History HeReallyCanAct / WesternAnimation

** Pretty much anytime Spongebob gets emotional can count here. With a particular mention going to [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie the]] [[BigDamnMovie movie]], where you [[spoiler:genuinley feel like he's not gonna make it]].

--->'''Steven''': My body, it's reacting like it's the end of the world. I think I've almost seen the world end so many times now, that everything else feels that-- that extreme. I should be feeling so good these days. The universe is saved, it's Era 3, but... but I'm swelling up over these Third Era problems. What do I do?... ''[starts crying]'' How do I move on from all the horrible stuff that's happened? ''How do I live my life if it always feels like I'm about to die??''

---->'''Pearl''': WHY WON'T YOU JUST LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU, ROSE!?

** Zach Callison, the voice of Steven himself can have some incredible moments of pathos. His debate with Bismuth over the ethics of shattering, his obvious concern trying to heal Jasper in the moment mentioned above in her own entry, and his emotional breakdown with Connie, confessing how guilty he feels over not being able to save the above two and Eyeball Ruby, despite his best attempts to solve the conflicts peacefully. But, what really gives him kudos was in the episode "Change Your Mind" where [[spoiler:after White Diamond rips his Gem out of him, said Gem becomes a Pink copy of Steven. Zach voices both him and regular Steven and you can really hear how much in pain regular Steven when he is trying to return to Pink Steven due to him slowly dying. But, that's nothing to the sheer power in his voice where after White asks where Steven's mother Pink Diamond is, Pink Steven replies: "She's GOOOOOOOOOONE!" with a voice so powerful that it breaks the floor underneath him.]]
*** Even more impressive in [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie the movie]] and the ''[[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture Future]]'' miniseries, where Steven has aged up and Zach is no longer held back by using his little boy voice. It allows Steven to sing even better and get some more emotionally challenging acts shoed-in.
*** Steven breaking down and finally discussing his trauma with his dad during the climax of "Growing Pains" shows some serious acting chops on Zach Callison's part.
*** Likewise, the utter sadism in Steven's voice before he shatters Jasper in "Fragments" is utterly chilling.
*** Zach Callison nailed it again, during Steven's mental breakdown in "Everything's Fine". You can hear his voice filled with raw madness and despair in a brutal yet realistic way.

* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':

** Before being cast as Korra, Creator/JanetVarney was mostly known for her work on various comedic projects (such as Podcast/{{Rifftrax}}). After being cast, however, viewers got to see what she could do when given dramatic substance (in particular, many critics have praised her acting in Book 4 for her realistic, and heartbreaking performance [[spoiler:of Korra suffering from PTSD]]).

** This also applies for some of the other voice actresses on the show. As [[WebOriginal/FamiliarFaces CR]] put it, their performances in the previous ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' shows were probably only lackluster because they weren't given anything interesting to say.

* ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'':
** Creator/AmyPoehler's performance as Joy is mostly just her being...well, [[CloudCuckoolander Amy Poehler]]. But then we get to [[spoiler: Joy breaking down at the bottom of the Memory Dump, holding forgotten memories.]] You ''will'' believe that ''Amy Poehler'' can make you cry.
** The normally comedic Richard Kind as Bing Bong. Even Kind himself was tearing up during [[spoiler:his character's HeroicSacrifice.]]
---> [[spoiler:Take her to the moon for me, will you?]]

* When Creator/TeriHatcher is cast as the Other Mother in ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'', let's just say that most people didn't expect her to pull it off ''that'' well.

* Even though it was just voice-acting, Andy Dick, (in)famously known for his shock-value comedy, gave a truly tragic performance as [[WellDoneSonGuy Nuka in his last moments]] in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride The Lion King II]]''. He was also very good in the English dub of ''Anime/CastleInTheSky''. Maybe he should stick to voice overs.

* Ellen [=DeGeneres=]'s [[LivingEmotionalCrutch "I look at you, and I'm home"]] speech in ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo''. The DVD commentary said that the take they used was her second one--by the end of recording the first one, she was crying so much because she thought she had ruined the line, and she had to take a break. By the second try, she was still distraught over the first take. An example of accidental method acting.
* It seems odd to say this considering she's an Oscar-winning actress, but Julia Roberts does a fantastic job voicing the titular character of ''Literature/CharlottesWeb''. Listen to her voice in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0mHRQn_YrI her final scene]] -- it legitimately sounds like she's [[spoiler: at death's door.]]

