Beyond Hollywood Updates

Voice Actors & Animation Talent We Lost in 2026 — Remembering Six Incredible Performers Who Left an Unforgettable Mark on Animation. • 🖤 CATHERINE O’HARA — 71 MARCH 4, 1954 – JANUARY 30, 2026 The legendary actress was also an unforgettable animation voice performer, most famously voicing Sally and Shock in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Her animated résumé also included Chicken Little, Frankenweenie, The Wild Robot and numerous television roles. • ⭐ TOM KANE — 64 APRIL 15, 1962 – MAY 18, 2026 A legendary voice of the Star Wars universe, Kane portrayed Yoda and served as the iconic narrator of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He also voiced Admiral Ackbar and became beloved by Cartoon Network fans as Professor Utonium in The Powerpuff Girls. • 🌺 DAVEIGH CHASE — 35 JULY 24, 1990 – JUNE 17, 2026 Chase became part of Disney history as the original voice of Lilo Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch, later returning throughout the franchise. Anime fans also knew her as the English voice of Chihiro Ogino in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Her performance as Lilo earned her an Annie Award. • 🤖 PETER CULLEN — 85 JULY 28, 1941 – AUGUST 26, 2026 Few voices in animation history were more instantly recognizable. Cullen originated the legendary voice of Optimus Prime in the 1984 Transformers series and continued portraying the Autobot leader across generations of films, television and games. He was also beloved as Eeyore in Disney’s Winnie the Pooh franchise. • 🐉 MIKE McFARLAND — 56 JULY 14, 1970 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 A hugely influential figure in English anime dubbing, McFarland voiced Master Roshi and Yajirobe in Dragon Ball, Buggy the Clown in One Piece, Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan and Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist. Behind the microphone, he was also an enormously important ADR director, writer and producer who helped shape English versions of Fullmetal Alchemist, Attack on Titan, One Piece and many more. • 🐰 ERIC BAUZA — 46 DECEMBER 7, 1979 – OCTOBER 25, 2026 Bauza became the defining modern voice of numerous Looney Tunes legends, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety and Marvin the Martian. His extraordinary career also included Foop/Irep in The Fairly OddParents, Tiger Claw in TMNT, Splinter in Rise of the TMNT, Puss in Boots and hundreds of additional performances. He won three Children’s & Family Emmy Awards during his remarkable career. 2026 Has Taken an Extraordinary Group of Performers Who Helped Give Voices, Personalities and Heart to Characters Loved Across Generations. Their Voices May Be Gone, but Their Work Will Continue to Live Through Animation Forever. 💬 WHICH CHARACTER OR PERFORMANCE FROM THESE LEGENDS WILL YOU REMEMBER MOST? #EricBauza #PeterCullen #TomKane

R.I.P. Sir Patrick Stewart — Captain Picard, Professor X & the Legendary Voice of Avery Bullock, King Goobot, the Great Prince & More — Dead at 86 Legendary British actor Sir Patrick Stewart, whose extraordinary career stretched from Shakespeare to Star Trek, X-Men and animation, has passed away at 86. Stewart died at his Los Angeles home on October 28, 2026, surrounded by loved ones. His family said he had experienced a brief journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. • Captain Jean-Luc Picard — Star Trek • Professor Charles Xavier / Professor X — X-Men • Avery Bullock — American Dad! • King Goobot — Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius • The Great Prince — Bambi II • Max Winters — TMNT • Pharaoh Seti I — The Prince of Egypt • Poop — The Emoji Movie • Ariscratle — Ice Age: Continental Drift • Tugg — Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return • Sir Ritchfield — The Sheep Detectives Stewart became a science-fiction icon as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, leading Star Trek: The Next Generation before returning across feature films and eventually Star Trek: Picard. Another generation knew him as Professor Charles Xavier, beginning with 2000’s X-Men. His final era also included a return as Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday, which will now stand as a posthumous appearance. REST IN PEACE, SIR PATRICK STEWART — 1940–2026. 🕊️ #PatrickStewart #RIPPatrickStewart #StarTrek

R.I.P. Patrick Stewart — ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ Legend Has Died at 86.

Jared Bush Says Alice Looking So Young in Disney’s ‘Hexed’ Is Intentional — Her Being a Younger Mother Is Reportedly an Actual Plot Point! ALICE, voiced by Rashida Jones, is the cautious and highly protective mother of 16-year-old Billie Doe, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld. HEXED is Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 65th animated feature and arrives exclusively in theaters on NOVEMBER 25, 2026. #Hexed #DisneyAnimation #JaredBush

