Little MermaidCharacter Animator
1990The Prince and the Pauper (Short)
1991Beauty and the BeastAnimatorWardrobe
1992AladdinAssistant AnimatorJasmine
1994The Lion King Key Assistant AnimatorAdditional Young Simba and Miscellaneous Characters
1995PocahontasFlit
1996The Hunchback of Notre DameAssociate Lead Key Assistant Clean-Up AnimatorGypsies, Guards, and Others
1997HerculesKey Assistant Animator: Additional Clean-Up Animation
1998MulanAdditional Key Assistant Clean-Up Animator
1999Tarzan Lead Key Assistant AnimatorProfessor Archimedes Quincy Porter
Fantasia 2000Key Assistant Animator / Additional Animator
2000The Emperor's New GrooveKey Assistant AnimatorPacha
2002 Treasure PlanetSarah Hawkins and Miscellaneous Characters
2004Home on the RangeKey Assistant AnimatorMiscellaneous Characters
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (Video)Animation Clean-Up / Key Clean-Up ArtistDonald Duck
2005Pooh's Heffalump MovieClean-Up Artist
2006–07Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Storyboard Revisionist / Prop DesignerEpisodes: "A Surprise for Minnie", "Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt"
2008The ReplacementsStoryboard RevisionistEpisode: "Tasumi Unmasked"
2010Kick Buttowski: Suburban DaredevilProp DesignerEpisode: "Mellowbrook Drift"/"The Gift of Wacky"
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Awards and nominations

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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
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References

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