The voice of Winnie The Pooh also voices the horrific final boss in the original Fallout: A Post Nuclear RPG. The original Fallout by Interplay and Black Isle Studios had one of the most star studded voice casts of its gaming generation, with screen and voice actors taking up every corner of the game. This includes Cree Summer, Keith David, Clancy Brown, Ron Perlman, CCH Pounder, and of course, Jim Cummings.
Jim Cummings began his voice acting career in 1984, quickly becoming one of the most prolific actors in his field. Cummings has appeared in movies, TV shows, and video games of all kinds. His most notable role by far, however, is that of Winnie The Pooh and Tigger, taking over for Hal Smith in 1988. He is now the primary voice of both characters, even appearing as both in Disney's recent live-action film Christopher Robin.
Fallout is no stranger to famous actors in its games. Anyone checking out Fallout 3 now that the Microsoft live glitch is fixed will find Liam Neeson as the protagonist's father, for example. However, it's often a shock to learn that the voice of Winnie The Pooh also played the mutant monster at the end of the original Fallout. The two characters really could not sound more different.
The Vast Difference Between Winnie The Pooh's Voice And The Master's
The starkness in the difference between these two voices stands as testament to the nuances of voice acting. It goes beyond one sounding evil, and the other sounding cute, as both voices have layers to them that give them a texture guaranteed to stay in the mind of whoever hears them. The fact that Cummings has been the default voice of Winnie The Pooh for decades is proof of that. Cummings' voice for Pooh, naturally, has the warmth and innocence of someone that doesn't have to live in a town built around an atomic bomb. However, he also adds a layer of curiosity and gentle excitement that acts as the secret weapon of what makes Jim's Pooh voice so appealing. Pooh is excited for every single day, and it radiates off of every word he says.
The Master, meanwhile, is anything but warm. For example, Jim's is just one of many voices discernible in the hodgepodge of rambling voices that make up The Master. Jim plays the man once known as Richard Moreau as someone who has lost both his humanity and his mind. He created the super mutants in the first game, far more intelligent and dangerous than the super mutants of Bethesda's games, and his voice reflects the madness and ego that would bring such monstrosities into the world.
Jim Cummings has been voicing beloved, iconic characters like Winnie The Pooh for a long time, and yet that career is so varied that it isn't that surprising to hear him in such a dark, bleak game as the original Fallout. The fact that Jim Cummings can so easily blend into two vastly different voices speaks volumes about his skill as a voice actor. Fallout: A Post Nuclear RPG simply wouldn't be the same without him as The Master.