I Know That Voice

"I Know That Voice" is a documentary that just debuted on Netflix. While many of you may have little interest in documentaries, this one probably will interest you as it's all about the faces behind those familiar voices in cartoons, TV voiceovers and videogames. So, unless you hate these sorts of things (and who does?!), you'll likely be interested in meeting these people and seeing what they really look like. It's interesting that RARELY do any of them seem like their characters in the least. For example, many voices of male characters are voiced by women and my favorite recent cartoon characters look amazingly unlike the people who provide their voices (especially the guys who provide the voices for Wacko from "Animaniacs" as well as "Johnny Bravo") . Additionally, these people have some wonderful behind the scenes stories, personal experiences and discuss how they got into this craft--and all of it is very interesting. And, there are also some wonderful surprises (such as Tom Hanks' lookalike brother who occasionally ALSO provides the voice for "Woody" from the Toy Story franchise).

Now the film is not perfect. There is one HUGE problem and that is that the film tries to do way too much. Squeezing so many different voice actors into one picture is tough, as many of them only get to say a tiny bit and many of these voice actors most famous characters aren't even mentioned. I would have either preferred they interview less voice actors and gave them more time to talk or, if possible, make a mini-series about them. I could easily see them make this much, much longer...and I would have really appreciated that. However, considering I thought it was too little...that is an indication that I really enjoyed what I saw.

I have always been a lover of animation and voices. I remember being in the playground and practicing voices from shows. Then one day I realised that somebody actually has to do that as a job. They don't just generate voices from a computer or record random stuff. Someone has to perform a character to bring that character and show to life. That was when I began my fascination with voice actors. This documentary was so lovely to watch. It was wonderful to hear the people behind so many of my childhood heroes, (and villains), talk about their careers and experiences. The film covered some great topics from Daddy of all VO Mel Blanc to how video games are becoming the next big thing in Voice acting. It was so nice to hear how genuine and humble these incredibly talented people are. I suppose I would have liked to have seen more from certain actors, but you can only do so much in one documentary. It would be incredible if this was picked up and turned into a show, similar to Voice Actor Rob Paulson's podcast "Talkin' Toons" which is also excellent. A fantastic watch for anyone interested not only in Voice acting but also acting in general and filmmaking.

John DiMaggio and his friends tell the story of voice acting, and nobody tells a story better than people who do funny voices. It's raucous, wild, silly, and honest. About 45 minutes in you've heard about the beginning of voice acting in cartoons and all the principals have told you how they got into the business and what it means to them. It's a complete experience, a great ride, and you're well and truly satiated. And a little exhausted by all the high-energy emoting.

But there' was still another 45 minutes to go. What, I asked, could the next 45 minutes possibly be about?

Well, actually, it's about the business of cartoon voice-overs: how you get work, what it's like to need work and the insecurity of the business, what a recording session is like, what their agents do for them, how they work with directors, and the different kinds of work that they do. The part about doing voice-overs for video games was a scream. But it was all good.

Taken all in a piece, it's too much. So here's my suggestion; especially doable if you see this on Netflix. At 45 minutes, stop the movie; you've seen Part 1. Go do something else. The next day, see the rest of the movie -- Part 2. You'll enjoy the two halves immensely -- much better than the whole. That's what I did, and I whole-heartedly recommend the movie, when watched this way.

One thing I really enjoyed about this show is the nostalgia. This show will make you think about the shows you watched when you were a child, doesn't matter what age. It is fascinating to see what these voice actors do and see what shows and video games they work on. It is very interesting.

When it showed the voice actors, it would say a different show every time it shows the voice actor. So it is interesting to see what else they work on.

I do wish this documentary had even sections though. The movie will spend maybe 10 minutes talking about one thing and then maybe 5 minutes talking about another. It would have been better if they were all even. It would have made the movie a bit longer, but I see nothing wrong with that. Another thing is that they really never showed any clips whenever they talked about their work. So sometimes I would have to look up a clip to get a better understanding of what they were talking about.

Despite those complaints, this is a fun documentary that shows the voices of our beloved cartoons. It isn't anything that would have been Academy Award worthy, but I Know That Voice is a great documentary that people will enjoy watching.

Voice acting. I've gotta say,great subject matter for a documentary. It's an unsung talent to a lot of people, and I KNOW THAT VOICE seeks to shed some light on who these well-known voices are. I wholeheartedly confess to the thrill of seeing an actor in an interview launch into the voice of a familiar character, bringing the character to life instantly in that very moment. It's why the Simpsons episode of INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO was my favorite; seeing the cast do those familiar voices fed right into that delight. And there is a lot of that in this movie, but it's about more than just the voices. It spotlights the legitimate acting and even physicality that go into an actor's time in the sound booth. It's not just a guy doing crazy voices - and seeing these people go from one character to another in a split second is pretty impressive.

The list of people that are featured in the movie is astounding. And it's not just side players and unknowns. We're talking Hank Azaria, Nolan North, Rob Paulsen, Fred Tatasciore, Kevin Conroy, Kevin Michael Richardson . . . these are heavy-hitters with intimidating bodies of work. And let's not forget John DiMaggio (Bender himself!) who directed the whole thing. Says a lot about the man's passion for what he does that he went out and made a movie about these anonymous faces behind the household name voices.

It's a great documentary; breezy, fun and often surprising what these guys can create with their vocal cords. There were still some people that I would've liked to hear from (Frank Welker, Jon Benjamin), but that's hardly a complaint. This is good stuff.

8/10