For me, Gad falls under the same category as DeGeneres’ Dory – slightly irritating in the most adorable kind of way. Nevertheless, Olaf steals all of his scenes and “In Summer” is too catchy and ironic to ignore. Other nominees: Paul Giamatti as Chet in Turbo; Kristen Wiig as Lucy in Despicable Me 2; Terry Crews as Officer Earl Devereaux in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
Ben Kingsley as Archibald Snatcher, The Boxtrolls (2014)
Local pest exterminator makes a deal to get rid of all the Boxtrolls in town in exchange to become a member of a council of high society. Kingsley shines as the hardhearted villain, who gets a chance to do a little cross-dressing during his mischievous deeds. Other nominees: Ryan Potter as Hiro Hamada and T.J. Miller as Fred in Big Hero 6.
Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Inside Out (2015)
The entire cast is top-notch, but Smith’s Sadness is what voice casting is all about – putting the right person in the right role and not worrying about star power or name recognition. Smith is perfect. Other nominees: Amy Poehler as Joy, Lewis Black as Anger and Richard Kind as Bing Bong in Inside Out; Tom Noonan as “everyone else” in Anomalisa.