Tony Anselmo (born February 18, 1960)<!-- Please do not change, see talk page, birthdate has been confirmed via official documents --> 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, and his girlfriend, Daisy Duck.

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. Anselmo was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2009 for his decades of contribution to animation and the character of Donald Duck.

Early life and education

Anselmo was born on February 18, 1960, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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. Anselmo stated, "Ollie wrote a lot and sent me drawings, advising me to learn quick sketch, life drawing, and design."

Anselmo studied at the Character Animation Department of California Institute of the Arts on a full scholarship from the Disney Family in fall 1978.

Career

thumb|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. He first voiced Donald on a 1986 D-TV Valentine special on The Disney Channel.

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." as well as the BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game - Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

In September 2009, Tony Anselmo was named a Disney Legend by Roy E. Disney.

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. Anselmo's collection was used in exhibits at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.

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| Mickey Mouse Kindergarten

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Theme park attractions

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! Year !! Title !! Role

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| 1993 || Mickey's Movie Barn || rowspan="5" |Donald Duck

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| 2002 || Animagique

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| 2003 || Mickey's PhilharMagic

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| 2007 || Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros

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| 2020 || Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

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Animator

{|class = "wikitable sortable"

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! Year

! Film

! Animation

! Characters

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|| 1985 || The Black Cauldron || Assistant Animator ||

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|| 1986 || The Great Mouse Detective || Key Assistant Animator ||

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|| 1988 || Oliver & Company || Animating Assistant ||

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|| 1989 || The Little Mermaid || rowspan="2" | Character Animator ||

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|| 1990 || The Prince and the Pauper (Short) ||

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|| 1991 || Beauty and the Beast || Animator || Wardrobe

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|| 1992 || Aladdin || Assistant Animator || Jasmine

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|| 1994 || The Lion King

| rowspan="2" | Key Assistant Animator || Additional Young Simba and Miscellaneous Characters

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|| 1995 || Pocahontas || Flit

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|| 1996 || The Hunchback of Notre Dame || Associate Lead Key Assistant Clean-Up Animator || Gypsies, Guards and Others

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|| 1997 || Hercules || Key Assistant Animator: Additional Clean-Up Animation ||

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|| 1998 || Mulan || Additional Key Assistant Clean-Up Animator ||

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|rowspan="2"| 1999 || Tarzan

| Lead Key Assistant Animator || Professor Archimedes Quincy Porter

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|| Fantasia 2000 || Key Assistant Animator / Additional Animator ||

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|| 2000 || The Emperor's New Groove || rowspan="2" | Key Assistant Animator || Pacha

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| 2002

| Treasure Planet||Sarah Hawkins and Miscellaneous Characters

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|rowspan="2"| 2004 || Home on the Range || Key Assistant Animator || Miscellaneous Characters

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| Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (Video) || Animation Clean-Up / Key Clean-Up Artist || Donald Duck

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|| 2005 || Pooh's Heffalump Movie || Clean-Up Artist ||

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|| 2006–07 || Mickey Mouse Clubhouse || Storyboard Revisionist / Prop Designer || Episodes: "A Surprise for Minnie", "Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt"

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|| 2008 || The Replacements || Storyboard Revisionist || Episode: "Tasumi Unmasked"

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|| 2010 || Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil || Prop Designer || Episode: "Mellowbrook Drift"/"The Gift of Wacky"

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Awards and nominations

{|class="wikitable sortable"

|+Awards and nominations

! Year

! Award

! Category

! Title

! Result

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| 2005

| Annie Awards

| Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production

| Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers

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| 2009

| Disney Legend Award

| Animation&nbsp;— Voice

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| 2009

| Behind the Voice Actors Television Voice Acting Award

| Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series&nbsp;— Children's/Educational

| rowspan="5" | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

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| 2014

| rowspan="6" | Behind the Voice Actors People's Choice Voice Acting Award

| Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series&nbsp;— Children's/Educational

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| 2014

| rowspan="2" | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series&nbsp;— Children's/Educational

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| 2015

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| 2015

| Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series&nbsp;— Children's/Educational

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| 2018

| rowspan="2" | Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series

| rowspan="2" | DuckTales

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| 2018

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References

  • Interview