* Creator/JudithBarsi's role as Anne-Marie in ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven''. This was her final role before her tragic death, and she really gives it her all during some of the more emotional moments, specifically the very end of the film.
* Nathan Lane's sinister turn as Preed from ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' may come as a surprise to people who know him as Timon from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}''.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Pretty much all the main cast members have fantastic emotional moments, especially considering most of them actually were kids or teens at the time of their casting. Zachary Taylor Eisen [[AllLovingHero (Aang)]] in particular stands out for this.
** Dante Basco, who's best known outside of Avatar for his role as [[OldShame Rufio]] in Film/{{Hook}}, mostly just gets to be angry for the first season, but later on gives some absolutely brilliant performances as [[AntiVillain Zuko]], perhaps his crowning moment being [[spoiler: his reunion with Uncle Iroh in Sozin's Comet.]] The way is voice breaks as he tells him how very sorry he is just breaks your heart. Plus, in Season 3 we get to see more of his [[NiceGuy sweet]], [[SociallyAwkwardHero awkward]], [[IJustWantToHaveFriends vulnerable]] side, which is always nice.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'':
** Creator/SeychelleGabriel as Asami. Originally she played Princess Yue in the [[Film/TheLastAirbender panned adaptation]] of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original series]]. Then she got cast in the series and started off as TheScrappy before [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap proceeding to win fans over to her]] through a combination of the writing and her often heartbreaking performance, making her one of the more sympathetic (and popular) characters in the series. Her final confrontation at the end of Book One with [[spoiler:her father]] in particular, stands out.
** From the same show, before being cast as Korra, Creator/JanetVarney was mostly known for her work on various comedic projects (such as Podcast/{{Rifftrax}}). After being cast, however, viewers got to see what she could do when given dramatic substance (in particular many critics have praised her acting in Book 4 for her realistic, and heartbreaking performance [[spoiler:of Korra suffering from PTSD]]).

* Ryan Potter's performance in ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'' counts as this. He had previously been best known for working on the Nickelodeon show ''Series/SupahNinjas'', and many people went into ''Big Hero 6'' not expecting much out of him. He proved everyone wrong, especially in any moment involving Hiro grieving over Tadashi, and [[spoiler:when Baymax makes his HeroicSacrifice.]] A shame that the 2015 Kids Choice Award nominees (announced a few months after the film's release) didn't have the "Favorite Voice in an Animated Movie" category this time around[[note]]though the movie itself was nominated (and eventually won) in the Favorite Animated Movie category the same year[[/note]], and ''[=BH6=]'' didn't get a single Annie nomination in the voice-acting category; Ryan would have won both by a landslide.
-->'''Hiro:''' ''TADASHI'S'' '''''GONE!''''' ([[TearJerker breaks down crying]]) Tadashi's... gone...

* Nobody's denying that Creator/MelBlanc is as prolific a voice actor as they come, but there are times where he comes off as just going through the motions. Then, once in a while, he'll have a moment that shows he's a damn fine actor. Notable examples:

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'':
** Creator/GinniferGoodwin delivers a pretty emotional performance as Judy Hopps later on in the film. Check the scene where she [[spoiler:tearfully asks Nick to help her again]] for a quick and powerful example.
** Creator/KathSoucie's performance as Young Nick makes his backstory even more tragic.

* ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'':
** Art Parkinson's most famous role is Rickon Stark in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', where he was infamously given almost nothing to do across the four seasons he appeared in. This caused some fans to wonder if this meant the crew was disappointed in his acting skills, but his performance in this film definitely shows he has real chops.
** Rooney Mara's sinister turn. Even people who don't like the film find her performance intimidating.

* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'' has Chris Houghton realistically burst into tears in the episode ''Phoenix Rises'' . He makes you ''feel'' that Cricket is overcome with guilt and is sounds actually worried that his dog ran away for good. It is worth noting that Chris was actually in tears when recording that scene.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' has Rodger Bumpass's crying breakdown in ''Enchanted Tiki Dreams'' poor guy sounds like he is generally miserable in his life.

* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'' has Chris Houghton realistically burst into tears in the episode ''Phoenix Rises'' he makes you ''feel'' that Cricket is overcome with guilt and is sounds actuallly worried that his dog ran away for good. It is worth noting that Chris was actually in tears when recording that scene.

-->Ford: You're our hero, Stanley....

** Also, while not quite as much an acting triumph as it is just an insanely great performance, Daffy's frantically warning Little Red Riding Hood about the Big Bad Wolf -- [[CrazyAwesome by scatting like Danny Kaye, no less!]] -- in Creator/BobClampett's ''WesternAnimation/BookRevue.''

