John Ratzenberger: Difference between revisions
Ratzenberger’s tenure at Pixar was parodied during the end credits of ”[[Cars (film)|Cars]]”, where his character, Mack, watches car-themed versions of Pixar films (”[[Toy Story|Toy Car Story]]”, ”[[Monsters, Inc.|Monster Trucks, Inc.]]”, and ”[[A Bug’s Life]]”, the latter of which references the [[Volkswagen Beetle]]). Mack notes that all the characters that John Ratzenberger has played had excellent voice actors until he realizes that they are performed by the same actor, at which point he remarks, “They’re just using the same actor over and over,” and asks, “What kind of cut-rate production is this?!”
Ratzenberger’s tenure at Pixar was parodied during the end credits of ”[[Cars (film)|Cars]]”, where his character, Mack, watches car-themed versions of Pixar films (”[[Toy Story|Toy Car Story]]”, ”[[Monsters, Inc.|Monster Trucks, Inc.]]”, and ”[[A Bug’s Life]]”, the latter of which references the [[Volkswagen Beetle]]). Mack notes that all the characters that John Ratzenberger has played had excellent voice actors until he realizes that they are performed by the same actor, at which point he remarks, “They’re just using the same actor over and over,” and asks, “What kind of cut-rate production is this?!”
Ratzenberger said that his favorite Pixar character was P.T. Flea, because “…in real life, I always get a kick out of those kinds of characters, people who just go into a rage for [no] explicable reason. He was always on edge. His blood pressure was always way over the top, and everything that he did was done in a panicked state. So it was a lot of fun to play him.”{{cite news |last=Spelling |first=Ian |date=May 21, 2009 |title=John Ratzenberger, Pixar’s good luck charm, on Up, Bugs and Toys 3 |work=[[Sci Fi Wire]] |url=http://scifiwire.com/2009/05/john-ratzenberger-pixars.php |access-date=May 22, 2009}} Ratzenberger voiced characters for other studios as well; he played Harland the Jet Tug in [[Disneytoon Studios]]’ ”[[Planes (film)|Planes]]” (2013){{cite news|title=Disney’s “Planes” Hi-res Stills, Fun Facts and Activity Sheets|url=http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-planes-stills-fun-facts-activity-sheets-62551/|access-date= May 11, 2013|newspaper=Stitch Kingdom|date=May 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630145040/http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-planes-stills-fun-facts-activity-sheets-62551/|archive-date=June 30, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news|last=Hill|first=Jim|title=World premiere of Disney “Planes” turns Hollywood Boulevard into a celebrity-filled landing strip|url=http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2013/08/06/disney-quot-planes-quot-world-premiere.aspx|access-date=January 24, 2014|newspaper=Jim Hill Media|date=August 6, 2013}} and a mustached plane named Brodi in its sequel, ”[[Planes: Fire & Rescue]]” (2014),{{cite web|title=Planes Fire & Rescue (2014)|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/53c99d98514fb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514084301/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/53c99d98514fb|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 14, 2015|publisher=British Film Institute| access-date= August 24, 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/03/25/planes-dane-cook/1998599/|title=Look! Up in the sky! It’s an exclusive peek at ‘Planes’!| work= USA Today}} Additionally, Ratzenberger reprised his role as the Abominable Snowman (named Adorable) and also voiced a new character named Bernard in the [[Disney+]]-exclusive series ”[[Monsters at Work]]”, which is set after the main events of ”Monsters, Inc.”{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/monsters-voice-cast-return-disney-series-1200367/|title=‘Monsters, Inc.’ Voice Cast to Return for Disney+ Series (Exclusive)|first=Lesley|last=Goldberg|date=April 9, 2019}} Ratzenberger has also voiced a character named Rootie in Skydance Animation’s first film, ”[[Luck (2022 film)|Luck]]” (2022), which was produced by former Pixar filmmaker [[John Lasseter]].{{cite web |last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |title=Skydance, Apple Push Back ‘Luck’ to August, Set Additional Voice Cast |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/skydance-apple-luck-aug-5-1235081549/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=February 3, 2022 |date=January 26, 2022}}
Ratzenberger said that his favorite Pixar character was P.T. Flea, because “…in real life, I always get a kick out of those kinds of characters, people who just go into a rage for [no] explicable reason. He was always on edge. His blood pressure was always way over the top, and everything that he did was done in a panicked state. So it was a lot of fun to play him.”{{cite news |last=Spelling |first=Ian |date=May 21, 2009 |title=John Ratzenberger, Pixar’s good luck charm, on Up, Bugs and Toys 3 |work=[[Sci Fi Wire]] |url=http://scifiwire.com/2009/05/john-ratzenberger-pixars.php…