DC's League of Super Pets, starring Kevin Hart and Black Adam, is the big movie of the weekend. Disney's Lightyear was released earlier this month and is an animated film with a cast of big name actors instead of voice actors. The shine around this trend has faded in recent months.
It has been around for a long time, but it really took off in 1992 with Disney's Aladdin. Eric Goldberg was asked by Ron Musker and John Clements to draw a picture of the genie doing a stand-up routine for Robin Williams. The animation that won over Disney and the actor was the one that succeeded in the film. There are at least three big animated films a year that feature recognizable actors as the main characters. The celebrity voices are the only thing that makes a movie or show work.
If the actors didn't sound like they were speaking into a microphone, this wouldn't be a problem. There is a scene in Disney's Strange World where Jake Gyllenhall is talking about how he would act in a live action movie that didn't involve global disasters or child soldiers. The lack of energy and skill set kills an animated film or show no matter how good it is, and it becomes obvious how much of a stunt is actually done. All of us have different examples to draw from, but for me, the most stark contrast is the newest game in the series. One of the worst things about that game is the fact that it has a strong voice cast, and for a game with a strong voice cast, her performance is the best. The character in the game has no voice lines, which was the reason why the company realized it.
It takes a different amount of skills to be a voice acting. You know it's true if you watch an animated series or film from anywhere. There are some actors who have voices that are tailor made for vocal performances. It is possible to tell when voice actors are treating a role like it is their career, rather than something they can do between other jobs. Natural voice actors have their own brand of fame and should be cultivated instead of being brought in for supporting roles.
There are a lot of big actors who have proven themselves to be capable voice actors, or at least in projects that require them to put the work in. The voices of celebrities excel. Bojack Horseman gets away with this by having its celebrities come in with their A-game, and in some instances, you will not recognize an actor until their name is called in the credits. There are notable TV and film actors like Kevin Alejandro and Shoreh Agadashloo in Arcane. Both tiers of actors have good material to work with, and live action actors are easy to pull their weight.
The animation industry is trying to improve working conditions so that the rest of the entertainment medium takes it seriously. It would be great if animated projects didn't have to rely on celebrities to get noticed. It's not what you say it's how you say it. The medium has a variety of vocal talent who know how to say it.
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