Characters / Animal Crackers (2017)

The cast of Animal Crackers (2017). Be prepared for spoilers!

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Owen's family

In general

• Nice Guy: They're all good people in general.
• Related in the Adaptation: Inverted. In the original graphic novel, Owen and Zoe are brother and sister. Here, they meet at the circus, fall in love, and get married.

Owen Huntington

Voiced by: John Krasinski

The main protagonist, a guy who grew up loving his uncle Bob's circus, and eventually inherited it.

• Character Development: Owen starts out as a nervous Extreme Doormat, but gains more self-confidence and becomes a (mentally) stronger person throughout the movie.
• Extreme Doormat: Initially played straight, and later averted. Owen starts out as a very insecure father. He allows Mr. Woodley to bully him into leaving his beloved circus behind and taking a job he doesn't want. However, Owen goes through Character Development throughout the movie and learns to stand up for himself, which he proves by refusing Horatio's Deal with the Devil attempt.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Owen looks like his voice actor due to the similar hairstyle, body type, and nose shape.
• Parental Abandonment: We know Bob and Horatio are Owen's uncles whereas Mr. Woodley would become his father-in-law...so what about his birth parents? They're never brought up period and in the context of the movie, it would appear that Bob is the closest analog to Owen having one.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Owen looks very similar to his uncle Bob, with the skinny physique, similar facial features, and blue hair.

Zoe Huntington

Voiced by: Emily Blunt

Owen's wife, who also loves the circus.

• Mama Bear: Zoe mainly stays out of the fighting in the climax and doesn't eat a single Animal Cracker throughout most of the film, taking a more managerial role. When Horatio has her husband and daughter at his mercy, however, she becomes an Asian Elephant and sends the chimera packing:
  Elephant Zoe: Don’t…mess…with my family!

Mackenzie Huntingto

Voiced by: Lydia Rose Taylor

Owen and Zoe's energetic young daughter.

• Adorably Precocious Child: Very energetic and innocent.

Buffalo Bob's Animal Circus

The circus that the movie revolves around. Formerly co-owned by brothers Bob and Horatio Huntington, but later owned by Bob, with help from his wife Talia.

Robert "Buffalo Bob" Huntington

Voiced by: James Arnold Taylor

Owen's uncle, and the co-founder of the circus. Even though "Buffalo Bob" was his stage name, most people just call him Bob.

• Big Good: A kindhearted man and the founder of the circus that the movie revolves around.
• Cowboy: He dresses like one in his circus performances.
• Female Feline, Male Mutt: He turns out to be the blue dog roaming the circus, having been transformed by the Animal Crackers along with Talia, who became a cat.
• Happily Married: He is in a loving relationship with Talia.
• Love Triangle: Both Bob and Horatio showed romantic interest in Talia. Talia wound up choosing Bob because he's a kinder and humbler person than Horatio, and now he and Talia are Happily Married.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: As the creator explains here, the voice that Taylor uses for Bob is a cross between Michael J. Fox and Jimmy Stewart.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Bob is one of the kindest circus ringmasters ever seen in fiction.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue Oni to Horatio's Red Oni. Bob is very laidback and unassuming, to contrast Horatio's bombastic, attention-seeking personality.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Sensitive Guy to Horatio's Manly Man. Bob is quite gentle and kind, and is very skinny as well.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Zig-zagged. Bob looks very much like his nephew Owen, but nothing at all like his brother Horatio.

Talia

Voiced by: Tara Strong

A romani woman who joined the circus when Bob and Horatio were performing together. She got caught in a Love Triangle with the two brothers, but always loved Bob more for his pure heart and kindness, and eventually married him.

• Big Good: Shares this role with Bob after marrying him. They both want the best for the circus.
• Female Feline, Male Mutt: She turns out to be the purple cat roaming the circus, having been transformed by the Animal Crackers along with Bob, who became a dog.
• Happily Married: She is in a loving relationship with Bob.
• Heart Symbol: Her face is subtly shaped like one. The director said this was meant to symbolize her loving personality, which is an important trait of her and Bob.
• Love Triangle: Talia is the one who both Bob and Horatio are in love with. Talia prefers Bob due to his kindness and good-heartedness.

Chesterfield

Voiced by: Danny DeVito

The leader of the clowns, who supports Owen's family in reviving the circus.

