Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#258
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Jess Harnell represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 31 years in, and Jess is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Jess Harnell appears in 44 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Jess. WALL·E is the clearest case: a film rated 8.4 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, comedy. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for comedy, fantasy, adventure. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Pierre Coffin, Dave Cunningham, Dan Abraham and others, Jess Harnell helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
WALL·E (2008) as Additional Voices (voice) · Up (2009) as Nurse AJ (voice) · Toy Story 3 (2010) as Additional Voices (voice)
Career snapshot
Ranked #258 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
44
1995–2026
Career length
31 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.4
WALL·E
Average Nutevio score
6.8
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.3
Once Upon a Studio
Most frequent director
Chris Renaud
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Chris Renaud
Most common genre
Family
40 titles
Average runtime
1h 25m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.7
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1990s
6.9 average MV
The 1990s are where the work and the material meet. Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Aladdin and the King of Thieves — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1990s
6.9
Across 4 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2020s
7.0
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1990s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
Most productive era
2000s
17 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | — | 6.91 film | — | 7.71 film |
| Action | — | 5.92 films | 6.51 film | — |
| Comedy | 7.13 films | 6.613 films | 6.714 films | 6.97 films |
| Horror | — | 6.01 film | — | 6.22 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1995Casper
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Arnold (voice).
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2008WALL·E
8.4 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
The current state of the argument, as Additional Voices (voice).
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
44 of 44 films
as Additional Voices (voice)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
as Nurse AJ (voice)
Directed by Pete Docter
as Additional Voices (voice)
Directed by Lee Unkrich
as Additional Voices (voice)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
as Additional Voices (voice)
Directed by John Lasseter
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Additional Voices (voice)
WALL·E (2008)
Performance score8.1
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Additional Voices (voice) gives Jess Harnell a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Nurse AJ (voice)
Up (2009)
Performance score7.9
Up asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Nurse AJ (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Additional Voices (voice)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Performance score7.8
Toy Story 3 asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Additional Voices (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Additional Voices (voice)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Performance score7.8
Finding Nemo asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Additional Voices (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Additional Voices (voice)
Start here. WALL·E is the clearest statement of what Jess Harnell does — accessible, 98 minutes, and rated 8.4 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Jess at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Keeps the family register of WALL·E but asks for a colder reading of it.
Finding Nemo (2003)
Keeps the family register of Toy Story 2 but asks for a colder reading of it.
Up (2009)
Keeps the adventure register of Finding Nemo but asks for a colder reading of it.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Keeps the comedy register of Up but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
John Lasseter
Director
3 films together
Notably Toy Story 2
Chris Renaud
Director
3 films together
Notably Despicable Me 2
Andrew Stanton
Director
2 films together
Notably WALL·E
Kyle Balda
Director
2 films together
Notably Despicable Me 3
Scott Mosier
Director
2 films together
Notably Minions & More 2
Brad Silberling
Director
1 film together
Notably Casper
Tad Stones
Director
1 film together
Notably Aladdin and the King of Thieves
Robert C. Ramirez
Director
1 film together
Notably Joseph: King of Dreams
Mark Dindal
Director
1 film together
Notably The Emperor's New Groove
Raja Gosnell
Director
1 film together
Notably Scooby-Doo
Dean DeBlois
Director
1 film together
Notably Lilo & Stitch
Carlos Saldanha
Director
1 film together
Notably Ice Age: The Meltdown
Kirk DeMicco
Director
1 film together
Notably Space Chimps
Michael Bay
Director
1 film together
Notably Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Pete Docter
Director
1 film together
Notably Up
Phil Lord
Director
1 film together
Notably Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Lee Unkrich
Director
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 3
Heather A. Maxwell
Director
1 film together
Notably Big Top Scooby-Doo!
Rob Minkoff
Director
1 film together
Notably Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Genndy Tartakovsky
Director
1 film together
Notably Hotel Transylvania 2
Garth Jennings
Director
1 film together
Notably Sing
Stephen Sandoval
Director
1 film together
Notably Tangled: Before Ever After
Derek Drymon
Director
1 film together
Notably Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
Jason Shwartz
Director
1 film together
Notably Pastacolypse
Dan Abraham
Director
1 film together
Notably Once Upon a Studio
Dave Cunningham
Director
1 film together
Notably SpongeBob Squarepants: Kreepaway Kamp
Pierre Coffin
Director
1 film together
Notably Minions & Monsters
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
John Lasseter
Director
3 films together · 7.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Toy Story 2Chris Renaud
Director
3 films together · 6.6 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Despicable Me 2Andrew Stanton
Director
2 films together · 8.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
WALL·EScott Mosier
Director
2 films together · 7.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Minions & More 2Kyle Balda
Director
2 films together · 6.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Despicable Me 3Pete Docter
Director
1 film together · 8.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
UpLee Unkrich
Director
1 film together · 8.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Toy Story 3Dan Abraham
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Once Upon a StudioHeather A. Maxwell
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Big Top Scooby-Doo!Mark Dindal
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Emperor's New GrooveDean DeBlois
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Lilo & StitchGarth Jennings
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SingDave Cunningham
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SpongeBob Squarepants: Kreepaway KampDerek Drymon
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hotel Transylvania: TransformaniaCarlos Saldanha
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Ice Age: The MeltdownRobert C. Ramirez
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Joseph: King of DreamsStephen Sandoval
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Tangled: Before Ever AfterGenndy Tartakovsky
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hotel Transylvania 2Phil Lord
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Cloudy with a Chance of MeatballsPierre Coffin
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Minions & MonstersRob Minkoff
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mr. Peabody & ShermanBrad Silberling
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CasperTad Stones
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Aladdin and the King of ThievesMichael Bay
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Transformers: Revenge of the FallenRaja Gosnell
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Scooby-DooJason Shwartz
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
PastacolypseKirk DeMicco
Director
1 film together · 5.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Space ChimpsSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
WALL·E
as Additional Voices (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Once Upon a Studio
as Scuttle (voice)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
WALL·E
as Additional Voices (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Ice Age: The Meltdown
as Additional Voices (voice)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
WALL·E
as Additional Voices (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Jess Harnell has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
31 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Family Legend
Awarded
40 catalogue titles in family, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Big Top Scooby-Doo!
as Human Scooby-Doo / Guard (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Big Top Scooby-Doo!
as Human Scooby-Doo / Guard (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Joseph: King of Dreams
as Issachar / Lead Trader (voice)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Big Top Scooby-Doo!
as Human Scooby-Doo / Guard (voice)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Finding Nemo
as Additional Voices (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Despicable Me 3
as Additional Voice (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Once Upon a Studio
as Scuttle (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Minions & Monsters
as Additional Voices (voice)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Have your say
Community
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Reference
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