by Zach Bigalke

Created on: January 10, 2007   Last Updated: May 12, 2007

Death of the Voice Actor
(originally posted 13 December 2006)

I was standing at work the other day. It was slow, and several of the cooks and the students and managers were all standing around by the coffeepots bullshitting the time away. The talk turned to animated cartoons. Someone had recently seen the movie "Happy Feet", and the discussion drifted toward what an "ALL-STAR CAST" was providing the voices for the characters in the movie.

And this trend really grinds my gears. Looking at the cast of a cartoon like the 1942 classic "Bambi", there were no credited voices. The four people giving voice to the legendary fawn were: Bobby Stewart (baby), Donnie Dunagan (youth), Hardie Albright (adolescent), and John Sutherland (adult). None of them were credited with their roles (one trend that, thankfully, has changed with the times...these voice actors DESERVE and have EARNED recognition for their timeless roles), but four people were employed in the making of the film where today they would be castoffs, turned aside for the big Hollywood star and their vocal talents.

The cast of "Happy Feet", in contrast, consists of stars such as Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Robin Williams, and Brittany Murphy. It is now so much harder for the Bobby Stewarts and John Sutherlands of the industry to nab their moments in the spotlight, their shining moment in history. Because, indeed, that is precisely what a voice role in a movie represents. Their progeny can turn to that movie and hear their grandfather's and great-grandfather's voices and feel a part of the history of the medium. But, with the parts becoming increasingly monopolized by A-level stars, fewer opportunities abound for the voice actor.

Another problem I have with this trend is that, when the market is so saturated with the same voices, it is harder to disassociate the voice from the matching face. A lot is lost in the translation of a movie when the voice does not become the product of the animated character. With unknown voice actors, the risk of association is minimal. The character takes on a life of its own, and the person becomes known without drowning out the animated character to whom they are giving a voice.

The societal cry for the big and the well-known celebrity is seeping into animation. The trend that started when Robin Williams became the boisterous Genie in "Aladdin" has perpetuated a downward spiral for the voice actor and an easy account-padder for the mega-celebrity. So let's raise a glass to the Stewarts and Sutherlands of yesteryear, the innocent voice actors in a more-innocent era, and allow their legends to continue through their laudable, if uncredited, work...

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