Too many stars in animated films: it’s a real problem, according to actor Matthew Lillard

According to actor Matthew Lillard, there are too many stars in animated films, and that prevents “real” voice actors from practicing their profession.

Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Brie Larson, Donald Glover: this is not the cast of the next Christopher Nolan film or the Avengers, but that of Super Mario Galaxy. For several years, many people have complained about the overabundance of celebrities in the casting of animated films, and the Nintendo blockbuster is the most notable recent example. The Japanese studio focused all its communication on the revelation of new voices, the most striking case being that of Glen Powell in Fox.

We are the first to find this regrettable, but the problem is not new: on the XXL casting side, Dreamworks is perhaps the most telling example. After the immense success of Shrek with the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy, the studio brought together the entire Hollywood mafia in Shark gang (2004): Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, but also the actors of Soprano Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore. Without forgetting Will Smith and Angelina Jolie.

Kung Fu Pandasame observation: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen… huge names were preferred to real voice actors. Actor Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby-Doo) deplores this situation, and accuses the studios of preferring “phony celebrities” to real voices.

Matthew Li-fed up with this bullshit

Best known as Sammy in series, films and games Scooby-Doo Since 2010, Matthew Lillard has been an actor who has been filming as many live-action films as possible (Scream, The Descendants, Five Night at Freddy’s, Life of Chuck) than in animation (the incredible number of TV films Scooby-Doo). À the fan expo from Denver, he gave his opinion on the situation. According to him, studios should not hire so many stars » :

“I think Hollywood made a huge mistake in hiring actors who are not capable of carrying a role with their voice. As an actor, you have lots of tools: your face, your body, a whole bunch of things you can rely on on screen. But a dubbing actor only has his voice to work with.

Being able to carry an entire film, to be the main character with just your voice, is a talent that very few people possess. And the fact that they continue to hire phony celebrities to lead big films, that pisses us off. HAS”

Unfortunately, the situation is not likely to change immediately, and Matthew Lillard’s warning cry will not be enough to change the situation. In a world where voice actors are also threatened by AI, it is hard to imagine the big Hollywood studios giving up on renowned actors and actresses who automatically bring a lot of media coverage. Today, a “good” voice casting will never sell as many cinema tickets as any “star”» lending his voice to the hero of a film. In any case, this is the studios’ strategy.

If Nintendo, DreamWorks or even Disney/Pixar opt for this strategy, that’s because it works. Next example: Toy Story 5which will of course bring together Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in the roles of Woody and Buzz, but not only that. Keanu Reeves will reprise his role as Duke Caboom (arriving in the fourth film), and Greta Lee will play Lilypad, the “evil” tablet from the film.

We also talked about the situation in the United States, but Hollywood is not the only culprit: it’s exactly the same in France. The name of Pierre Niney (Fourchette) in Toy Story 4 was a selling point for us. Appointment June 17 in cinemas to discover the new adventures of Woody and Buzz.