Happy Birthday to Tabitha St. Germain — The Voice of Rarity! Legendary Canadian voice actress Tabitha St. Germain celebrates her birthday today, marking another year for one of animation’s most prolific and recognizable performers. • Rarity — My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic / Equestria Girls • Princess Luna / Nightmare Moon — My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic • Mystake / Akita / Gandalaria / Tox — Ninjago • Spryte — The Legend of Zelda • Wendy O. Koopa / Kootie Pie Koopa — The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario World • Nazz — Ed, Edd n Eddy • Princess Lydia — Sonic Underground • Sara Asano — InuYasha • Maddy — MegaMan NT Warrior • Persephone / Aphrodite / Psyche — Class of the Titans • Abby Windsor / Haro / Hilda Harken — Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny • Commander Kala — Voltron Force #TabithaStGermain #MyLittlePony #Ninjago

June and Glider From ‘the Angry Birds Movie 3’ Dress Up as Rumi and Luffy for Halloween! THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 3 flies into theaters on DECEMBER 23, 2026. #AngryBirdsMovie3 #KPopDemonHunters #OnePiece

Barbie Wire and Striker Appear to Have a Spark in ‘Helluva Boss’ Season 3. The surprise moment comes in HELLUVA BOSS Season 3, Episode 7 — “YES / NO,” which premiered on October 28, 2026. #HelluvaBoss #BarbieWire #Striker

IMDB Ratings for Every ‘Helluva Boss’ Season 3 Part 1 Episode So Far — ‘Return to Loo Loo Land’ Leads With an 8.6/10! #HelluvaBoss #VivziePop #IMDb

Happy 56th Birthday to Michael Daingerfield — The Voice of Gintoki! Born October 29, 1970, Canadian voice actor Michael Daingerfield celebrates his 56th birthday today! His career spans anime, cartoons, superhero projects, video games and family animation. • Gintoki Sakata — Gintama • Ace Ventura — Ace Ventura: Pet Detective • Superman / Clark Kent / Kal-El — Krypto the Superdog • Krux / Dr. Saunders — LEGO Ninjago • Captain America / Steve Rogers — LEGO Marvel projects • Wheeljack — Transformers: Armada • Inferno / Roadblock — Transformers: Energon • Braeburn — My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic • Patchy — Gigantosaurus • Dionysus — Class of the Titans Anime fans especially know Daingerfield as Gintoki Sakata in the Ocean English dub of Gintama, a role he later reprised for Gintama: The Very Final. #MichaelDaingerfield #Gintama #AceVentura

Happy 54th Birthday to Gabrielle Union — The Voice of Jett Fillmore! Born October 29, 1972, in Omaha, Nebraska, actress and voice performer Gabrielle Union celebrates her 54th birthday today! Across film, television and animation, she has built a career filled with memorable characters spanning comedy, drama, action and family entertainment. • Jett Fillmore — GOAT • Nala — The Lion Guard • Meridian Clade — Strange World • Talia Rogue — The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder / A Proud Family Wizmas • Isis — Bring It On • Syd — Bad Boys II • Mary Jane Paul — Being Mary Jane Beyond voice acting, Union remains beloved for roles including Isis in Bring It On, Syd in Bad Boys II and Mary Jane Paul in Being Mary Jane. #GabrielleUnion #GOAT #TheLionGuard

Josh Gad Hypes ‘the Angry Birds Movie 3’ as Potentially the Funniest Film Yet — In Theaters December 23! Josh Gad returns as the voice of CHUCK in The Angry Birds Movie 3, reuniting with Jason Sudeikis as Red, Danny McBride as Bomb and Rachel Bloom as Silver. The massive voice cast also features Emma Myers, Walker Scobell, Keke Palmer, Lily James, Tim Robinson, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Anna Cathcart, Marcello Hernández, Sam Richardson, Nikki Glaser, MrBeast, Salish Matter, Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. #AngryBirdsMovie3 #AngryBirds #JoshGad

A Fourth ‘Paw Patrol’ Movie Is Officially in the Works. In theaters slated for 2029. The first three theatrical PAW Patrol movies have now grossed a COMBINED HALF-BILLION DOLLARS WORLDWIDE. #PAWPatrol #PAWPatrol4 #ParamountAnimation

33 years ago today, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ released in theaters. The film follows JACK SKELLINGTON, THE PUMPKIN KING OF HALLOWEEN TOWN, who discovers Christmas Town and becomes obsessed with creating his own version of Christmas. During its original theatrical run, the film ultimately earned approximately $50 MILLION domestically, before later theatrical re-releases helped expand its legacy. #TheNightmareBeforeChristmas #JackSkellington #TimBurton

