Kristen Schaal is one of the entertainment industry’s most recognizable voices. She has been working in comedy for over a decade and continues to show new talents. As a performer, Kristen Schaal is most famous for her indistinguishable voice-over work in hit animated series for the past decade. Her experience as a stand-up comedian has also aided her ability to use timing and a range of emotions to emit explosive performances that have resonated with audiences of various genres.
There are a variety of series and motion pictures where Kristen Schaal has shined and utilized comedic timing or dramatic versatility. Here is a list of her best performances.
10 The Mysterious Benedict Society
Kristen Schaal portrayed Number Two, an assistant to intellectual Mr. Benedict on the Disney+ series The Mysterious Benedict Society. While the series ran for two seasons, it was canceled as part of the streaming platform’s massive cost-cutting ploy. Schaal portrayed Number Two with lightheartedness but also dedication to the source material. She is completely supportive of Mr. Benedict and is by the books. She is stern, but not in an “Umbridge” sort of way. She does bring some comedy to the role, but it is fascinating to see Schaal bring an oddity to the role which becomes a series highlight.
9 The Last Man on Earth
The Last Man on Earth was a popular network television series that starred Will Forte as Tandy and Kristen Schaal as Carol. It is one of her most notable live-action performances where she gets to accentuate physical comedy as well as utilize her iconic voice to deliver hilarious dialogue. There is heart to her performance, and it is embedded in her love for Tandy, which ultimately becomes one of the most crucial elements of the series.
8 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
There is much to love about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. It builds upon the first film’s outrageousness and silliness in a brilliant way. One of the film’s shining stars was our introduction to Barb, who is as sassy as she is bright and hilarious. Barb is an invention of Flint Lockwood’s idol Chester V. She is an orangutan with a human brain and an attitude. Schaal brings a devious and also animalistic nature to the character. This performance is perfectly complemented by the slapstick animation which makes the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs films so unique and funny.
7 Bill & Ted Face the Music
Kristen Schaal plays Rufus’ daughter Kelly in Bill & Ted Face the Music. Rufus, played effortlessly by the comedy legend George Carlin, is respectfully not recast. Instead, his daughter Kelly guides the famous duo on their next adventure. She escorts Bill and Ted into their next adventure and catapults the story from the ground into the stratosphere. Shaal’s performance is warming and inviting, as she plays a crucial role in the film’s lore.
6 What We Do in the Shadows
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What We Do in the Shadows is the television adaptation of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s film of the same name. Schaal plays The Guide, who acts as a messenger who appears to summon the vampires to a higher council. At first, Schaal was a guest on the show, but her character became so popular she made more appearances. Her performance is hilarious but also haunting and animated. She emits a sense of madness that compliments the show’s self-awareness and fourth-wall-breaking humor.
5 Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords is one of Kristen Schaal’s earliest roles to have gotten prominent attention. Her role as superfan Mel can be described as unpredictable, supportive, and resourceful when it comes to undeniable dedication to the band members she fans over. Mel is the superfan of the Flight of the Conchords and goes above and beyond to show her appreciation for the group members played by Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie. The series ran for two seasons on HBO and was an early hit for Schaal’s career.
4 Gravity Falls
Gravity Falls was one of the more popular modern animated series on Disney Channel. Part of the show’s success is thanks to Kristen Schaal’s performance as 12-year-old Mabel Pines. Mabel is the more comedic and less serious character compared to her brother Dipper. While some of the events in the show and her encounters with the supernatural are scary, Mabel always acts as the light and rational. The show ran for two seasons and was sadly canceled in 2016, leaving fans of the popular show heartbroken.
3 Toy Story Franchise
Kristen Schaal voices Trixie in Toy Story 3 and all the following installments of the franchise, including Toy Story 4. Trixie is one of the comedic relief characters to make the more dramatic and huge scaled third film so iconic. Her sequences of tech-savvy dialogue delivered by Schaal is witty and light-hearted. While Trixie is not one of the most prominent characters, her time on screen is memorable.
2 Bob’s Burgers
Louise Belcher is a standout character in the hit animated comedy Bob’s Burgers, as well as in The Bob’s Burgers Movie which hit theaters in the spring of 2022. Louise is a nine-year-old girl who wears bunny ears with a twinkle in her eye, but beware of anyone who tries to take the ears off. Louise is a firecracker, to say the least, and her energy is perfectly accentuated by Kristen Schaal. This is one of her defining voice-over performances as this character is outrageously hilarious but downright diabolical in the best way possible. Kristen Schaal still voices Louise after 13 seasons and over 260 episodes thus far.
1 Bojack Horseman
Sarah Lynn is one of the most important characters in the entire series of Bojack Horseman. She represents the rise and fall of child stardom. Nevertheless, her fallout leads to tragedy. Schaal delivers her most dramatic and emotional performance to date as Sarah Lynn. She plays the character through all stages of her short life. Her childhood is filled with bubbly and cute wittiness. However, as she ages into adulthood, we see a more existential side to the character and Schaal is able to seamlessly evolve this character in flashbacks of youth and in the present day whenever the character is on screen.
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