I'm sure animated films have been trying to get big names to voice their characters to try and boost ticket sales since before Alice in Wonderland. Sure, it's never been on such a scale (BRILLIANT CAST: WILL FERREL, JIM CARREY, STEVE CARREL, GEORGE LOPEZ, AND ANGELINE JOLIE IN ONE CARTOON FILM YEEEHHH), but this isn't like, a recent trend.
I mean, Robin Williams in Aladdin, Billy Joel in Oliver & Company, can Betty Lou Gerson (voice of Cruella) count as well? I'm not sure.
I don't agree with big names being something that should represent the movie, and don't like how its importance has gotten bigger in many companies' minds, but it's not like a new thing like some people believe (THIS ISN'T DIRECTED AT ANY RECENT COMMENTS).