The latest updates are time-stamped below as they are added. Please keep checking back for more updates that will be added throughout the week. More photos forthcoming as well.
And speaking of photos, I’m repeating this request again — if you have any featuring voice actors who appeared at Comic-Con that you would like to share with your fellow voice actor fans who weren’t able to attend, please send them to voiceroyNOSPAM@yahoo.com (just remove the NOSPAM).
Previous reports:
7.26.2009 — Comic-Con 2009: Friday-Sunday, covering Batman: The Brave and The Bold voice details, Marvel’s Hero Up! Super Hero Squad Show, Metalocalypse: Dethgame, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, OMG! Marvel Anime!, Futurama updates, Stan Freberg, Mark Hamill, Star Wars, Robot Chicken, The Cleveland Show, and Much Much More.
7.25.2009 — Comic-Con 2009 Thursday-Friday, covering Disney/Pixar, Futurama, Marvel’s The Super Hero Squad Show, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Robot Chicken/Titan Maximum, and More.
7.24.2009 — Comic-Con 2009: Wednesday-Thursday, covering Disney 3D/A Christmas Carol, Astro Boy, Halo Legends, Robot Chicken, and More.
Updates: 7.31.2009:
3:45 PM — IGN has a brief talk with John DiMaggio about his role as Aquaman on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Here’s an excerpt:
DiMaggio acknowledged that when he got the role, Aquaman didn’t have the most tremendous reputation, especially in animation. As DiMaggio put it, he was known as, “the guy who’s busy summoning whales – ‘Meanwhile, back at the Hall of Justice!'” However, any early trepidation is gone, as DiMaggio told me, “It’s been so much fun to play such a bombastic character. He’s so full of himself that he doesn’t realize he’s not in on the joke. It’s so much fun to play and it’s a joy to work with these people on this crew. They’re just unbelievable.”
DiMaggio first auditioned for the role of Batman on the show, but stressed there was no ill will, noting that the man who got the job, Diedrich Bader, “is great. He’s the best Batman for the job. I had auditioned for it and I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m close, I’m close!’ Then I found out he got it and I was like, ‘Well, yeah! Of course, of course!” It’s funny, because James Arnold Taylor [Green Arrow] had said he saw [Bader] go in to read and he was like, “oh, that’s a gimmie!” But just being able to be a part of this is just oh so much fun.”
3:25 PM — IGN has a report on the Coraline panel, with quotes from director Henry Selick and cast member Teri Hatcher on Teri’s character voice acting in the film.
3:15 PM — G4TV talks with Justin Cowden (Ozzie & Drix, The Emperor’s New School) how he got into voice acting, being a geek, and advice for aspiring voice actors. Here’s an excerpt:
Q: What’s auditioning like?
A: Auditioning, once I broke in, became a fun process. I didn’t always get the job, but I got to read for stuff that was just amazing. Got close on a couple of big comic book heroes, but came up short, which is always a bummer, but I’m a big believer that the voices I’m supposed to do will come at the right time.
Q: When you’re trying to create a character, what’s your method?
A: When trying to create a character, I usually look at the sound they want, then I look for people I know, or people in pop culture and merge ideas to create something really fun. I’m also very flexible with what the producers want.
3:05 PM — Wally Wingert (Family Guy, Invader ZIM) has photos and a blog report on his visit to Comic-Con.
Wally and Chuck McCann also participated in an “impromptu dance video” (the “Yatta”) at the con which is now available on YouTube:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Q6w4WvLwc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
Look for an upcoming feature article and interview with Wally here soon.
Update: 7:29.2009, 2:50 PM — RiffTrax’s Comic-Con promo trailer:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_C7eXmFGn8&hl=en&fs=1&]
More news on Rifftrax to come.
