In toon

The best: Tim Allen in "Toy Story"

The grunt-punctuated macho posturing that catapulted Allen to stardom first on the stand-up stage, and then on "Home Improvement," was hardly subtle. So what a surprise it was that his work as a space-age action figure convinced he's a bona fide hero earned laughs—and even a few third-act tears!—by never overtly pushing for them.

Allen simply embodied Buzz Lightyear's serious, gruffly deep-voiced bravado with utter conviction. And he took the art of playing the straight man (in his case, to Tom Hanks' exasperated cowboy doll Woody) to infinity and beyond.