Posted on 01/10/2018 7:58:38 AM PST by C19fan
When the sociolinguist Calvin Gidney saw The Lion King in theaters two decades ago, he was struck by the differences between Mufasa and Scar. The characters dont have much in common: Mufasa is heroic and steadfast, while Scar is cynical and power-hungry. But what Gidney noticed most was how they each spoke: Mufasa has an American accent, while Scar, the lion of the dark side, roars in British English. In a climactic scene in which Scar accuses Simba of being the murderer! responsible for Mufasas death, the final r in his declaration floats up into a sky bursting with lightning, and its hard to imagine it sounding quite as monstrous in another tone.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
So funny. Moose and squirrel.
It’s not really hard to understand, especially with respect to Scar: Jeremy Irons.
Jeremy Irons probably wasn’t hired because of his great voice acting and Bob Saget impersonation but because he sounded just like himself and I would be that in casting meetings when they were pondering what kind of voice Scar should have someone said “He should sound like Jeremy Irons.”, the obvious reply being “Is Jeremy Irons actually available?”
My theory is that a lot of villains, when they’re thinking about voice actors, get their voices this way. Either someone thinks of actor X and actor X is available or they find someone who can sound like Actor X, accent included.
This is because villains often need the voice to quickly establish their gravitas whereas heros often need to establish their’s through the story ... so they don’t need the voice (and maybe need not to have the voice) unless they’re not long for this world (as Simba’s dad was).
And when you need the voice you don’t mess with the voice!
Consider this Darkseid: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KykmB5fJxmI
They have since at least Richard Burton’s time.
The Dispicable Me series must be very confusing. The central character flip flops from baddy to good guy back to villain until he becomes good again, and he has a very thick foreign accent!
Cause Daws Butler and Paul Winchell did foreign accents really well?
This is just what I'd expect from a 2017 graduate from Wesleyan University.
Where are the foreign accents in this lot, Ms. Fattal?
Here is the Disney lot...However, if you look at Pixar, you get these 'foreigners':
Yosemite Sam
Foghorn Leghorn
Bumbling oaf villains need to fall somewhere well short of menacing.
Consider the classic cartoons Inspector Gadget and Danger Mouse.
Now, in its native context as a BBC program Danger Mouse is dominanted by native (therefore English) accents. Inspector Gadget likewise by American, even Dr Claw. But there is a pecking order of how intelligent masterminds be minions sound in both. Minions seldom sounded thoughtful. The more intelligent sounding the villain spoke, the greater the likelihood that they were someone the heroes needed to take seriously.
Gargamel was never meant to be a truly menacing villain. So though he was obviously intelligent and malevolent they needed a voice that didn’t make kids expect he was ever really dangerous to the blue protagonists.
But they actually WERE foreign agents.
Villains have scars or deformities
So is that why Jean Luc Picard a Frenchman spoke with a British accent? ;-0
Odd that the Pink Panther didn’t seem to have an accent.
ummmmm, because ALL HUMANS ARE INHERENTLY TRIBAL IN NATURE....
I am amazed such common knowledge is so uncommon these days...
Oh yes, the Marxist brainwashing programming is so complete these days.
‘Spicious!
Nobody! willing to spill da beans on all that fupped CC!
Must be really BIG!
;)
OK!
+++
Actually, they hail from Pottsylvania. It's just down the street from Potterville.
http://rockyandbullwinkle.wikia.com/wiki/Pottsylvania
Because Star was voiced by Jeremy Irons — a Brit, while Mustafa was voiced by James Earl Jones — American.
But Fearless Leader is German
Fearless Leader has a notable face scar, much like the Nazi Otto Skorzeny, who was the inspiration for the character. He uses some German such as "Achtung" and "schweinhund," typical of German stereotypes
Interesting tidbit. After the war, Skorzeny worked for the Mossad.
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