Original ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Chip ‘n Dale’ Voice Actor Dead at 97

Her name was Norma Swank-Haviland. Even the most hard-core Disney Fanatics probably would not know her name, but they would know her voice. She helped voice the mice in Disney’s Cinderella, and she was the original voice of Chip. She was also an ink-and-paint girl who worked as an animation final checker. Her first feature would be The Three Caballeros.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to say what voice-over parts were her due to crediting practices of the time.

According to cartoonbrew.com,

Along with Dale, the two chipmunk brothers first appeared as side characters in the 1943 short Private Pluto before headlining their own theatrical shorts starting in the mid-1940s. The role of Chip during this period is commonly credited to Disney sound effects department head Jimmy MacDonald, however women from the ink-and-paint department were commonly recruited to perform voices uncredited in films. While it’s impossible to know where Swank-Haviland’s contributions end and MacDonald’s begin, it’s safe to say that both of their voices can be heard on the Chip ‘n’ Dale shorts of the 1940s-50s.

Still, the woman who brought Chip to life managed to stick around long enough to make an appearance in the upcoming Disney+ original movie, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers. 

She passed away at the age of 97, with over seven decades of Disney legacy left behind. There is no Chip ‘n Dale without Chip, and the mischievous rascals have made children laugh for generations.

“The main thing I was most proud of, was the fact that I was at Disney’s,” she said in an interview. “I was doing motion picture work and I’ve always been a motion picture buff… I still am very proud of the fact that I worked at Disney’s.”

We at Disney Fanatic send our deepest gratitude to Norma and our condolences to her family.

Today the role of Chip passes to comedian John Mulaney with Andy Samberg playing the other half of the Rescue Ranger duo from Disney Television Animation as Disney Channel‘s Disney Afternoon meets Saturday Night Live for the biggest cartoon caper since Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.