• Big Eater: Chesterfield was Formerly Fit until he started eating a lot of circus food (and cake, at Bob and Talia's wedding.)
• Big Fun: Chesterfield is overweight, and also a funny and kind-hearted Non-Ironic Clown. It's shown that he used to be skinny, but gradually gained a lot of weight from eating too much circus food.
• Big Good: Chesterfield takes over this role after Bob and Talia go missing. He becomes the de facto leader of the circus for a time, and also serves as a Mentor Archetype to Owen's family, especially Owen himself.
• Cool Old Guy: Chesterfield hasn't lost his sense of humor even into Owen's adult years.
• Formerly Fit: He was skinny in the past, but he became a Big Eater and wound up gaining a lot of weight.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Chesterfield is one of the most heroic and friendly characters in the movie, and he's willing to joke about his own weight.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Chesterfield strongly resembles Danny DeVito, though Word of God said that this is completely coincidental, as the role was actually intended for Robin Williams.
• Mentor Archetype: Chesterfield teaches Owen's family how the magical animal crackers work, and also provides advice to Owen when he's feeling down.
• Non-Action Guy: Chesterfield doesn't do much fighting against Horatio and his goons in the climax. To be fair, he attempts to take on a transformed El Diablo by himself, but he has to be saved by the acrobats in the forms of elephants.
• Non-Ironic Clown: While all the clowns at the circus are funny and good-natured, Chesterfield stands out for his kindness to the Huntingtons, especially Owen.
• You Are Fat: Inverted. Chesterfield makes fat jokes about himself.

Bullet-Man

Voiced by: Sylvester Stallone

The human cannonball. Can only say "Bullet-Man"... usually.

• Human Cannonball: He launches himself out of the circus cannon for the show.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: He was inspired by Evel Knievel.
• Pokémon Speak: Bullet-Man. All he says is "Bullet-Man." Subverted at the end when he recites "In Memoriam A.H.H." by Lord Alfred Tennyson.

Woodley Dog Biscuits

A dog biscuit factory owned by Zoe's father, Mr. Woodley. Owen works there as a taste tester for many years, while secretly working with his coworker Binkley to invent new biscuits that will boost sales and impress Mr. Woodley.

Mr. Woodley

Voiced by: Wallace Shawn

Zoe's father, who owns a dog biscuit factory. He is not happy that his daughter married Owen, who grew up in a circus, and manipulates Owen into working for him after convincing Owen that he can't support a family at the circus.

• Mean Boss: Mr. Woodley towards Owen and, well anyone else who isn't Zoe. Even his most loyal sycophant, Brock, isn't free from his disdain.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Mr. Woodley towards Owen, as he was against Zoe's marriage to him from the start. He settles down after the climax.

Brock

Voiced by: Patrick Warburton

Owen and Binkley's obnoxious coworker who sabotages their attempts to impress Mr. Woodley.

• Dumb Blonde: He's blonde, and very boorish.
• Forced Transformation: He is eventually transformed into a baboon, and stays in that form for the rest of the movie.
• Large Ham: Though he is an all-around jerk and bully, Brock's mannerisms are still hilariously over-the-top. His voice actor, Patrick Warburton, plays this type of character often.

Binkley

Voiced by: Raven-Symoné

A shy employee who is working with Owen to invent better dog biscuits.

• Gadgeteer Genius: Binkley, who created all the machines at the dog biscuit factory.
• Nerd Glasses: A timid Gadgeteer Genius who wears big, round glasses.

Horatio's circus

Horatio P. Huntington, the brother of Bob, used to co-run Bob's circus with him, but after they had a bad falling out, Horatio left and started his own circus with four sideshow performers.

In general

• Crappy Carnival: Downplayed. Horatio's circus isn't necessarily terrible, it's just small, and when they perform, nobody cares.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: They all become hybrid animals as a result of eating broken animal crackers.
• One-Winged Angel: In the climax, the henchmen turn into monstrous Mix-and-Match Critters as a result of eating broken crackers. Horatio eats more broken crackers a few minutes later and gets a very dramatic transformation into a chimera.
• Put on a Prison Bus: Invoked at the end:
  • Horatio's henchmen are locked up in circus animal cages. Chesterfield explains that he intends to keep them there at least until he figures out which pieces of their human cookies go together.
  • Played for Laughs with Horatio. He gets turned into a hamster and put in a hamster cage. Unlike his minions, it seems that the circus performers aren't going to let him out anytime soon.

