Behind the Magic: Egyptian Icons as Disney Voice Actors
Not every actor can manipulate their voice to take on cartoon characters on the big screen. That skill is reserved to a designated few. Beyond watching the original English version of Disney films, a lot of us tune into dubbed versions of our favorite films.
If you are Egyptian or even Arab, you probably watch the Egyptian dubbed version of Disney classics.
Did you know that the actors behind some of your favorite characters are actually famous Egyptian actors we know and love? Let’s meet some of our favorites.
Abdel Rahman Abou Zahra As ‘Scar’
Lion King has been stamped into our minds since our childhood, a film that wrung our hearts as we watched Mufasa take his last breath. The classic film surprised us in another way when we tuned into the Egyptian version of the classic cartoon.
Hoarse and rough on the edges, Abdel Rahman Abou Zahra’s voice boomed out of Scar’s mouth, a voice that stood out on a national level.
Fun Fact: His voice stood out to the point that it caught Disney’s attention. Disney honored the actor with an increase in his salary and they even acknowledged that he is the best voice performer worldwide to deliver the dubbed version of Scar.
Ahmed El Sakka As ‘Milo’
Handsome, intelligent, and known as Disney’s ultimate hot nerd, Milo from “Atlantis” needed to be voiced by an Egyptian actor who was every girl’s heartthrob.
Starring in a slew of action films, Ahmed El Sakka won the hearts of many girls. He continued to do just that by taking on the voice of Milo in the Egyptian version of Atlantis.
Fun Fact: In addition to his voice acting, another cool fact about El Sakka is that he is officially the first Egyptian and Arab actor to star in an Amazon Prime original called “Last Round.”
Mohamed Henedy As ‘Mared’
In his signature, distinctive high-pitched super speed voice, Mohamed Henedy takes over the screen as “Mared,” aka Monster Inc’s Mike Wazowski. You can barely keep up as he blabbers on and on in the film, taking on Mike’s energy to the tee.
Fun Fact: This isn’t Henedy’s first foray into the world of Disney. He was also the hilarious voice actor behind the beloved Timon from “The Lion King.”
Thoria Ibrahim As ‘Rose’
Hoarse and high-pitched is the voice of Rose in “Monsters, Inc.” She has to have that throaty, annoying voice to match her equally constant repulsed nature.
Bringing her character to life in the Egyptian version of the beloved “Monsters, Inc.” is no other than Thoria Ibrahim, who entered the world of entertainment when she was just 13 years old.
Fun Fact: She is probably one of the few actresses who voiced the biggest number of characters on Disney. We are talking everything from “Cars”, “The Incredibles” and “The Emperor’s New Groove” to “Atlantis: The Lost Kingdom”.
Maged el-Kedwany As “Clayton”
When watching Tarzan in Egyptian Arabic and watching any scene where Clayton, the greedy and self-centered macho male, appears on the screen, you’d think that the voice behind him is also macho. The truth is far from it because the man behind his voice is no other than the sweet actor known as Maged el-Kedwany.
Fun Fact: The famous actor was also the voice behind Cogsworth in “Beauty and the Beast.”
Abla Kamel As ‘Dory’
Believe it or not, our favorite yellow-finned, doe-eyed blue fish, Dory, who spews out words of positive affirmation like “just keep swimming,” was voiced by none other than Abla Kamel.
Fun Fact: Being the voice actor of Dory is iconic in itself but Abla Kamel managed to cement herself as a pure internet sensation by becoming the ultimate go-to for meme culture.
Yehia El Fakharany As ‘Woody’
Our favorite toy cowboy, who brought us to tears in not just one but four films, was voiced by the living legend Yehia El-Fakharany. Even the English version of the film is voiced by a film legend, Tom Hanks himself.
Fun Fact: Beyond voice acting, the legendary actor also takes on other renowned characters on the stage that go beyond Disney including William Shakespeare’s King Lear.
It can be surprising to many to find out that some of the biggest Egyptian stars are the voices behind major characters in Disney films. Tell us, which ones did you already know about and which ones surprised you?
