Tony Anselmo (born February 18, 1960) 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 formed an early interest with Disney after attending a screening of Mary Poppins at the age of four. Anselmo said, "I remember leaving the theater and asking, 'How did they do this? Who did that?' and so on...So a seed was planted there, and from that time on I never wanted to be a fireman, an astronaut, or anything else. I wanted to work for Disney."
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.
He attended Marian A. Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, California. He began night art classes at local colleges and began a regular correspondence with the artists who animated the Disney films, including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Eric Larson, and Milt Kahl. 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. The department head was Jack Hannah, director of the Donald Duck unit under Walt Disney. Anselmo's other teachers included Disney veterans T. Hee, Ken O'Connor, Elmer Plummer, and Bill Moore."After Disney" by Neil O'Brien pg.91 last paragraph, Pg.92 first paragraph
Career
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. Anselmo was trained and mentored by the original voice of Donald, Clarence Nash, who died in 1985 and Anselmo inherited the role of Donald Duck just as Nash had wished. He first voiced Donald on a 1986 D-TV Valentine special on The Disney Channel.
Walt Disney insisted on character consistency and integrity. As long as Clarence Nash was alive no one other than Nash was permitted to provide Donald's voice. Continuing in that tradition, in 1988, Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney created the department of Disney Character Voices to ensure the continuation of character integrity, consistency, and quality in recording methods.
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."
Anselmo is the only person to both animate, and voice Donald Duck in Mickey Donald Goofy: The Three Musketeers, Funny You Don't Look 200, and The Prince and the Pauper.
He has voiced the nephews on the TV special Down and Out With Donald Duck (in which he also voiced Daisy Duck) and the shows Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse (while Russi Taylor (the voice of Minnie Mouse) voiced the nephews in DuckTales, Mickey's Once and Twice Upon a Christmas, Mickey's Speedway USA and the remastered DuckTales video game in 2013). He also lent his voice to minor characters in The Great Mouse Detective, Mickey's Around the World in 80 Days and Phineas and Ferb.
Anselmo has also worked as a voice actor for the Kingdom Hearts series, which features Donald Duck as one of three main characters. He also provided the voice of Donald in the video game Kinect Disneyland Adventures in 2011.
Honors and acclaim Anselmo has been honored with several awards and nominations. He was a winner of the 2014 BTVA Television Voice Acting Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series — Children's/Educational for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, 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.
Filmography Film + List of voice performances in feature and direct-to-video films Year Title Role Notes 1986 The Great Mouse Detective Thug Guard No. 3 1987 Down and Out with Donald Duck Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie 1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Donald Duck 1990 The Prince and the Pauper Disney Sing-Along Songs: Disneyland Fun Direct-to-video 1994–1995 Mickey's Fun Songs series Direct-to-video series 1998 The Spirit of Mickey Direct-to-video film 1999 Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Fantasia 2000 2001 Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie Direct-to-video film 2002 Mickey's House of Villains 2004 The Lion King 1½ Donald Duck Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers Nominated - Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature ProductionDirect-to-video film Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas Direct-to-video film 2023 Once Upon a Studio Short film
Television + List of voice performances in animated shows Year Title Role Notes 1986 The Real Ghostbusters The Mayor of Morrisville 1 episode D-TV Valentine Donald Duck Television special 1987–1988 DuckTales 8 episodes 1988 Totally Minnie Television special Mickey's 60th Birthday 1989–1990 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color 1993 Bonkers Episode: "Going Bonkers" 1995 Gargoyles Additional voices 1996 Quack Pack Donald Duck 39 episodes 1999–2000 Mickey Mouse Works Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie 31 episodes 2001–2003 House of Mouse 48 episodes 2006–2016 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Donald Duck 122 episodes 2011 Phineas and Ferb Additional voices Episode: "Mommy Can You Hear Me?/Road Trip" 2012–2016 Minnie's Bow-Toons Donald Duck 40 episodes 2013 Wheel of Fortune: Making Disney Memories Week 2013–2019 Mickey Mouse 38 episodes 2016 Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special Television special 2017 The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular Television special 2017–2021 DuckTales Main cast 2018 Legend of the Three Caballeros 2020–2023 The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse 2021–2025 Mickey Mouse Funhouse 2025–present Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+
Video games + List of voice performances in video games Year Title Role Notes 1997 Disney's Magic Artist Donald Duck 2000 Mickey's Speedway USA Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers Mickey Mouse Preschool Mickey Mouse Kindergarten Mickey Mouse Toddler 2002 Kingdom Hearts 2002 Disney Golf Disney's PK: Out of the Shadows Disney Sports Soccer Disney Sports Skateboarding Disney Sports Football Disney Sports Basketball 2003 Disney's Party Toontown Online 2006 Kingdom Hearts II 2008 Disney Think Fast Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories 2009 Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days 2010 Epic Mickey Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep 2011 Kinect Disneyland Adventures Kingdom Hearts Re:coded 2012 Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance 2014 Disney Magical World Disney Infinity 2.0 Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix 2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 2017 Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue 2019 Kingdom Hearts III 2020 Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory 2021 Cookie Run: Kingdom Cookie Donald Duck 2022 Disney Dreamlight Valley Donald Duck 2023 Disney Illusion Island Disney Speedstorm
Web series + List of voice performances in Web shows Year Title Role Note2024Hot OnesDonald DuckEpisode: "Donald Duck Tries to Keep His Cool While Eating Spicy Wings"
Theme park attractions Year Title Role 1993 Mickey's Movie Barn Donald Duck 2002 Animagique 2003 Mickey's PhilharMagic 2007 Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros 2020 Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Animator Year Film Animation Characters 1985 The Black Cauldron Assistant Animator 1986 The Great Mouse Detective Key Assistant Animator 1988 Oliver & Company Animating Assistant 1989 The Little Mermaid Character Animator 1990 The Prince and the Pauper (Short) 1991 Beauty and the Beast Animator Wardrobe 1992 Aladdin Assistant Animator Jasmine 1994 The Lion King Key Assistant Animator Additional Young Simba and Miscellaneous Characters 1995 Pocahontas Flit 1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Associate Lead Key Assistant Clean-Up Animator Gypsies, Guards and Others 1997 Hercules Key Assistant Animator: Additional Clean-Up Animation 1998 Mulan Additional Key Assistant Clean-Up Animator 1999 Tarzan Lead Key Assistant Animator Professor Archimedes Quincy Porter Fantasia 2000 Key Assistant Animator / Additional Animator 2000 The Emperor's New Groove Key Assistant Animator Pacha 2002 Treasure PlanetSarah Hawkins and Miscellaneous Characters 2004 Home on the Range Key Assistant Animator Miscellaneous Characters Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (Video) Animation Clean-Up / Key Clean-Up Artist Donald Duck 2005 Pooh's Heffalump Movie Clean-Up Artist 2006–07 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Storyboard Revisionist / Prop Designer Episodes: "A Surprise for Minnie", "Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt" 2008 The Replacements Storyboard Revisionist Episode: "Tasumi Unmasked" 2010 Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil Prop Designer Episode: "Mellowbrook Drift"/"The Gift of Wacky"
Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result 2005 Annie Awards Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers 2009 Disney Legend Award Animation — Voice 2009 Behind the Voice Actors Television Voice Acting Award Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series — Children's/Educational Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2014 Behind the Voice Actors People's Choice Voice Acting Award Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series — Children's/Educational 2014 Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series — Children's/Educational 2015 2015 Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series — Children's/Educational 2018 Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series DuckTales 2018
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