Voice Actors for the OotS Animated Series

[brian 333]

The idea was brought up that Seth MacFarlane would animate OoTS, and since I read the idea I have not been able to get it out of my head.

I know it's not going to happen, but if you'd asked me at comic number 5 I'd have said there's no way there would be five books and 1000+ pages of comics in this series either. So, I'll go ahead and assume that one day Oots will be animated.

I'm sure everyone in Hollywood will want to be a part of this project, so it's just a matter of winnowing down the crowd to find out who the voice actors will be. Here is a list of proposals I think you will find suit the characters:

Roy Greenhilt = Seth MacFarlane
Elan = Billy Boyd
Haley = Mila Kunis
Belkar = Seth Green
Durkon = John Rhys-Davies
Durkula = James Earl Jones
Vaarsuvius = Julia Sweeny or Jaleel White
Blackwing = John Travolta or Morgan Freeman

Thog = Samuel L. Jackson or Frank Oz (in Grover's voice)
Sabine = Lucy Liu
Dzztri = Alan Howard
Xykon = Tommy Lee Jones
Julio Scoundrel = Johnathan Goldsmith
Shojo = George Takei

The list goes on and on. For example, Ian McKellan would do well as either Malack or as Tarquin, and Willie Nelson would be unsurpassed as Dirt Farmer.

Now I know everyone will agree with my choices without debate, but perhaps you have ideas for the voices of the other characters. So what do you think?

[BannedInSchool]

Thog = Samuel L. Jackson or Frank Oz (in Grover's voice)

That should be Frank Oz with Yoda's voice as both Thog and Yoda are green.

[BrotherMirtillo]

For a big boost to the suggestion box, check out this thread from March 2013 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...s-of-OOtS-have) and this other one from a couple weeks later (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...?277212-Voices).

I haven't made up my mind about all of those, but one common vote is that Xykon should have a Southern accent. I'll back that up only if it's a New Orleans accent. Ever since I heard a book-on-CD recitation of Diogenes Pendergast, I've thought that it's the perfect accent for a combination of posh and sinister.

As for your list, I absolutely love the idea of Durkula having an accent that's not even close to Scottish. I'm less familiar with the others. I like Mila Kunis (feminine and snark-proficient -- nice!), and as for Jaleel White... the imaginary sound of Darth Urkel feels discordant at best. Fortunately, his regular voice is smooth enough that it could work. (Me, I imagine a British accent, but that's hardly vivid.)

As for my top nomination, hands-down...

= whoever did the voice of Guilmon from "Digimon: Tamers." He's a big, lovable, hungry, playful, carefree monster who has the power to smash you through a wall if need be.

[Kevium]

I've always imagined Roy sounding like Brett Butler (the voice actor who played Dr. Quinn on Sealab), and Elan feels more Billy West than Billy Boyd to me. David Bowie would be a fantastically androgynous Vaarsuvius.

[Jordan Cat]

= whoever did the voice of Guilmon from "Digimon: Tamers." He's a big, lovable, hungry, playful, carefree monster who has the power to smash you through a wall if need be.

Believe it or not, that's Steve Blum. And now that I think about it, that really does fit and I'll never unhear it.

[Crusher]

Darth Urkle is a more fantastic concept than anything Ive pondered in my entire life. I would love for that to become so and then turn out to have actually been a good idea after all.

[brian 333]

Speaking as a native New Orlenian, (born and raised in New Orleans,) I have to say you have never heard a New Orleans accent if you think it sounds cultured. Very few people have accurately portrayed the accent on TV or in movies. Think Bronx accent and you won't miss by much. The very best generic Cajun accent I have ever heard on TV was the voice of Chris Potter as Gambit in the X-men animated TV series, and a Cajun accent is nothing at all like a New Orleans accent, both of which have very little to do with a Southern accent.

I have now updated my list to include Tommy Lee Jones as Xykon.

Also: Thog with Yoda's voice? Please, no! Cookie Monster or even Bert would be better choices!

[Nicol Bolas]

The thing people forget about assigning voices is that voice acting is a skill, unique and differentiated from acting. Many of these people would be incapable of pulling off the role with the commitment and emotional expression necessary. I think you'd be left with a lifeless product if you stuck with many of these names.

