Disney Star Calls Out A Surprisingly Bizarre Pattern In Her Recent Movies

Published Oct 29, 2026, 10:46 PM EDT

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The star behind some of Disney's best modern classics discovered a weird trend that has been following her around.

Awkwafina has established herself as one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, appearing in several major animated franchises throughout her career. From Disney productions to DreamWorks films, the star has featured in a wide variety of projects. However, she has noticed a hilarious pattern in some of the roles she has been offered in more recent years.

In an interview with CinemaBlend, Awkwafina revealed that she has portrayed quite a few birds, and she might be ready to leave those characters behind. While promoting her latest movie, Wildwood, she spoke about her voice acting work. When asked about the possibility of pitching her next animated character, Awkwafina jokingly said that she would prefer to move away from playing birds.

She told the publication, "I've done quite a few birds, so maybe moving out of the bird." While her response was lighthearted, it was also very true. A closer look at Awkwafina's filmography reveals that she has voiced several different bird characters in major Hollywood productions, two of which arrived in theaters during the same year.

Her first bird-related role was in the 2016 animated comedy Stork. In the movie, she voiced a quail named Quail. The film was also her first voice acting role in a feature film. Years later, Awkwafina joined Disney's 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. She portrayed Scuttle, the talkative seagull who gives Ariel misguided information about the human world. The character was originally voiced by Buddy Hackett in Disney's 1989 animated classic of the same name. For the remake, Scuttle was reimagined as a female bird.

That same year, Awkwafina voiced another flying creature in Illumination's Migration. This time, she portrayed Chump, a pigeon who leads a flock of birds in New York City. The movie follows a family of ducks traveling through the city on their way to Jamaica when they encounter Awkwafina's streetwise character.

Awkwafina also starred in 2019's The Angry Birds Movie 2. However, her character in the sequel, Courtney, was actually a pig instead of a bird. She also made a guest appearance in the animated TV series Tuca & Bertie, which follows two birds, a blue Toco Toucan and a brown Song Thrush.

Despite the recurring theme, Awkwafina's career has included plenty of characters that have nothing to do with birds. She portrayed Sisu, a dragon in Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon and Ms. Tarantula in DreamWorks' The Bad Guys. She also joined the Kung Fu Panda franchise in 2024, playing Zhen, a fox who becomes an important ally to Po in the film series' fourth installment.