Grammer goes from the cranes to Storks
Kelsey Grammer, the voice of the boss bird Hunter in the animated movie Storks, is a connoisseur of big screen animation.
‘‘You know I always do animated movies and I honestly feel the best movies these days are animated,’’ Grammer, 61, says. ‘‘They’re usually nice movies. They’re about nice things.’’
Storks finds the long-beaked birds have been reconfigured to deliver packages – sort of like a flying FedEx. ‘‘Only eventually they reconnect with their meaning – they’re meant to deliver babies. I love that,’’ Grammer enthuses.
Grammer’s vocal work in animation includes The Simpsons’ Sideshow Bob, Stinky Pete the Prospector (Toy Story 2), Vladimir (Anastasia) and serving as the narrator for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas.
Although it’s common for animated characters to resemble the actor, Grammer says he likes it better ‘‘if they don’t parrot your looks’’.
‘‘Sneaky Pete,’’ he laughed, ‘‘certainly didn’t look like me. With Hunter, I suppose the broad shoulders and boss presence, maybe it’s a little more on the money, the way I personally come across.
‘‘Hunter’s actually my homage to Rip Torn, when he was in Men in Black.’’
A father of two toddlers – Faith, 2, and Kelsey, 1 – with his fourth wife, Grammer says he enjoys the burgeoning familial recognition.
‘‘Faith is starting to know what I do. We watched Mickey’s Christmas, which I did years ago and she knows that that’s Dad’s voice,’’ he says. ‘‘She’ll say, ‘Let’s watch Daddy’s movie’ – so we watched that for most of a year.’’
As for his most enduring role as Dr Frasier Crane, Grammar says he has no interest in revisiting the TV shrink for a reunion show or limited run.
‘‘People have asked for years,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s a great show, holds up beautifully. Let’s leave it alone.’’ TNS ❚ Storks (G) is now screening.