If you are a fan of Pixar films, you know that John Ratzenberger has been in every Pixar feature film since Toy Story in 1995. He has never being the main character in any film, but in a supporting role. Besides his Pixar resume John is a very accomplished actor. He is best known as Cliff Clavin in the hit sitcom Cheers. John was involved in the Star Wars franchise as Major Bren Derlin in The Empire Strikes Back, could have been a premonition for future Disney work. He also played roles in the original Superman and Superman II among other films over the years. He even voiced an animated version of Cliff Clavin for The Simpsons. John is rated as the 6th most successful actor of all time. This is measured by a total box office of over $3,000,000,000. That’s pretty impressive, especially for someone who’s not considered a “leading man.”
When Inside Out was released, I of course was wanting to see which character he would take on in this film. I already knew who the big roles for the film were being performed by, so I kept my ears opened while watching waiting to see.
Eventually I saw the character, he voiced Fritz in the film. Fritz is the “worker” who installs the upgraded console in headquarters when Riley turns 12.
In case you were curious to know what other Pixar characters John has voiced, here is the list:
Toy Story, Toy Story 2 & Toy Story 3 = Hamm the Piggy Bank
A Bug’s Life = P.T. Flea, the Circus Ring Leader
Monsters, Inc. = The Abominable Snowman
Finding Nemo = School of Moonfish
The Incredibles = The Underminer
Cars and Cars 2 = Mack the Truck
Ratatouille = Mustafa the Waiter
Wall-E = John
Up = Tom the construction Worker
Brave = Gordon
Monsters University = Monsters, Inc. Employee
Inside Out = Fritz
In addition to all his films, he has also been in the “shorts” based on the films and their video games. John had the opportunity to make fun of his Pixar characters and tenure of playing them during the end credits of Cars. Mack is watching car-themed versions of different Pixar movies (“Toy Car Story”, “Monsters Trucks, Inc.” and “A Bug’s Life”) and Mack says that all the characters played by Ratzenberger were excellent. Mack then realizes that they’re the same actor, and then he says, “They’re just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?”
The next Pixar film due out is “The Good DInosaur”, I will be waiting to watch and see what character he will voice Although he will probably not go down in history as one of the greatest actors of all time, in the eyes of Disney/Pixar fans, he will always be an actor that holds a special place in our hearts. Maybe one day John will be inducted as a Disney Legend, due to the fact he has contributed in a large way to the Pixar success. Until the next film, we’ll be waiting to hear what character shares his iconic voice in the future!
As co-owner and co-creator of The Main Street Mouse.Working in a technical support position for 18 years, it was time for a change.As the Webmaster and Project Planner, I spend most of my time researching everything from the latest Disney News, technology advances and of course keeping up on all the Marvel news that comes out.I never considered myself a writer but I’ve come to like blogging and sharing news with all.I feel blessed everyday that I get to spend my days working with my best friend and love of my life while we continue to grow and expand what started as a hobby all those years ago.
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