Good Examples Of Celebrities Appearing As Themselves In Animation

[SweetShop209]

When it comes to celebrities playing themselves in animation, it can be a mixed bag since the episodes can basically come across as self promotion and possible ego boosting rather than trying to tell a story. However, there are episodes where they play themselves, and do a pretty good job. That's what this thread is about. Name examples in animation where celebrities guest star as themselves in an episode, and talk about why it works.

One example I can think of is the Arthur episode "Arthur Meets Mr. Rogers", though I haven't seen it in awhile. It's about Arthur being embarrassed about liking Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and he tries to hide the truth from his friends. At the episode's end, Fred Rogers himself comes up to Arthur and gives him a very encouraging talk about how this isn't a bad thing. Everyone then comes to accept him. This episode works pretty well with Fred being able to take things in stride, yet also know when to step in and help Arthur. He's as encouraging as always.

Another example I can think of is with the Polly Pocket episode "Pinata Problems". It's about Polly trying to give a birthday gift to her brother Pierce, but she and her friends have to deal with how they're tiny and trapped inside a pinata, navigating a room full of teenagers. At the episode's end when she gives him the gift, young skateboarder Sky Brown guest stars as herself since she's friends with Austin Summers (Pierce's friend). This actually works out since the real Sky Brown helped promote the show through some music videos, and the characters in universe have some interest in skating, or sports in general.

What are other examples you can think of?

 

[KeldeoKitty]

A celebrity appearance that comes to mind is Stan Lee’s cameo appearances in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Teen Titans Go! to the Movies.

 

[Eurbane]

Weird al Yankovic made an appearance in the Back at the Barnyard episode, Get Besty in which he fights Otis and gets interrupted by Pig's hollywood fact or fiction.

 

[Fone Bone]

Everybody will bring up James Woods and Adam West, but I still can't get over how Anne Murray allowed herself to be portrayed on Family Guy. Murray is just so damn SQUARE in real life, and yet she allowed herself to be portrayed as tied up in a chair while singing with a gag in her mouth. Mad props to Seth MacFarlane for getting her to do that. Fearless. Another reason Murray doesn't deserve a tenth of the crap she gets from cynics.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

Surprised no one's brought up the Simpsons yet, which is honestly the show with the most guest actors in it ever and yeah a fair amount do play themselves. One I may get a bit of flack for in propping up more then others but I'm going to do anyway is Mel Gibson from "Beyond Blunderdome". Yeah the 11th season premiere which was practically a Homer Simpson and Mel Gibson team up that overly glorified the actor for how charismatic and charming and beloved he was which is super hilarious now considering how that reputation quickly soured several years later. But honestly the rest of the episode is funny as well. I just love the idea of Mel feeling the ending of his newest movie wasn't the violent spectacle he probably deep down really wanted to do and was looking for an excuse to redo it and found it with the only person at a similar yet more insane wavelength Homer. The whole redo of the ending and honestly all of Homer and Mel's back and forth from saying the villain was the dog and just cutting to a dog giving shifty eyes to let the audience know to Mel Gibson pointing out to Homer how the Braveheart mooning strategy didn't work is just so entertaining. I know the Scully Era isn't that beloved and did lean on pop stars too much sometimes ("When You Dish Upon A Star") but if you're going to go all out zany with one just having full on fun with the concept this one works to do it with.

 

[ShadowBlinky]

Sonny and Cher on "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" were pretty good, I thought.

 

[JoeMabbon]

Calling him a celebrity might a stretch, but in terms of sheer self-depreciation I have to laud Dean Koontz's appearance in Squidbillies. He appears at a book signing/meet and greet where he admits that he's illiterate and just taps random keys and then hits the spacebar when he thinks the string of characters is long enough to be a word.