Angie here, I have never been a fan of Dreamworks' approach to casting for their movies. It always seemed to be about who is the hot actor of the week or big name in Hollywood...rather than who might be best cast for the character??? It seems Dreamworks only cares about a BIG name to get folks into the theaters. But, I tell ya for Shrek 3 I am actually kind of interested to see what happens with the spin on voice casting for the princesses. It "might" make for some really unique scenes for female roles in animation and sure to bring more comic relief to a very stuffy and stale role. I am not talking about character design here. I think all of the other blogs out there have reamed the princess image enough. I am just talking about story here and female roles as a princess within the story. Until Mulan, there had not been one single female character outside of Alice in Wonderland that I identified with in most animated features. I am very girlie, I love pink, and you will never mistake me for a tom boy; but the whole princess needs a man to justify her whole existence just has never jived with me.
Quote from USA Today Article : "They are used to being rescued, not defending the kingdom themselves," says Chris Miller, director of the second sequel in the computer-animated franchise that has grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide. "Fiona has to convince them to shed that role and save their own happily ever after."
Amy Poehler is Snow White
Maya Rudolph is Rapunzel
Cherie Oteri is Sleeping Beauty
Amy Sedaris is CinderellaI have discussed the importance of casting with other animator friends and some feel it doesn't matter...it's all about what the animator does with the voice. I disagree completely.
Milt Kahl talks about casting for Medusa in The Rescurers in a paper from the 70's (I only have the talk in print form and cannot find it online anywhere - sorry). He spoke of how Geraldine Page really pushed him as an animator with her delivery of lines for the character - Medusa.
Milt said,
"If Medusa comes across it's also because the actress (voice) has a great deal to do with it. Geraldine Page is the voice. She's a magnificent actress. She forces you to 'plus' things. For instance, when she says that line 'Hightide or not, that little brat is going to find me that diamond TOMORROW!' she says everything with such intensity and hits all these words so hard that I had to find things for her to do where she could physically punch these words. You wouldn't want her to say that line and simply shake her fist. But it takes something physical like that. So I had to find extra things for her to do that she could do forcibly in order to put the guts in the animation that's in the dialogue. I found that instead of just sitting down on the stool, I have her pick up the stool which gives and accent there. She then slams it down in a new place and sits down on it and then has to jump it up to the dressing table. It gives you things that you can 'punch.' On the word 'tomorrow,' she takes one of her earrings off and slams it on the dressing table and we'll have a 'clackety-clack-clack' on the sound track."
In my own experience, I have found great little things the voice actor gave me to add subtlety and subtext to the scene. Melanie Griffith seems to clear her throat a little bit after delivering every line. She has this girlish way about her when you watch the footage as she does it. I tried to add that in my Margalo scene for Stuart Little 2 when she says "Well that was just talk and this is the real thing, hmmpf."
Another great little tidbit from the Milt Kahl discussion...he said:
You know this woman, Geraldine Page, is remarkable. I wasn't on the stage, but they had her in to find out whether they wanted to use her and whether or not she wanted to do it. They had this dialogue written which she didn't follow exactly. I heard this thing and thought, 'My god, this is the gal! This is your character!' I found about 100 feet there from the time she walks in until the time she left. I was really anxious to get going on this thing. That was the first stuff I did. There was one line that I toyed around with doing a little differently than I did, but she (Page) would have to say the line differently. I asked for the out-takes, thinking maybe she had said it in a different way in one of them, and there weren't any out-takes. This was her first time through it. Imagine that! That's quite amazing, really. This woman is terribly talented. For instance, when she says 'You are too soft,' she says, 'You are too soff--teh!' To think of that off the top of her head going through stuff for the first time I think is damn creative. This is what makes a great actress, really. I have nothing but respect for her. If the character Medusa is successful, you have to give a great deal of the credit to her. In the first place it's half the performance. In the second place, she compels you to get more out of your animation than you would otherwise.
So, hopefully some of these comedians will bring a new angle to the traditional animated princess? I find it an interesting choice that they have SNL comedians playing the roles of the princesses. Could bring a whole new light into what a modern day princess would really be like? Cheers Ang
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