Happy 69th Birthday to Legendary Voice Actor Dan Castellaneta — The Iconic Voice of Homer Simpson and So Many More! Born October 29, 1957, legendary voice actor Dan Castellaneta celebrates his 69th birthday today! For nearly four decades, his unmistakable performances have helped define some of the most recognizable characters in television animation. • Homer Simpson / Grampa Simpson / Krusty / Barney / Groundskeeper Willie / Mayor Quimby & more — The Simpsons • Grandpa Phil — Hey Arnold! • Genie — Aladdin: The Series / The Return of Jafar • Earthworm Jim / Evil Jim — Earthworm Jim • Megavolt — Darkwing Duck • Robot Devil — Futurama • Dr. Emmett Brown — Back to the Future: The Animated Series • Mr. Mysterio — Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! Castellaneta’s defining role is, of course, Homer Simpson, whom he has voiced since the Simpson family’s earliest television appearances. His enormous Springfield roster also includes Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Barney Gumble, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Hans Moleman and countless others. Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his voice performances on The Simpsons, further cementing his place among animation’s most celebrated performers. #DanCastellaneta #TheSimpsons #HomerSimpson

The Golden Age Never Left — Classic Animation Continues to Dominate TV Viewing! • 🐭 MICKEY MOUSE — 30.7 BILLION MINUTES • 🪨 HANNA-BARBERA CLASSICS — 18.5 BILLION MINUTES • 🥕 LOONEY TUNES — 16.3 BILLION MINUTES • 🐶 SCOOBY-DOO — 16.0 BILLION MINUTES #MickeyMouse #HannaBarbera #LooneyTunes

‘Spongebob Squarepants’ and ‘Bluey’ Are the Two Most-Watched Animated Series of the 2025–26 TV Season, According to Nielsen! #SpongeBobSquarePants #Bluey #Nielsen

The Big Four of Animation Viewership — These Creators Generated Billions of Minutes Watched During Nielsen’s 2025–26 TV Season! 🥇 #1 SETH MacFARLANE — 92.7 BILLION MINUTES Family Guy + American Dad! + The Cleveland Show MacFarlane sits comfortably at the top, with his three animated series combining for an enormous 92.7B minutes watched. 🥈 #2 STEPHEN HILLENBURG — 73.0 BILLION MINUTES SpongeBob SquarePants + The Patrick Star Show + Kamp Koral The world of Bikini Bottom delivered 73.0B minutes, continuing the incredible legacy of SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg. 🥉 #3 JOE BRUMM — 71.5 BILLION MINUTES Bluey + Minisodes + Compilations Bluey alone has turned Joe Brumm into one of television animation’s biggest creators, generating 71.5B minutes when Nielsen includes the show’s minisodes and compilations. 🏅 #4 KEITH CHAPMAN — 47.8 BILLION MINUTES PAW Patrol + Rubble & Crew Chapman’s preschool franchises place him fourth among Nielsen’s top animation creators, powered primarily by the enormous reach of PAW Patrol alongside Rubble & Crew. Nielsen’s creator chart credits both shows to Chapman. #SethMacFarlane #StephenHillenburg #JoeBrumm

Spongebob Squarepants Tops Nielsen’s 2025–26 Animation Ranking With 70.6 Billion Minutes! Nielsen has revealed the 15 most-watched animated series of the 2025–26 U.S. television season, combining measured streaming with broadcast and cable viewing among audiences ages 2+. • 🥇 SpongeBob SquarePants — 70.6B minutes • 🥈 Bluey — 68.0B • 🥉 Family Guy — 65.4B • #4 South Park — 44.5B • #5 Bob’s Burgers — 43.0B • #6 PAW Patrol — 42.7B • #7 The Simpsons — 28.0B • #8 American Dad! — 24.8B • #9 Big City Greens — 22.5B • #10 Spidey and His Amazing Friends — 20.7B • #11 Rick and Morty — 20.6B • #12 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse / Clubhouse+ — 20.3B • #13 Peppa Pig — 18.9B • #14 The Loud House — 15.4B • #15 Futurama — 14.5B Streaming generated 58% of all viewing minutes across these 15 shows, demonstrating just how important streaming libraries have become to both children’s animation and long-running adult comedies. #SpongeBobSquarePants #Bluey #FamilyGuy

New Look at Kit and Lulu in ‘Gameoverse’ Season 1 — Episode 2 Arrives May 21, 2027! GLITCH has officially GREENLIT GAMEOVERSE FOR A FULL 8-EPISODE SEASON, following the strong response to the original pilot. #Gameoverse #Kit #Lulu

‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’ Is Returning to ABC for the First Time Since 2003 — Airing November 25 as Part of ‘the Wonderful World of Disney’! Disney’s beloved animated classic Mickey’s Christmas Carol will air on ABC on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2026, from 8:00–8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Its last ABC appearance came on DECEMBER 20, 2003, when Mickey’s Christmas Carol was shown as part of the hour-long A Merry Mickey Celebration honoring Mickey Mouse’s 75th anniversary. #MickeysChristmasCarol #MickeyMouse #Disne

9 Years Ago, ‘Unikitty!’ Made Its Cartoon Network Debut! Unikitty! ran for THREE SEASONS from 2017 to 2020, becoming one of Cartoon Network’s most colorful LEGO-based animated series. #Unikitty #CartoonNetwork #TheLegoMovie