I think part of the reason that those celebrities starting getting into cartoons again in the late 80's and 90's is for the very same thing that people accuse Nintendo about incessantly. They knew their current fanbase was either dying off or growing up and leaving them, so they wanted to get a new fanbase growing, quite literally, from the ground up.
John Candy, on the other hand, like Michael Jordan, never really forgot his rots, and seemed to have a genuine passion for helping kids.
Also, just for s***s and giggles, does anyone else know the one-degree of separation between John Candy and the cartoon Pro Stars?