11 Actors Who've Debased Themselves Alongside CGI Co-Stars

11 Actors Who’ve Debased Themselves Alongside CGI Co-Stars

By Agent Bedhead | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (47)

A list like this needs very little introduction, particularly in this venue where kiddie flicks are generally viewed as, well, total dog crap. Yes, there are a few exceptions to that rule, but we’re not here to talk about those lofty examples. Instead, I’m referring to those children’s CGI-action movies that feature sellout actors, who usually try to justify their behavior by saying they only wanted to be in a movie that their kids could watch. Even though they really did it for the money.

Jason Lee in Alvin and the Chipmunks: He puttered shamefaced through the first movie and managed to bow out for The Squeakuel, but he’s back for the third installment, Chipwrecked. So let’s kick this list off with Lee himself because — let’s face it — no amount of cult television-related goodwill could ever redeem these cinematic sins of his. (See also David Cross.)

Anna Faris in Yogi Bear: Sadly, this movie, which also stars semi-sentient waxwork Tom Cavanagh, probably doesn’t even make her top five worst movies list.

James Marsden in Hop: The easter basket hurdle run was truly the defining moment of this Cadbury egg filled copiously with crap.

Neil Patrick Harris in The Smurfs: Playing air guitar with little blue people is truly as smurfy as sticking a smurf up your smurf.

Chris O’Donnell in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore: See what wearing Batnipples can do to an actor’s career? Sure, the German Shepherd in this movie was adorable, but the shaved pussy most certainly was not.

Geena Davis in Stuart Little: Maybe this is the hell within which her Thelma & Louise character found herself right after driving off the edge of the Grand Canyon.

Freddie Prinze Jr. in Scooby Doo: Man, what a dork.

Jennifer Love Hewitt in Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties: Was this the exact moment when JLH started to lose her crushworthiness?

Will Arnett G-Force: Yes, we know. He made a huge mistake.

And a little unexpected bonus number for you…

Christina Ricci in Casper: Does it still count if she’s was a kid while starring in this movie? Fuck yeah it does.

Agent Bedhead lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She and her little black heart can be found at Celebitchy.

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Comments

Don't you talk fucking bad about Casper.

Posted by: Will at December 14, 2011 2:08 PM

What will said.

Posted by: Cadence at December 14, 2011 2:12 PM

caspers an instant fucking classic and it will always fucking be hallowed as a children's fucking masterpiece of spellbinding fucking circumstances and spooky fucking storytelling.

Posted by: thesmedt at December 14, 2011 2:13 PM

He's a dead baby! A dead baby!!!

Posted by: The Mutt at December 14, 2011 2:14 PM

I'm going to risk what little credibility I may have had previously with you folks. I didn't mind the first Alvin and the Chipmunks at all. I even kind of enjoyed it, but not enough to watch the Squeakquel. Any future Chipmunk movie that isn't an attempt to remake The Chipmunk Adventure is a huge mistake. Well, any future Chipmunk movie is probably a big mistake, but don't compound it guys.

Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at December 14, 2011 2:17 PM

Geena Davis in Stuart Little: Maybe this is the hell within which her Thelma & Louise character found herself right after driving off the edge of the Grand Canyon.

She's standing right next to Hugh Laurie. Is he getting a pass? Also, Michael J. Fox and Nathan Lane?

Posted by: Jast at December 14, 2011 2:17 PM

I love Casper.

Posted by: Candace at December 14, 2011 2:19 PM

Will Arnett G-Force: Yes, we know. He made a huge mistake.

"Just the one, dear?"

Posted by: Jerry at December 14, 2011 2:21 PM

What Will and Cadence said. Also, that movie has a special place in my heart because I thought Devon Sawa at the end was dreeeeeeeeamy.

Posted by: PerpetualIntern at December 14, 2011 2:27 PM

I seem to remember Dan Aykroyd making a cameo in Casper, and he was the voice in Yogi: The Klepto Years. I'd say he's an honorable mention for this list.

Posted by: Bob Frapples at December 14, 2011 2:31 PM

Yes, most of those were crap. But the Stuart Little movies were adorable.

