Oswalt says he's well aware that the Pixar name, not his, is being used to sell the movie. "I really don't mind. Pixar's a huge name. It would be suicidal for Disney to advertise the movie as, 'Hey, its stars that chubby little guy from that one TV show. You think he's kind of funny, don't you?"'

However, there is at least one big name in the cast: Peter O'Toole, who provides the voice for Anton Ego, a food critic with the power to make or break Linguini's bistro. Bird and Lewis dreamed of landing the frequent Oscar nominee, but didn't really believe he'd actually sign on for the project. "I guess we did something right," Lewis said.

However, O'Toole's casting turned out to be one of Oswalt and Garofalo's biggest regrets. Voice work for animation project is usually done one-on-one, with the filmmaker and just one actor at a time.

"It's a little frustrating," Oswalt sighed. "On one hand I can now say that I was in a film with the great Peter O'Toole. But I never actually got to work with him."

In fact, longtime friends Garofalo and Oswalt didn't work together, either — and she claims she only learned they were in the same movie by accident.

"We ran into each other," said Garofalo, "and I told him the news that I'd just gotten cast as a voice in the new Pixar movie. Patton told me, 'Hey, I did, too.' So I asked him, 'What's the name of the movie you're working on? Are you sure you're working for Pixar?"'

But they've enjoyed traveling together for the film's publicity tour. (The two also co-headlined a handful of comedy shows along the way.)

"If nothing else, it gives us a great story to tell our mutual friends," Garofalo said. "I've already told him, 'Well, I hope to not work with you in another movie again soon."'

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com