ABSTRACT
Animation has enjoyed a long history of uniquely talented voices infusing personality into their respective characters. One of the earliest known voice artists was Disney himself, serving as the voice of Mickey in Steamboat Willie (1928). Artists like Mel Blanc, Daws Butler, and Don Messick devoted their lives to creating the iconic world of talking animals, whereas, Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, and June Foray helped establish the caricature style of voicing humans. As was the case for most voice actors, the characters they voiced would achieve incredible star status yet the public rarely knew the real face behind the voice. Voice actors like Alan Reed (Fred Flintstone) and Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson) remain relatively anonymous yet their characters are immediately recognizable throughout the world. The success of features such as American Tail (1986) and The Little Mermaid (1989) helped usher in a renaissance of animation. During this period, the reputation for animation improved and “A” list actors once again began showing an interest in animation projects. Perhaps the recent success of directors Seth MacFarlane and Brad Bird voicing characters for their films suggests that we are coming full circle. Like Disney, they demonstrate that understanding the character is essential to finding and expressing a persona through voice. To learn more about the voice actors behind animation, log onto www.voicechasers.org.
Wait a minute … if I’m not talking, I’m not in the movie … .
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