Horatio P. Huntington

Voiced by: Ian McKellen

The main antagonist, Bob Huntington's jealous brother who wants the power of the animal crackers for himself.

• A God Am I: Horatio says this after becoming a chimera in the climax.
• Actor Allusion: At one point, Horatio tells his henchman Mario to "fly you fool".
• Big Bad: The main antagonist, who drives the plot with his goal of stealing the magic animal crackers.
• Cain and Abel: Horatio's Cain to Bob's Abel, though it's mainly one-sided on the former's part, due to his envy of his younger brother.
• Classic Villain: Horatio is big on Envy, but also displays Wrath, Pride, Greed, and Lust. Horatio looks vastly different from the protagonists, even though he's supposedly related to them. He serves as a foil to Owen's insecure nature, and attempts to manipulate Owen into making a deal with him. He gets a dramatic One-Winged Angel transformation in the climax before facing a comical and humiliating defeat.
• Classical Chimera: Horatio turns himself into a chimera during the climax, after eating some broken cookies. He is eventually defeated and turned into a hamster after a climactic battle.
• The Dreaded: After becoming a full-on villain, every time Horatio comes back to Bob's circus, the circus performers are filled with fear and/or anger. Justified because they know he has nothing but contempt for them and is out to take over their circus. He makes no secret of it.
• Evil Brit: Played with. Horatio is the evil brother (supposedly by blood) of Bob Huntington, who is very clearly American, yet Horatio is voiced by a British man using a posh accent.
• Evil Old Folks: He held onto his grudge against Bob well into old age, and enacts his evil plans as an old man.
• Evil Sounds Deep: He's the main antagonist, and he has a very deep voice, courtesy of Ian McKellen.
• Evil Uncle: Being Robert's brother makes him Owen's other Uncle by virtue and Horatio is the evil kind of uncle.
• Forced Transformation: In the end, the circus performers punish Horatio for his evil deeds by turning him into a hamster and keeping him in a hamster cage.
• Green-Eyed Monster: It's implied that a big part of why Horatio grew to hate Bob was due to him being good with people (the clowns, audience members, winning Talia's heart, etc.) whereas the former always acted like a haughty diva even on his good days, though everyone else was too polite to tell him otherwise. He makes it clear during his Villain Song that even after Bob's supposed death that he considers being kind to others a sucker's game and won't be having any of it should he take over the circus. When the permanently transformed Bob and Talia confront him with the possibility of being stuck as a chimera forever, Horatio has a moment of horror when he realizes what his jealousy has cost his family, but is quick to forgo this upon realizing that now that he has a form superior to his brother, it gives him the perfect excuse to lord it over him and take over the world. Thankfully, the combined efforts of the Huntingtons manages to stop him.
• Hypocritical Humor: In his song "Could've Been Mine," Horatio calls out Bob for his "stupid hat" even though Horatio wears a very gaudy top hat himself.
• Ignored Epiphany: Just when it looks as if Horatio realizes what his actions have cost his brother and sister-in-law, he rationalizes that if remaining a withered old man is the alternative, he'll gladly stay a monster. This ends up costing him.
• It's All About Me: Horatio was always quite the attention-seeking narcissist. Unfortunately, he went from disregarding the other circus performers to outright trying to get people to worship him.
• Jerkass: Even before his descent into full-on villainy, Horatio was obnoxious and mean at best and a jealous and conniving S.O.B. at worst.
• Kick the Dog: He has a habit of shoving people out of his way, which helps show his arrogance even before he becomes a full-blown villain.
• Light Is Not Good: He wears white clothing with lighter colors and his hair use to be blond before aging to white, but is jerkass who commits acts of villainy His Chimera form however is more grey with the white being mostly on his head and some parts of his body, before being turned into a white hamster
• Love Triangle: Both Horatio and Bob showed romantic interest in Talia, but Talia chose Bob because he's much nicer than Horatio. This is one of the reasons why Horatio is terribly envious of Bob.
• Never My Fault: Horatio blames Bob for his own lack of success, even though it was Horatio's own jealousy that left him to leave Bob's circus. If he hadn't spent his whole life seething over Bob's success, he might have become successful in his own right.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Bob's Blue Oni. Horatio is a boisterous performer who demands the respect and admiration of others. This contrasts Bob's more laidback nature.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: His One-Winged Angel form as a chimera has red eyes.
• Redemption Rejection: When he understands that he trapped his brother and said brother's wife in animal shapes forever, Horatio has a brief moment of My God, What Have I Done?... but it doesn't stick.
• Repulsive Ringmaster: Horatio P. Huntington, the Big Bad. Horatio used to run a circus with his brother Bob, but was always more interested in gaining fame than in the art of performing. Bob was a very kind and generous ringmaster (you could say he's a Reputable Ringmaster), and as a result, Bob was more successful, which drove Horatio mad. Horatio left Bob's circus and started his own with a few sideshow acts, but it wasn't very successful, so Horatio became bent on retaking Bob's circus.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to Bob's Sensitive Guy. Horatio acts very assertive and dominant towards others, and he also has a muscular build. This contrasts Bob's gentle nature and skinny build.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Inverted. Despite supposedly being the brother of Bob and the uncle of Owen (who both look similar to each other), Horatio has a completely different body type, facial structure, and hair color. He even has a very different accent.
• Take Over the World: Almost said word for word by Horatio in the climax, telling Owen and the other circus performers that using the crackers for mere entertainment is a waste. He proceeds to go One Wing Angel as a chimera and proclaims himself a god.
• White and Red and Eerie All Over: Played with. Horatio wears a white-and-red, Elvis Presley-inspired outfit throughout the movie. He starts out as simply an egotistical prima donna, but slowly gets more evil and unsettling as the movie goes on. After his official Face–Heel Turn, he starts out trying to steal the magical animal crackers to take over the circus. He later tries to manipulate his nephew, Owen, into making a deal with him that will give Horatio the animal crackers and control of the circus. Eventually, in the climax, he goes One-Winged Angel, becoming a white and gray chimera with red eyes. He announces that he intends to Take Over the World, and then tries to outright kill his own family and the circus performers.

