Famous people as voices in animated films- why?

[rjung]

@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor

In Transformers: The Motion Picture, Orson Welles made an amazing Unicron.

Sure, but it seems like a bit of an insult, too – “Who can we get to voice an entire planet? How about a really fat guy?”

And to add injury to insult, Welles died before the movie was completed, and some of Unicron’s lines were later provided by Leonard Nimoy.

[D_Odds]

From the actors’ viewpoints:

• Most actors interviewed say voice work in easy money, compared to filming.
• Most voice work is G or PG rated, and gives the actors something they can show their children or grandchildren.

From the studios’ viewpoints:

• Name recognition
• Sometimes, the actors can really add to the final product. Robin Williams and even Gilbert Gottfried in Aladdin; Billy Crystal and John Goodman in Monster’s Inc; Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in Toy Story. I don’t think what these people brought to the roles is interchangable.

[psiekier]

@dnooman

I choose to dwell on the well-cast somewhat unknown actors that the studios pick. Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Alli G) was a brilliant choice for the lemur king in Madagascar. I hear he’s also in Talladega nights as the “foreign” driver. I can’t wait.

That said, Wallace Shawn (think “inconceivable” from The Princess Bride) doesn’t get nearly enough work.

By a staggering coincidence, I work with a guy who looks just like Wallace Shawn and another guy who sounds exactly like King Julius from Madagascar (the “Alex Movie” to my son).

I always get a kick out of seeing Vizzini or hearing Julius talk when they’re around in the office.

I would answer to the OP that the addition of big-name stars to blockbuster animated films is entirely for marketing draw and nothing else - period. There’s a pretty big backlash in the voice actor community from people who have been doing voice acting for years who are losing their roles to big-name stars who are really just a name on a project and little else.

The Robin Williamses and Patrick Stewarts (i.e., actors who bring so much more to a voice acting role than a name) are the exceptions, rather than the rule.

[D_Odds]

@psiekier

The Robin Williamses and Patrick Stewarts (i.e., actors who bring so much more to a voice acting role than a name) are the exceptions, rather than the rule.

I agree, but what happens when you sign Will Smith and Robert DeNiro, and then realize you would have been better off with veteran voice actors? Sure, Pitt and Affleck don’t really bring anything unique to a voice role, but DeNiro?

[Jayrot]

I think there are really two different types of voice acting/actors (this is all somewhat excluding having a celeb just for the sake/hype of it):

1. One type is the actor with a truly unique, memorable, or “functional”. Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart, or James Earl Jones all have somewhat commanding voices. Very serious. Great for a narrator or a heavy role. Others like the above mentioned Gilbert Godfried, Wallace Shawn (“inconceivable!”) have very unique voices/persona that can really add a lot to, say, a comedic character or even influence how a charater is written.

2. The other voice actor has a very specific talent – the ability to make many different types of voices and essentially “create” new characters. Billy West, Harry Shearer, or even Seth MacFarlane are good examples here. They are often a huge asset to animated TV shows since they can create and play several different characters at once, each one sounding completely different.

I know my little dichotomy isn’t really providing any new information, but I guess my point is that it’s kind of silly to talk about the two types in the same discussion. Tom Hanks is a great pick for an every-man kind of character, but he isn’t going to be inventing new characters and doing funny voices a Hank Azaria.

[psiekier]

@D_Odds

I agree, but what happens when you sign Will Smith and Robert DeNiro, and then realize you would have been better off with veteran voice actors?

I thought we already covered that.

You end up with a “6 of 10 stars” instead of something worth owning a copy of.

[appleciders]

@dnooman

That said, Wallace Shawn (think “inconceivable” from The Princess Bride) doesn’t get nearly enough work.

True enough. I noticed him in The Incredibles and nothing much else lately.