How does an animated film about cars become a blockbuster hit that both kids and adults have been quoting ever since? Meet the voice actors behind the Pixar hit Cars, and learn how they brought the film to life.
Do you know what Lightning McQueen feeds his pet cat?
Cat-Chow!
If you're familiar with the popular Cars franchise, I hope you read that in the voice of an over-excited Owen Wilson.. and if not, well, sorry you missed out.
I wanted to give the folks a little sizzle!
Okay, okay, enough Cars quotes, let's get to the important stuff.
How does a movie like Cars go from an animated film with a lot of potential to a quotable blockbuster hit that you've probably seen at least a thousand times if you have kids of the right age?
The answer is - Voices.
While animated films use a wide range of technology and animation techniques to create the visuals we've come to expect, what really brings the characters to life are the voice actors working behind the scenes. The latest blog launched by Voices, the world’s largest voice-acting marketplace, examines the vocal talent at the heart of Cars, the 2006 Pixar film that spawned a multimedia franchise and two sequels.
Visit https://www.voices.com/blog/who-is-the-voice-of-lightning-mcqueen to learn more about the voice acting for Cars, and how voice actors can bring an animated film to life.
In their blog, the vocal experts break down how finding the right voices to portray the anthropomorphic vehicles in Cars changed what could have been a silly children’s movie, into a fan favorite of both adults and kids around the world. While the movie has an all-star cast of vocal talent, many of the voices were also performed by real-world race car drivers.
The blog focuses on the film’s main character, Lightning McQueen, a comically excitable and overconfident young race car voiced by Owen Wilson. Wilson was already on his way to becoming a household name after co-starring with Jackie Chan in the classic Shanghai Noon film and its sequel, but had no previous experience with animated films and voice acting work.
When Cars opened in theaters it was an instant hit, and the blog explains that it held the record for the highest grossing opening weekend of any car film, until 2009 when the record was taken by Fast and the Furious. Owen Wilson continued to portray Lightning McQueen in the movies Cars 2, and Cars 3, as well as the video games.
Though Lightning McQueen starts the film as an overconfident and brash race car, the report details how the casting director had to choose a voice actor that could also show his growth throughout the movie. While spending some time in the rundown town of Radiator Springs, the Lightning McQueen actor uses his voice to show moments of quiet reflection and apology for his mistakes, interrupted by wild bursts of enthusiasm and bravado.
Voices regularly produces content about the voice acting industry, finding the right vocal talent for a project, and what it takes to become a voice actor. With more than 2 million active members, Voices is the largest voice-acting marketplace in the world.
While every part of a TV show or film is important, it's the voices that truly bring life to a project - and it's the voice actors people will be quoting for years to come. Whatever your project, you can find the right talent to bring it to life at Voices.
Visit https://www.voices.com/blog/who-is-the-voice-of-lightning-mcqueen to learn more about the voice acting in Cars, and the Voices marketplace.
