10 Major Movie Recastings You Didn't Even Notice

As that one Simpsons gag with Ned Flanders proves, you can change voice actors and nobody will no-diddly-otice the difference.

That's exactly what happened to the character of Abe Sapien between the two Guillermo del Toro-led Hellboy films from the noughties.

Part-man, part-amphibian (with psychic powers thrown in to boot), Sapien is also a member of Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He helps the title character take on Gregori Rasputin as he attempts to unleash a series of demonic creatures on Earth. Yeah, Hellboy is a weird film.

Abe Sapien is portrayed by Doug Jones, a del Toro regular who played both The Faun and The Pale Man in Pan's Labyrinth. However, he is voiced by David Hyde Pierce, best known as Fraiser's snooty brother, Niles Crane.

For the 2008 sequel to Hellboy, del Toro's favouritism got the better of him and he let Jones do the voice of the character as well. Jones does a great job aping Pierce's well-spoken voice; the differences so subtle that nobody but the credits would know the difference.

Actually, considering Pierce was uncredited for his role in the first film, even he wouldn't have noticed.