Mario Zucchini

Voiced by: Gilbert Gottfried

A vertically-challenged motorcycle stuntman, and Horatio's top enforcer (though Zucchini thinks Horatio is his henchman.) He calls himself "The Zucchini."

• Chubby Chaser: Falls in love with the circus fat lady at first sight, and in the climax looks forward to being defeated by her again.
• Cloudcuckoolander: In addition to thinking that Horatio is his henchman rather than the other way around, Zucchini also narrates and announces his actions out loud, as if he thinks he's always performing for an audience.
• The Dragon: The Zucchini is this to Horatio, though Zucchini likes to think it the other way around.
• Evil Wears Black: He's the secondary antagonist, and he wears a black biker outfit (and has black hair.)
• Skeleton Motif: Zucchini's biker outfit and motorcycle are absolutely littered with white skulls.
• Spell My Name with a "The": The Zucchini, as he calls himself.
• Third-Person Person: He always talks about himself in the third person.

El Diablo

Voiced by: Anthony Sava

A firebreather who wears a red devil costume.

• Big Red Devil: Invoked. He dresses like a stereotypical devil, and also has a goatee like most versions of this trope. His stage name is Gratuitous Spanish for "The Devil."
• Playing with Fire: He uses his firebreathing skills to attack.

Samson the Strongman

Voiced by: Kevin Grevioux

A strongman who provides the muscle for Horatio's circus.

• Bald Head of Toughness: He's a circus strongman, and he's bald.
• Bald of Evil: He's one of the villain's henchmen, and he's bald.
• Beard of Evil: He's one of the villain's henchmen, and he has a full beard.
• The Quiet One: He's not very talkative or arrogant compared to the other antagonists.
• Scary Black Man: Downplayed. Samson, a black circus strongman, is one of the main villain's henchmen. While Samson does obey his boss' orders to fight the heroes or steal the animal crackers, he doesn't seem too malicious on his own. He seems quiet and passive when he's not being ordered to fight.
• Token Good Teammate: Downplayed. While Samson is willing to work for an evil man and follow his commands, he seems less overtly evil than Horatio's other henchmen, quietly putting up with Horatio's constant abuse. This is best shown when the henchmen do a barbershop quartet imitation in Horatio's song. When Horatio tells them to stop, most of the henchmen seem angry and indignant as they walk away, but Samson just lowers his head and walks away sadly.
• World's Strongest Man: As a circus strongman, he fits this trope.

Stabby

Voiced by: Tony Bancroft

A knife thrower.

• Just Like Robin Hood: He wears medieval clothing and seems to be inspired by Robin Hood.
• Knife-Throwing Act: Stabby's main shtick. Other circus performers in the film do this as well.