My humble suggestions off the top of my head:

Roy Greenhilt = Beau Billingslea
Elan = Billy West (Totally nailed that one btw)
Haley = Jennifer Hale
Belkar = Derek Stephen Prince
Vaarsuvius = Mona Marshall
Durkon = Billy Connolly

Thog = Someone who voices orcs in WoW. Anyone really.
Sabine = Cree Summer
Zz'dtri = Colleen Clinkenbeard
Xykon = Richard Epcar
Monster in the Darkness = Steven Blum (in Guilmon voice) (Now I can't unhear this too. Since it's the voice he's most fond of, he'd definitely do it)

[Gorfnod]

I don't care about anyone else but please lets make Christoph Waltz the voice of Malack. Reading that arc and watching Inglorious Bastards at the same time has forever burn that voice in to my head.

[Killer Angel]

I would like to hear Christopher Lee somewhere.
Lord Shojo?

[littlebum2002]

I'd like Samuel L Jackson to play Xykon. Or does this have to be PG-13?

[Turin_19]

Am I the only one who would actually like to be one of the voice actors?

Answer 1: No, I'm not a voice actor
Answer 2: No, I'm not talented at all at it or anything related to it.
Answer 3: Because it would be fun! (Up until the point I heard it and thought it was crap)

[Apani]

In my Italian head, Xykon is voiced by Mario Bombardieri, the same guy who dubbed Grim. MitD would be voiced by Billy's dubber.

[Lexible]

Am I the only one who would actually like to be one of the voice actors?

Answer 1: No, I'm not a voice actor
Answer 2: No, I'm not talented at all at it or anything related to it.
Answer 3: Because it would be fun! (Up until the point I heard it and thought it was crap)

I would be Therkla! (Or V).

Also: I am sticking with Nina Paley as the voice talent for Elan, as per my earlier comment:

For some reason I am totally hearing comic artist/animator/quilting genius Nina Paley (http://www.sitasingstheblues.com) do the voice of Elan. She can nail goofily good natured and guileless really well, plus she can do tragic Elan quite well also.

And to nip it in the bud: (A) animation voice talent often crosses genders, and (B) darn any gender essentialist horse puckey to heck.

[BrotherMirtillo]

Speaking as a native New Orlenian, (born and raised in New Orleans,) I have to say you have never heard a New Orleans accent if you think it sounds cultured. Very few people have accurately portrayed the accent on TV or in movies. Think Bronx accent and you won't miss by much. The very best generic Cajun accent I have ever heard on TV was the voice of Chris Potter as Gambit in the X-men animated TV series, and a Cajun accent is nothing at all like a New Orleans accent, both of which have very little to do with a Southern accent.

I have now updated my list to include Tommy Lee Jones as Xykon.

Fair enough -- I indeed haven't heard a live New Orleans accent, so I'll defer on that one. (Also, even if it was posh, I now realize that Xykon is about the least formal person I've ever known, whether or not you call him "Lord." Hindsight, eh?)

I can't say Tommy Lee Jones ever struck me as sinister. Snarky, sure. Aggressive, maybe... but I've only seen him in things like Men in Black, The Fugitive, and Lincoln -- all of which were a bit businesslike for a easily-bored meteor-slinger. [wiki search] Has anyone seen his roles in "Batman Forever" or "No Country for Old Men"? Were those scary?

Elan is one I've wondered about for a while. He's the pretty-much-identical twin of Nale, so they should both have the same voice, right? In that case, we would need to have somebody who can do "happy-go-lucky" as well as "I murdered your children as a practice run!"

Do y'all think it would work that way? And if so: I've never heard Nina Paley; can she do a cunning menace? The only time I've heard Billy Boyd is as Pippin from the recent "Lord of the Rings" movies -- excellent Elan, questionable Nale. I would support Billy West based on his roles as Doug Funny and Roger Klotz alone. My best counteroffer is Michael J. Fox, based on his role as Milo Thatch in "Atlantis: the Lost Empire," where he goes from being a head-in-the-clouds geek to leading an army.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I can't say Tommy Lee Jones ever struck me as sinister. Snarky, sure. Aggressive, maybe... but I've only seen him in things like Men in Black, The Fugitive, and Lincoln -- all of which were a bit businesslike for a easily-bored meteor-slinger. [wiki search] Has anyone seen his roles in "Batman Forever" or "No Country for Old Men"? Were those scary?

He was also in "Captain America: The First Avenger". Also not scary.

[breathandpaper]

I would be Therkla! (Or V).

