I guess my prime example of this is Advent Children. I was upset about main characters being dubbed by stars that are usually in big budget movies, instead of the professional voice actors I like so much. I thought experienced voice actors such as Crispin Freeman should have gotten larger roles. I figure they just wanted to have the draw of well-known actors, so that people who had never played ff7 would watch as well, but I would think that the amazing cg work would have done that as well.
I realize that there is some anime that has great voice acting by stars (like Billy Crystal and Christian Bale in Howls Moving Castle). I guess it just bothers me that I feel they get the gigs more for name recognition that for actual voice acting talent.
Does this bother anyone else?
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5 years, 3 months ago
Well, I think it depends on how they can adapt and how well they are at projecting emotions with their voice. There are some people who are used to big budget productions that can be fine voice actors, especially in Japan. In America the entertainment industry seems to be more evenly cut into sections and there aren't too many crossovers. So my answer: Yes, but only if they can do a good job.
5 years, 3 months ago
And it also depends on who the voice actor is. I haven't heard from very many. Christian Bale, was better than the character himself. His voice was way more emotional than Howl's own expressions. And Samuel L Jackson as the Afro Samurai, does a pretty good job nailing that "bad ass" one-liner character. Those two are the only two i remember or can really think of right now. But I'm sure if they are good screen actors (good in movies with a lot of dialog), they should be good voice actors.
5 years, 3 months ago
Kirsten Dunst in Kiki's Delivery Service was well matched.
True, you don't see many crossovers in the American entertainment industry. It's hard for them to transition when they've been working in an area for so long and already have that 'label'.
Though, alot of the actors and actresses out there are able to fit their voices for animated projects because they do have the experience. I'd say the main problem with that is the mental connection of hearing that voice and visualing the actor, not the character. When I heard Kirsten Dunst's voice, I automatically pictured her instead of Kiki...and even for the Pixar movies, you hear the voice and you think of the actor instead of the character. It's rather hard to disconnect them at first, but if the job's done well enough, you appreciate the choice.
5 years, 3 months ago
Not typically. Most aren't very skilled at matching mouth flaps in the Japanese style, and their voices aren't always all that expressive. Patrick Stewart is an exception, though. I liked his work on the Steam Boy Dub.
5 years, 3 months ago
I think their not as bad, mr bean was in the lion king ^_^ so yeah, i think it's alright cause most ppl wanna see the movie just for the famous voice actor like "ahhh he does the voice, lets go watch it" :P
5 years, 1 month ago