You’ve seen the bird. The bug-eyed, rock-eating, oblivious stowaway that nearly ruins Moana’s quest about a dozen times. He’s arguably the most useless animal sidekick in Disney history, and that is exactly why we love him. But there is a weirdly sophisticated irony behind those squawks. The hei hei voice actor is actually a classically trained powerhouse who has been in almost every Disney movie you’ve watched in the last decade.
His name is Alan Tudyk.
If that name doesn't ring a bell, his face probably does. He was Wash in Firefly. He was the robot Sonny in I, Robot. He’s currently the lead in Resident Alien. But at Disney, he is basically the "good luck charm" who shows up to play everything from refined villains to, well, a rooster with a single functioning brain cell.
The Juilliard Training for a "Stupid" Bird
There is a famous clip of Alan Tudyk in a recording booth. He’s wearing headphones, standing in front of a high-end microphone, and he lets out this harrowing, screeching, borderline-insane chicken scream. Then, he leans into the mic and deadpans, "I went to Juilliard."
It’s a joke, but it’s also the truth.
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Tudyk studied at the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York City. You don't usually go to one of the most prestigious acting conservatories on Earth to learn how to cluck, yet the directors of Moana, Ron Clements and John Musker, specifically sought him out.
The character of Heihei was actually almost cut from the movie. Originally, he was smart, sassy, and judgmental—sorta like a feathered version of Zazu from The Lion King. The crew felt it wasn't working. They gave themselves a 48-hour deadline to "save the chicken" or delete him entirely. They decided to make him the dumbest character ever put to screen. They needed an actor who could make "dumb" sound like a genuine art form.
Why the Hei Hei Voice Actor is Everywhere
Alan Tudyk hasn't just voiced a bird. Since 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph, he has had a role in every single Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film. It’s a streak that even veteran voice actors envy. Honestly, it’s become a bit of a "Where’s Waldo?" for Disney fans.
- He was the flamboyant King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph.
- He played the "Duke of Weselton" (no, it’s Weaseltown!) in Frozen.
- He voiced the shady Duke Weaselton (a deliberate pun) in Zootopia.
- He was the massive pill-bug-canine Tuk Tuk in Raya and the Last Dragon.
- He even voiced the toucan Pico in Encanto.
When you look at that list, you realize that the hei hei voice actor is a shapeshifter. He can go from a high-pitched, eccentric king to a series of clicks and grunts for a fantasy animal without breaking a sweat. For Moana, he didn't have a script. He just had a series of prompts. "You’re falling off a boat." "You’re eating a rock." "You’re confused by a floor."
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The Shocking Recasting for the Live-Action Moana
Here is where things get a little spicy for 2026. As Disney gears up for the live-action remake of Moana, fans expected Tudyk to return. After all, he’s a human; he could just do the voice while a CGI bird does the heavy lifting, right?
Wrong.
In a recent chat with Gold Derby, Tudyk confirmed he is passing the torch. He won’t be the hei hei voice actor for the live-action version. The reason? It's kind of hilarious.
Tudyk joked that because everyone calls Heihei a "chicken" (even though he’s technically a rooster), Disney decided it was time to get a female actor for the role. He said they wanted to put a little more "chick" in the chicken. Beyond the joke, there's a practical side: the live-action movie likely involves intense motion-capture work. Tudyk, who has done plenty of mo-cap (he was K-2SO in Star Wars: Rogue One), basically said his knees couldn't handle jumping around like a bird on set.
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Is He in Moana 2?
Yes. Don't worry. If you’re heading to theaters for the animated sequel, Tudyk is back in the booth. Moana 2 features the return of the original core cast, including Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson.
Recording for a sequel is different. By now, Tudyk knows the "vocabulary" of Heihei. It's not just random noise; there is a specific pitch for "I am scared" versus "I am eating something I shouldn't." It sounds ridiculous to analyze a rooster's scream with this much depth, but that’s why the movie works. If the sounds weren't grounded in some kind of emotional truth, the character would just be annoying. Instead, he’s a legend.
What You Can Do Next
If you're a fan of the vocal gymnastics behind these characters, you should definitely check out the behind-the-scenes "B-roll" footage of Disney recording sessions. Seeing a grown man in a professional studio screaming like a barnyard animal is genuinely cathartic.
If you want to see more of the hei hei voice actor's range, go watch Resident Alien. He plays an extraterrestrial trying to pass as a human doctor, and his physical comedy is top-tier. It's basically Heihei if the bird had a human body and a very dark sense of humor.
Keep an ear out during the next Disney flick, too. Even if he isn't playing a bird, Alan Tudyk is probably in there somewhere, likely playing a character that is about to have a very bad day.