Also: I am sticking with Nina Paley as the voice talent for Elan, as per my earlier comment:

For some reason I am totally hearing comic artist/animator/quilting genius Nina Paley (http://www.sitasingstheblues.com) do the voice of Elan. She can nail goofily good natured and guileless really well, plus she can do tragic Elan quite well also.

And to nip it in the bud: (A) animation voice talent often crosses genders, and (B) darn any gender essentialist horse puckey to heck.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...5-Voice-Acting!

Quietly puts a link to that-other-thread-I-started on the table.

[brian 333]

Xykon never struck me as scary. Mostly bored, or irritated, or impatient, all of which Tommy Lee Jones does well. He also strikes me as the kind of actor who can play, "I don't care," very well, and Xykon has a lot of that in him.

[Gorfnod]

Elan is one I've wondered about for a while. He's the pretty-much-identical twin of Nale, so they should both have the same voice, right? In that case, we would need to have somebody who can do "happy-go-lucky" as well as "I murdered your children as a practice run!"

Neil Patrick Harris in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

[Nicol Bolas]

eLAN is one I've wondered about for a while. He's the pretty-much-identical twin of Nale, so they should both have the same voice, right? In that case, we would need to have somebody who can do "happy-go-lucky" as well as "I murdered your children as a practice run!"

Do y'all think it would work that way?

Billy West can do about a billion voices and all of them are excellent, so he'd be fine.

[BannedInSchool]

Billy West can do about a billion voices and all of them are excellent, so he'd be fine.

So if he does all the OotS voices do we only have to pay him once?

[zilonox]

You've got to have Christopher Walken as Xykon!

[Nicol Bolas]

So if he does all the OotS voices do we only have to pay him once?

I mean, he does half the cast of Futurama.

He could probably do this himself. And we get Jennifer Hale to voice the girls.

Done.

Xykon might end up sounding like Zoidberg though.

"Need someone to rule the entire cosmos? Why not Xykon?"

"Your build optimization is bad and you should feel bad."

[tomandtish]

I’m going to take a different viewpoint on this, and use people who actually make their living as voice actors (namely, anime). I’ve included notes on where you might know them from.

Roy: Micah Solusod (Toma from A Certain Magical Index, Soul Eater Evans from Soul Eater)

Haley: Brittney Karbowski (Misaka from A Certain Scientific Railgun, Ikaros from Heaven’s Lost Property)

Elan: Sonny Strait (Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist, Commander from Sgt. Frog)

Durkon: Christopher Sabot (Major Armstong from Full Metal Alchemist “The Armstrong family has been providing the voices for dwarves for generations!”)

Belkar: Greg Ayres (Tomoki from Heaven’s Lost Property)

Vaarsuvius: Brina Palencia (Saten from A Certain Scientific Railgun, Shiro from Ouran High school Host Club).

Redcloak: Mark Stoddard (Reiji from Witchblade, Inspector Meguire from Case Closed)

Sabine: Leah Clark (Rubi from Rosario Vampire, Aria from Aria the Scarlet Ammo)

Thog: Christopher Ayres (Dauf from Claymore, Sid from Devil may Cry)

Tarquin: Crispin Freeman (Alucard from Hellsing)

[Nicol Bolas]

If by "different" you mean "the thing I did already."

>.>

You really think Sonny Strait for Elan?

Crispin Freeman is perfect for Tarquin.

[Unisus]

John Cleese for the polearms-salesman

[Jaxzan Proditor]

John Cleese for the polearms-salesman

Shouldn't it be Michael Palin?

[tomandtish]

If by "different" you mean "the thing I did already."

>.>

You really think Sonny Strait for Elan?

Crispin Freeman is perfect for Tarquin.

Ahh. Didn't realize your original post was from Futurama (or some of them?) as your clarification post came while I was writing mine. (I don't watch Futurama).

Yeah, once I started watching Full Metal Alchemist, I always thought that this is what Elan sounds like.

Believe it or not, Xykon is the one I'm having trouble with, but I'm leaning towards:

Tom Wyner (Raoh from Fist of the North Star, with a little modification for the reverb effect)

[Unisus]

Shouldn't it be Michael Palin?

Actually i don't know, as i never saw the original. But i somehow always hear him speak with Cleese's voice...

edit: Ok, just saw the sketch and you're right - Cleese was the customer. So how about Cleese as Roy? *snicker*

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Actually i don't know, as i never saw the original. But i somehow always hear him speak with Cleese's voice...

In the original, Cleese is the customer and Palin is the salesman, which is a frequent set up of theirs.