Posted by: Nikkers at December 14, 2011 2:32 PM

You're right Bob. He has a cameo as Ray Stanz early on in the movie.

Posted by: Socrates_Johnson at December 14, 2011 2:33 PM

Yeah, agreeing with the above - why does Hugh Laurie get a pass for Stuart Little and DON'T YOU SPEAK ILL OF CASPAR. Devon Sawa at the end of that movie...yum. So hot. To the version of me that was his age at the time. Or something. Right. Yeah, that.

Posted by: KatSings at December 14, 2011 2:35 PM

"So do you have any regrets?"

"Garfield, maybe."

Posted by: Ghisent at December 14, 2011 2:44 PM

Why aren't we ragging on Zack Galifianakis for being in G-Force, almost all of his scenes involve talking to guinea pigs?

Posted by: Melody Be at December 14, 2011 2:48 PM

Oh, KatSings, I completely forget how IN LOVE I was with Devon Sawa in that movie. I followed his career for a while after, but he was never as hot.

Posted by: jamiepants at December 14, 2011 2:51 PM

Anna Farris always struck me as a female Adam Sandler in terms of comedic actresses, you'd figure that the law of averages would eventually get them in a non-horrible movie, but it's almost as if they use electromagnetic forces to drag shit directly towards themselves.

However, at least Farris doesn't actually own the production companies she makes movies for; she's less of a sinner than Sandler.

Posted by: Devil Child at December 14, 2011 2:51 PM

Hugh Laurie should have done Casper instead. At least then we'd find out that he actually died from lupus.

Posted by: Bert at December 14, 2011 2:52 PM

Oooh, click on my name.

Posted by: jamiepants at December 14, 2011 2:52 PM

I really want to give people breaks for picking up the easy G-rated paycheck, since very few working actors are very long past their waiting-tables-and -eating-top-ramen days.