** Seychelle Gabriel as Asami. Originally she played Princess Yue in the [[Film/TheLastAirbender panned adaptation]] of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original series]]. Then she got cast in the series and started off as TheScrappy before [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap proceeding to win fans over to her]] through a combination of the writing and her often heartbreaking performance, making her one of the more sympathetic (and popular) characters in the series. Her final confrontation at the end of Book One with [[spoiler:her father]] in particular, stands out.
** From the same show, before being cast as Korra, Janet Varney was mostly known for her work on various comedic projects (such as Podcast/{{Rifftrax}}). After being cast, however, viewers got to see what she could do when given dramatic substance (in particular many critics have praised her acting in Book 4 for her realistic, and heartbreaking performance [[spoiler:of Korra suffering from PTSD]]).

** Zelda Williams certainly has a lot to live up to, her dad being [[Creator/RobinWilliams who he is and all]]. She proves well up to the task with her performance as [[WellIntentionedExtremist Kuvira]], giving the role plenty of both commanding gravitas and humanity.

* The great thing about ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' is that even when the plots are goofy, Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone have the characters play it dead serious. So, the more serious the parallel is, the better the performances. See Stan confronting Kyle's evasive behavior when [[spoiler:Franchise/IndianaJones is raped]] in "[[Recap/SouthParkS12E8TheChinaProblem The China Probrem]]" or Cartman's FreakOut when [[spoiler:the boys are about to destroy his gadgets ([[DontExplainTheJoke as if he's getting murdered]])]] in "[[Recap/SouthParkS20E2SkankHunt Skank Hunt]]".

* Mark Hamill as the Joker. It should be noted how well this guy's performance and range extends for this character. From ''Justice League'' all the way to ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'', Hamill's voice acting and delivery is impeccable, especially in episode 18 of Justice League, where he delivers what is considered to be the most passionate, and downright powerful Joker laugh of all time.

* ''WesternAnimation/Batman: The Animated Series'': Mark Hamill as the Joker. It should be noted how well this guy's performance and range extends for this character. From ''Justice League'' all the way to ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker'', Hamill's voice acting and delivery is impeccable, especially in episode 18 of Justice League, where he delivers what is considered to be the most passionate, and downright powerful Joker laugh of all time.

-->'''Stan: DON’T PRESS THAT BUTTON!'''

-->Ford:You're our hero, Stanley....

* Music/JesseMccartney's performance as Robin/Nightwing in [[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice]]. DC fans were skeptical at first of a former teen pop star voicing the iconic protege to the Dark Knight. However, they later found out he does really well balancing Dick's snark and silliness right alongside his drive, determination, and the fact that he was trained by Batman.

* Even though it was just voice-acting, ''Andy Dick'' (in)famously known for his shock-value comedy, gave a truly tragic performance as [[WellDoneSonGuy Nuka in his last moments]] in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride The Lion King II]]''. He was also very good in the English dub of ''Anime/CastleInTheSky''. Maybe he should stick to voice overs.

* Creator/TomKenny has generally played a lot of comedic roles, such as Spongebob, The Mayor of Townsville, Dog, etc. It comes off as a shock when he plays [[WesternAnimation/{{Ultimate Spider-Man}} Doctor Octopus]], who is a legitimately creepy and threatening character, as well as [[spoiler:managing to make you feel a bit of pity for him in a hall of mirrors when he laments "I was handsome once." in "Me Time", as well as the fact that he's about to be fired if he doesn't get Spider-Man]].

*** On a similarly dark note, in the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode ''Bummer Vacation'', Tom Kenny shows how scary Spongebob can be when he's completely off his rocker, and all with just the delivery of his infamous line "I've been WAITING for you, Patrick!", where you realize that [[SanitySlippage he has completely lost it]] and becomes AxCrazy, with the [[LaughingMad maniacal laughter]] being the ultimate proof that Tom Kenny is also able to nail the role of Spongebob becoming a scary psychopath chillingly well.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', there's Seychelle Gabriel as Asami. Originally she played Princess Yue in the [[Film/TheLastAirbender panned adaptation]] of the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender original series]]. Then she got cast in the series and started off as TheScrappy before [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap proceeding to win fans over to her]] through a combination of the writing and her often heartbreaking performance, making her one of the more sympathetic (and popular) characters in the series. Her final confrontation at the end of Book One with [[spoiler:her father]] in particular, stands out.

** Creator/SteveBlum has never been regarded as a bad actor per say, but was extremely pigeonholed as the go-to, over-the-top badass kind of character. In this series, he's ''terrifying'' as Amon as well as very charismatic (while still being badass to boot), commanding the screen in every scene he was in, and [[spoiler:both he and Dee Bradley Baker had one of the most heartbreaking moments of the entire season at the end]].

