For the last 30 years what once seemed like a novelty has turned rotten.
Every time I see that trailer attached to whatever movie, an unenthusiasm washes over.
Its mainly a byproduct of Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henrys casting as pre-Adams-apple-dropped versions of their respective characters.
And make no mistake, they did not change their voices at all for these roles.
Its not justTransformers Onethats the butt of this phenomenon though.
Nearly every animated movie emphasizes a celebrity voice cast as part of its marketing.
How else can you explain the overexposure of Chris Pratt as this weekends Garfieldandlast years Super Mario?
This exists, presumably, to lure adults into the theater.
And during this run,they did turn Walt Disney Animation Studios around.
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Around early 1990, Robin Williams became the HollywoodITman.
He turned out to be a significant dramedy star in addition to a successful stand-up comedy career.
He also had a massive love for animation and adored the artistry behind it.
The actor agreed to take on the voice acting gig because he appreciated the environmentalist message behind the film.
His only contractual demand was not to use his voice as Genie to sell merchandise.
Robin was steaming, like its my voice!
You cant stop me.
Williams became pissed when Katzenberg was touting his performance for the holiday awards season.
This was meant to sell it to an older demographic.
Even Nickelodeon followed the leader.
It was a dark time, indeed.
Its All Star-dard Practice
Disney also gave in to Katzs Dominance by adopting this practice.
Now animated movies are about who stars in them rather than selling what they are about.
Alas, it bombed and put the studio out of business.
Dismantle the Celeb System
Today, I propose dismantling the Jeffrey Katzenberg institution of celebrity voice casting.
Ones inflection can make or break how others perceive a character.
Theres a reason why people were making memes overThe Super Mario Bros. Movies initial voice-casting announcement.
