I never did drop my review of "Kung Fu Panda", which i loved, but one thing that did irritate me was this very point. I *never* look at the cast when going to see an animated film. I'm more concerned about the look, the plot, and assuming the producers hire the best voice talent possible, not the most famous stars. As I was sitting in the theatre, I kept going "Who is that? They sound familiar" and it was only after leaving the theatre that I realized the lead was voiced by Jack Black, and his mentor was Dustin Hoffman! Funny thing is, had I known those two were in the lead, it might have influenced me negatively against the movie, as they are name stars. But in this case, Black is phenomenal as the Panda, and Hoffman's good in his wise-old-leader schtick. In that case it's A-list casting that seems to have been based on actual ability.
Still, that being said, when I realized that Angelina Jolie was in the film, my first thought was "Why? Her character doesn't even have that many lines". That was annoying. I can think of a dozen voice actresses--by voice only, don't have a clue as to their real-life identities--who would have done better. Seth Rogen has a funny kind of voice and way of speaking that's great for animation, but he wasn't the best fit for his character either. Not bad, mind you, just not all that great. I remember one reason I didn't see "Prince of Egypt" was irritation at Brad Pitt being cast as Moses, and "Robots" sho' 'nuff kept me away with the Who's Who billing of the likes of Halle Berry and Robin Williams. And Mr. I'm-in-every-other-blockbuster Will Smith in Shark Tale? In that case, the over-used Smith's presence was the single greatest reason I avoided seeing that flick.Why in the world do I want to enter a new, never-before-seen reality of animation on screen, only to be hit over the head with the same ubiquitious stars' voices assailing me? One reason I loved Iron Giant and The Incredibles was the obvious vioce casting based on *ability*, not number of People Magazine covers. I mean, who else would have grabbed country-voiced Holly Hunter for a lead role and not made some kind of big stupid deal of her accent? Who else would have gotten Craig T. Nelson to play Mr. Incredible? Most producers for a film like that would have been begging for Smith, Pitt, Cruise, Jolie , Anniston, Berry, Williams--you get it. (Okay, they did cast overused Sam Jackson as Frozone, but I'll let that little slip go!) This does bother me greatly. All those talented voice actors who do the dozens of cartoons on TV have a right to be in line for movie roles as well. I have to question just how much bank is added when the likes of Jolie or Pitt are cast in an animated film. I'd say not much. And just imagine what will happen now that video game visibility is increasing, and voice actors for gaming are demanding more pay. Next thing you know, Will Smith's mug will be on the box of the latest Grand Theft Auto or Metal Gear Solid! -------------- Original message -------------- From: "ravenadal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Original Story URL: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=766785 Not just a pretty face More celebrities taking on animated roles By JOHN ANDERSON Special to the Journal Sentinel Posted: June 27, 2008 Los Angeles - Is it not enough that Angelina Jolie was kissed on the lips by the God of Good Looks, gets to play with Brad Pitt and shoot bad guys in $100 million movies? Must she also take food out of the mouths of people who use those mouths to make a living? Jolie's role as the voice of Tigress in the animated flick "Kung Fu Panda," which also features the dulcet tones of Jack Black, is yet another example of the Hollywood star-ization of the animated voice-work industry. Last year brought Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger in "Bee Movie." This year heard Steve Carell and Jim Carrey in "Horton Hears a Who!" and now there's Disney's "Wall-E," with the voices of Sigourney Weaver and Fred Willard. And it's not just the starring roles. Look at the list of voices on the Internet Movie Database for "Kung Fu Panda" or "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" (coming this fall), and you'll find the first 10 or so actors are household names. "When the `The Lion King' came out, there was no big deal made about who was in an animated movie," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers, which tracks box-office figures for the industry. "But you see now with `Kung Fu Panda' it's all about star power and Jack Black." Critics voice opposition Yet celebrities aren't necessarily wowing critics. It's curious how many reviewers of "Kung Fu Panda" went out of their way to trash the vocals of Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and David Cross, who play the movie's "Furious Five." "It's not her voice that makes Angelina Jolie distinctive," wrote the Newark Star-Ledger's Stephen Whitty, "so it's unclear why she was given the part." "Despite all that marquee vocal talent, (the characters) have next to no personality," said NPR's Bob Mondello. "Star names for the Furious Five have relatively few vocal opportunities to shine," wrote Variety's Todd McCarthy. Blame it all on Robin Williams. Previous to his vocal acrobatics in 1992's "Aladdin," vocalizers were as anonymous as key grips. Even as late as 1991 with Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" which remains one of the masterpieces of Disney's so-called second golden age the studio used a virtually unknown vocal cast, with the exceptions of Jerry Orbach and Angela Lansbury (who certainly weren't cast to reel in the youth market). Once Williams brought real-life star power to cartoons, however, the putty tat was out of the bag. "I can't help thinking, `Don't they already have enough money?' " says Veronica Taylor, a voice well-known to fans of "Pokemon" and lots of other Saturday morning cartoon shows. Taylor is a trained actress who says she "sort of fell into vocal acting" when she had her daughter nine years ago. It was all about the flextime. Hurting the little guy? But that doesn't mean there isn't a certain amount of resentment toward what she calls the "celebrities only others need not apply" policy now surrounding Hollywood animation. (Spokespeople for Paramount and DreamWorks, which together brought you "Kung Fu Panda," had no comment neither did Disney.) It's easy to see why actors want to voice animated characters, says actor Keith David, who has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows (including "Crash" and "ER"), and has been the voice of video games, U.S. Navy ads and the Ken Burns documentary "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson." "The quality of animation has risen to the point where . . . a lot of these features are like any movie, except you're doing it with your voice," he says. "The question is why they don't use more people who are equally as capable. There are people in the voiceover community who act as well as any star." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! 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