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Post by ck100 on Apr 26, 2018 2:01:52 GMT
Am I the only one who really dislikes this practice?
The only reason this is done is because of name recognition and for marquee value (even though little kids won't care). I don't think people like Julia Roberts, Jerry Seinfeld, Nicolas Cage, and now Harrison Ford are cast in these roles because they're good at doing voices for characters. I guarantee you all Ford will do in "The Secret Life of Pets 2" is just use his usual grumpy, gruff voice without any energy or intensity and get paid millions for it.
movieweb.com/secret-life-of-pets-2-cast-harrison-ford/
Of course this practice has gone on since Robin Williams for "Aladdin" but the thing about "Aladdin" was that Williams didn't want to be credited for his work. Plus, he's one of the rare instances where an A-list celebrity got cast in a film and gave a manic, intense performance where he did voices. But the people at Disney made a huge deal over Williams doing it and made this become a trend while talented, less-expensive voice performers don't get cast or barely get cast.
Too often I hear the actor talk and not the character and it becomes a distraction no matter how hard I try to get past it. The voices should suit the characters and not draw attention to the actors behind it with this celebrity stunt-casting. A lot of the marketing for these films put emphasis on who has been cast and shows them recording which can hurt the illusion of the movie. I'm not saying these A-list celebrities don't put any effort into their voice work, but as I said, 9 times out of 10 they just do their own voice and don't do any grunt work that professional, highly-talented, less-expensive voice actors like Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen, Jim Cummings and Billy West do. |
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Post by twothousandonemark on Apr 26, 2018 2:33:20 GMT
I mildly disagree because nowadays many animated characters voiced by A-listers are also characterized with the actor's persona.
Wes Anderson comes to mind. George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Bryan Cranston, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand in Isle of Dogs.
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Post by ck100 on May 3, 2018 19:18:16 GMT
One instance I'm OK with is when celebrities are casted to voice characters they've played in a movie.
For instance, Daisy Ridley voicing Rey in those Star Wars "Forces of Destiny" shorts.
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on May 3, 2018 19:51:04 GMT
The tend to be better actors or have particular skills and so are better for casting, so I don;t have a problem with it.
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on May 3, 2018 20:16:44 GMT
I agree. Dont like it.
Walt Disney never used very big names for his films.
Hans Conreid?
He used people with strong interesting voices.
These days celebrities are used entirely for marketing reasons and they may well not have the best voice for the characters.
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Post by politicidal on May 3, 2018 22:22:00 GMT
I generally don't mind it. If it's like some minuscule cameo appearance, yeah that's bullshit. Example that comes to mind is Patrick Stewart as...the poop emoji?!?!?
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Post by ravi02 on May 4, 2018 0:45:21 GMT
I don't mind it if it's done right. Sometimes having an A-list actor voice the leads can be great if their vocal mannerisms suit the character.
Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin, James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons in The Lion King, Tom Hanks as Woody in the Toy Story Trilogy, Holly Hunter in The Incredibles, Amy Poehler as Joy from Inside Out and Johnny Depp in Rango are some examples where I see the character and not the actor's celebrity persona.
But there have been a few cases as CK mentioned, where the movie becomes an excuse for these big-name actors/actresses to voice some animated counterpart that resembles their celebrity persona and in place of a story, they just reference these celebrity's classic films/or current pop culture trends. See: Dreamwork's Shark Tale (the worst offender, imo) and the Shrek, Ice Age, Madagascar sequels.
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Post by moviebuffbrad on May 4, 2018 0:49:21 GMT
Sometimes it works, sometimes it's pointless. Lion King has good examples of both. James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons have awesome voices, and are just great actors in general. Then comedians like Nathan Lane and Rowan Atkinson can really land the comic relief and improv if necessary.
But on the other hand, what do Matthew Broderick and JTT add to anything? They have average voices, are fairly average actors, and can't even sing apparently - which should be one of the main requirements for an animated musical. Instead, they just got people who CAN sing to dub them for the musical parts. Why not just get those guys to play Simba throughout?
I think the most cynical and annoying example has to be Kevin Hart and the other guy in the Captain Underpants movie. They were so desperate for celebrity names to throw in the marketing that they got these two to play freaking 4th graders.
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Post by ck100 on May 4, 2018 0:51:58 GMT
But there have been a few cases as CK mentioned, where the movie becomes an excuse for these big-name actors/actresses to voice some animated counterpart that resembles their celebrity persona and in place of a story, they just reference these celebrity's classic films/or current pop culture trends. See: Dreamwork's Shark Tale (the worst offender, imo) and the Shrek, Ice Age, Madagascar sequels. Don't forget "Bee Movie" with Jerry Seinfeld. Oh Lord was he miscast in that one. |
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