How to Do a Cartoon Voice
Cartoon voices come from exaggeration with a plan. Pick a pitch, a resonance placement (chest, throat, mouth or nose), a pace and one memorable quirk, then exaggerate them consistently. The best cartoon voices are original characters built from a body shape and a personality, not impressions of existing ones.
The sound
- pitch
- Anywhere from very low to very high, with wider pitch swings than normal speech.
- pace
- Exaggerated: very fast and bouncy or very slow and drawn out.
- resonance
- Deliberately placed: nasal, throaty, mouth-forward or chesty, depending on the character.
- texture
- Varies by character: clean, raspy, squeaky or breathy.
- signature
- Big, elastic pitch movement and one consistent quirk, such as a lisp, a laugh or a word you invent.
How to do a cartoon voice, step by step
- Start with the body. Draw or imagine the character. A tiny, round creature sounds different from a tall, skinny one. A big body suggests lower and slower; a small body suggests higher and quicker.
- Choose a placement. Say the same line four ways: from deep in the chest, from the back of the throat, from the front of the mouth and through the nose. Record each and pick the one that fits the drawing.
- Set a pitch and widen the swings. Choose a home pitch, then let it jump further than normal speech when emotions hit. Cartoon surprise goes way up; cartoon sadness drops way down.
- Add one quirk. A slight lisp, a squeak on certain words, a snorty laugh or a stretched vowel makes the voice memorable. One quirk is plenty.
- Play every emotion big. Cartoons go large. Laugh bigger, gasp louder and sulk harder than you would in a live-action scene, while keeping the words clear.
- Test consistency. Record ten different lines in the voice and listen back. If the voice drifts, note what changed and drill the hardest lines until it holds.
Practice lines
Read these with the voice, then record yourself and listen back. The teleprompter below scrolls through all of them.
- Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Is that a pancake the size of my head?
- I'm not small, I'm fun-sized, and I will nibble your ankle!
- Don't panic, don't panic... okay, panic a little!
- Ta-daaa! I invented a hat that waters your plants while you walk!
- Nobody touches my rubber chicken. Nobody!
- Hmmm... a mystery. And I'm the only detective with a magnifying spoon.
- Wheee! Wait. Wait. How do I stop this thing?
- I'm sorry I ate the birthday cake. In my defense, it looked lonely.
- Okay, team, here's the plan: we run, we scream and we hope for the best!
- Nap time? Nap time is for quitters. Okay, maybe five minutes.
Common mistakes
- Doing impressions of existing cartoon characters instead of building your own. Original voices are what auditions and demos need.
- Squeezing your throat for high or raspy voices, which sounds thin and quickly gets painful.
- Stacking too many quirks, which makes the voice hard to understand and hard to repeat.
- Losing the voice between lines. Consistency is what makes a character feel real.
Keep your voice healthy
Cartoon voices push pitch and placement to extremes, so check in with your body. High, squeaky voices should come from a light head voice, not a squeezed throat. Raspy voices should be gentle and occasional. Nasal twang is efficient and usually comfortable. Warm up, record extreme voices in short sessions, drink water and stop immediately if anything hurts.
Use it in a scene
Try the voice in a dubbing scene, roll a random prompt, or warm up first with the vocal warm-up.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my own cartoon voice?
Start from a drawing or description of the character's body and personality. Try the same line in different placements and pitches, record them and keep the one that matches the picture.
How many cartoon voices should I have?
Start with three to five distinct voices you can hold for a whole scene. Range comes from mixing pitch, placement, pace and quirks, not from having dozens of half-finished voices.
Is it okay to imitate famous cartoon characters?
For private practice it can teach you a lot, but casting directors want original voices for demos and auditions. Use what you learn to build characters of your own.