** Creator/AshleyEckstein's performance as Ahsoka Tano is very well received by many thanks to her portrayal of Ahsoka's growth from a snippy Padawan to the [[BreakoutCharacter fan favorite]] she's known for today. Her performance at the end of Season Five when [[spoiler:Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Order]] is almost ''guaranteed'' to make you [[TearJerker shed a tear]].
*** Eckstein also gets bonus points for her performance as [[spoiler:the Dark Sided Ahsoka in the Mortis arc, where she manages to make Ahsoka's [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brief sojourn to the Dark Side]] ''[[NightmareFuel very frightening]]'']].
** Creator/DeeBradleyBaker's performances as all of the Clone Troopers was incredible, especially since he was able to differentiate each of them with just slight variations in his voice. A good example of this is the Umbara arc, where Baker did [[TalkingToHimself most of the voice work]] for ''four episodes''.
*** Baker gets another shoutout for his performance in the Order 66 arc, with [[spoiler:Fives' death from [[HeKnowsTooMuch trying to reveal the truth about Order 66]]]] considered one of the most heartbreaking moments of ''The Clone Wars''.
** Creator/CoreyBurton did a wonderful job as Count Dooku, showcasing the menacing Sith Lord in his own light. Even Creator/ChristopherLee gave his own [[ApprovalOfGod approval]] when he heard Burton's performance.
*** Burton also did a great performance as Cad Bane, with a sinister voice that blends SpaghettiWestern and ''Franchise/StarWars'' together.

* Creator/AmyPoehler's performance as Joy from ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' is mostly just her being...well, [[CloudCuckoolander Amy Poehler]]. But then we get to [[spoiler: Joy breaking down at the bottom of the Memory Dump, holding forgotten memories.]] You ''will'' believe that ''Amy Poehler'' can make you cry.

*** Let's not forget "Mr Greg", where she sings an utterly stunning TearJerker of a love ballad, "It's Over, Isn't it?" Particularly the final high note of "And she loved you, and she's gone", something improvised by her actress in the recording studio.

* Art Parkinson's most famous role is Rickon Stark in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', where he was infamously given almost nothing to do across the four seasons he appeared in. This caused some fans to wonder if this meant the crew was disappointed in his acting skills, but his performance in ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'' definitely shows he has real chops.
** Rooney Mara's sinister turn in the same film also qualifies. Even people who don't like the film find her performance intimidating.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' has Will Arnett, mostly a goofy comic actor, showing a serious amount of cred as the washed up 90s actor [=BoJack=]. Special mention to his plea to Diane to tell him he's still worth something, or his breakup with Wanda (also a SRCA moment for Lisa Kudrow).

* Say what you will about ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'', but it was GrowingTheBeard during ''The Super Powers Team'' era and one of the reasons is the episode "The Fear", where Creator/AdamWest gives one of his best performances in [[Series/Batman1966 his most famous role]] as Batman is triggered by Scarecrow going to Crime Alley into reliving the night his parents died, and his feelings and fears about it.

* Say what you will about ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'', but it was GrowingTheBeard during ''The Super Powers Team'' era and one of the reasons is the episode "The Fear", where Creator/AdamWest gives one of his best performances in [[Series/Batman1966 his most famous role]] as Batman is triggered by Scarecrow going to Crime Alley into reliving the night his parents died, and his feelings and fears about it.

* Say what you will about ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'', but it did GrowingTheBeard during ''The Super Powers Team'' era and one of the reasons is the episode "The Fear", where Creator/AdamWest gives one of his best performances in [[Series/Batman1966 his most famous role]] as Batman is triggered by Scarecrow going to Crime Alley into reliving the night his parents died, and his feelings and fears about it.

*** On a similarly dark note, in the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBob SquearePants'' episode ''Bummer Vacation'', Tom Kenny shows how scary Spongebob can be when he's completely off his rocker, and all with just the delivery of his infamous line "I've been WAITING for you, Patrick!", where you realize that [[SanitySlippage he has completely lost it]] and becomes AxCrazy, with the [[LaughingMad maniacal laughter]] being the ultimate proof that Tom Kenny is also able to nail the role of Spongebob becoming a scary psychopath chillingly well.

*** On a similarly dark note, in the ''SpongeBob SquearePants'' episode ''Bummer Vacation'', Tom Kenny shows how scary SpongeBob can be when he's completely off his rocker, and all with just the delivery of his infamous line "I've been WAITING for you, Patrick!", where you realize that [[SanitySlippage he has completely lost it]] and becomes AxCrazy, with the [[LaughingMad maniacal laughter]] being the ultimate proof that Tom Kenny is also able to nail the role of SpongeBob becoming a scary psychopath chillingly well.