But yeah - G-Force.
~~~

Posted by: Meander at December 14, 2011 3:06 PM

What?? No. No no no. Casper always gets a pass. Because it is Casper. And I adored it when I was a kid and nostalgia always wins out dammit!

Posted by: Tori at December 14, 2011 3:07 PM

I don't know if Hugh was very well known outside of the commonwealth when he took on Stuart Little. So it probably wasn't a sell-out tactic as much as a 'starting small' one.

Also. Put me down for having a major crush on Ricci in Casper. Age-appropiate.

Actually, still.

Posted by: The Only New Zealander at December 14, 2011 3:09 PM

Uhh..

I mean it's still age-appropiate..

Like, we're still the same age and she's still hot..

Well not still so much as.. I'm just gonna leave.

Posted by: The Only New Zealander at December 14, 2011 3:16 PM

@PerpetualIntern and everyone else

I quatroly(sp?) agree, Devon Sawa was the dreamiest at the end of 'Casper.' "Can I keep you?" Hells yes you can.

Between 'Casper' and 'Now and Then' forever a place in my heart. Oh and that into the wild type movie he did with JTT. It's really too bad he got caught up in the drugs or at least got a case of the methface.

Posted by: kilmo at December 14, 2011 3:21 PM

Devon Sawa is in Nikita right now. If you Google his name and Nikita, I promise your crush will be renewed. Yummy.

Posted by: Nimue at December 14, 2011 3:23 PM

Holy hell, what is with all the Casper love? I get that it may have been a neat little movive for its time. Honestly though, I forgot about the movie until this post. And now that I think of it, didn't it spawn some really shitty sequels?

Also, has Anna Farris ever made a watachable movie?

Posted by: Zach at December 14, 2011 3:38 PM

Owen Wilson in 'Marmaduke', surely?

Posted by: Aislinn at December 14, 2011 3:39 PM

Cut Jason Lee some slack. He did start out as a skateboarder after all. That had to involve drugs of some kind, and probably at a young age.
What is it that Tim Leary said? Something about after 8 tabs of acid you are technically insane. I'm not sure if he meant all at once or over a period of time...
I really don't know what those other people's excuses are.

Posted by: MRod at December 14, 2011 3:43 PM

"Hugh Laurie should have done Casper instead. At least then we'd find out that he actually died from lupus."

-Posted by: Bert

It might have been Guillan-Barre. We should run more tests to rule it out.

Posted by: Groundloop at December 14, 2011 3:55 PM

@Socrates_Johnson YOU are now my favorite person on the internet. The Chipmunk Adventure is AMAZING and one of my all time faves. Kudos to you!

Posted by: jen at December 14, 2011 3:58 PM

The entire cast of The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle including Robert DeNiro, Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, and John Goodman.

Posted by: Jast at December 14, 2011 4:03 PM

Is it just me, or does NPH look like a CGI kid from the Uncanny Valley in that pic?

Also, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is the best movie title ever. I'm sorry, but, it is.

Posted by: =DocDoom1= at December 14, 2011 4:54 PM

Lee Pace in Marmaduke?

That dude has been in so many awful movies, but he IS my future husband and I plan on being a very supportive wife.

Also, life time pass for Pushing Dasies and The Fall.

Posted by: Joyeetargh at December 14, 2011 4:59 PM

What about Jack Black vs. Andy Serkis as King Kong?

Posted by: BWeaves at December 14, 2011 5:37 PM

Anna Faris is my number one guilty pleasure, I think. I can't not watch The House Bunny when it comes on TV. Or falls into my DVD player somehow.

PS Sorry, Only NZer...not anymore! ;)

Posted by: Ruby at December 14, 2011 6:35 PM

I've always thought that the cast of Stuart Little would make a great political movie:

Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), husband to President Eleanor Allen (Geena Davis), notices that Vice-President Stuart Little (Michael J. Fox) is demonstrating signs of a degenerative disease just before President Allen is about to visit a hostile region of Afghanistan. With the country becoming increasingly divided and Speaker of the House Michael Snow (Nathan Lane) threatening Allan's impeachment, House is torn between medical ethics and his love for his wife and his adopted country. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.

Posted by: Maureen at December 14, 2011 6:43 PM

Who hates Casper?!

Posted by: KC at December 14, 2011 8:13 PM

All this love for Casper just made me love Pajiba even MORE. Fuck, I love you people. You get me.

Posted by: figgy at December 14, 2011 9:41 PM

I'm gonna go ahead and say that Freddy Prinze Jr. was debased long before that Scooby movie came along.

Posted by: greer at December 14, 2011 10:51 PM

Stuart Little is a charming movie. Seriously, it will make you smile.

Posted by: Horace at December 15, 2011 3:50 AM

Devon Sawa is in Nikita right now. If you Google his name and Nikita, I promise your crush will be renewed. Yummy.

Isn't that Shane West?

Posted by: Chich at December 15, 2011 4:18 AM

Whoa whoa whoa. I was all on board until Christina Ricci in Casper. Why'd you have to go and shit all over my childhood like that huh? Not cool.

Posted by: Inquisitive Mind at December 15, 2011 6:43 AM

God I loved Jason Lee once, before Alvin et al, Pilot Inspektor and his involvement in Scientology ruined it for me. 'Twas so long ago...

Posted by: Iheartlasagne at December 15, 2011 8:29 AM

Why are you hating on Tom Cavanagh? He was Ed after all.

Posted by: Smake at December 15, 2011 2:28 PM

What about Jack Black vs. Andy Serkis as King Kong?

Posted by: BWeaves at December 14, 2011 5:37 PM

Doesn't fit the title - Serkis was debasing himself appearing in CGI alongside Jack Black.

Posted by: Bert at December 15, 2011 2:49 PM

Oh, I loved Casper when it came out. I might think it's a terrible movie if I watched it now, but it was a big deal to me when I was 13/14. I wanted to be Christina Ricci back then, and I can remember screaming with my sister and cousin when Devon Sawa showed up at the end of the movie. He was so cute. He and Christina Ricci did Now and Then together after that, which made me like them both more.

Posted by: Corntree at December 17, 2011 5:16 PM

No Jason Lee in Underdog as well? I'm surprised because I'd have to say that it was as bad if not worse than the chipmunk films.

Posted by: BP at December 19, 2011 1:39 AM

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11 Actors Who’ve Debased Themselves Alongside CGI Co-Stars

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