Update: 7:29.2009, 2:00 PM — An update on the news posted below regarding a sequel to a previous animated DVD release: Thanks to a Twitter post by cartoon voice actor April Winchell (posted today on the blog here), it seems we have confirmation of what one of the sequels might be.*
* Note: To clarify, Bruce Timm stated that the specific sequel he was working on is still in the script phase, so this appears to be a completely different DCAU animated production that April is providing a character voice for. At first I thought she might be referring to Batman/Super: Public Enemies, but I believe voice recording was completed for that some time ago.
Update: 7:29.2009, 3:10 AM — SDNN.com has a June Foray biographical article that includes quotes from her Comic-Con panel.
3:00 AM — TVShowsOnDVD.com< has the press release for Farscape: The Complete Series Megaset. Among the many bonus features included is episode commentary by Lani Tapu (voice of Pilot) and producer Brian Henson, documentary/featurettes such as “In the Beginning: A Look Back by Brian Henson,” and behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast.
On a related note, Brian Henson received an award at Comic-Con from The Guinness Book of World Records for “most visual effects in a TV series.” (Via A&E Home Entertainment Twitter.)
12:05 PM — Just received confirmation that I’m doing a phone interview with Jim Cummings this afternoon. I only get 10 minutes with him. TEN MINUTES! How do you narrow down your list of questions when you only have 10 minutes to talk with a cartoon voice acting legend?
11:55 AM — Screencave.com has a full report on Disney’s con preview of their upcoming traditional, 2D-animated The Princess and the Frog. (Thanks to “Doctor Nick” for the heads-up on this via the forums at Toon Zone.)
11:50 AM — Toon Zone has a press release from Warner Bros Animation interviewing Christopher Meloni on his role as Green Lantern for the new animated feature Green Lantern: First Flight which released on DVD and Blu-Ray today (Tuesday). Here’s an excerpt:
QUESTION: This is a relatively new form of acting for you. Did you encounter any difficulties in the process?
CHRISTOPHER MELONI: The most difficult part of the voice over process was that they actually had Sinestro in the booth with me – he’s played by Victor Garber, and he’s not a very good actor (he laughs), so that was tough for me to work off of (laughs harder). But I did the best I could. No, really, I love Victor, and he is amazing.
Really, the most difficult thing was when the director was reading all the actions, where this happens and that happens, and then there’s an explosion and you’re hurtling through the air and then you grab onto someone and you save them, and you’re line is “I gotcha.” That’s 45 seconds of action all I got was “I gotcha!”?
I’ll admit it – while I was performing the lines, I did have a tendency to stand with my chest out, hand-on-hip, heroic-style. You know, the way they used to draw the super heroes all the time. I assumed the stance.
But it is fun. And it’s a great exercise for your instrument – your emotional instrument, your vocal instrument, and your imagination, I mean, it’s like you’re a child – you get to have your imaginary play-friends all over again. I know it opened up for me certain things creatively. So just to be involved with anything creative that I’m not usually exposed to is always good.
QUESTION: Green Lantern is your first voiceover for animation, but you did supply the voice of Spike in Dinosaurs. How did the two experiences differ?
CHRISTOPHER MELONI: For the Dinosaurs role, they would shoot the show and there were actors in costumes, so it was more like looping a scene. I had to loop my lips to what the puppeteer was doing with the dinosaur. For Green Lantern, the animators have to follow my lead. It’s so exciting and so rare that you’re the leader of the parade as an actor. I had my little baton (laughs) and I’m sitting there going like that (waves arms, conductor style), everyone has to follow my rhythm, my beat. It’s not usually that way.
Search this blog on “Lantern” for previous coverage.
In related news, Toon Zone also reports that Bruce Timm revealed during a press roundtable event that there is a sequel to one of the prior animated features in development, but he was unable to offer more details at press time.
4:30 AM — Video footage of the Drawn Together panel featuring Cree Summer, Jess Harnell, James Arnold Taylor, and Tara Strong. [Caution: Adult language and content.]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhbK-nix2Nc&hl=en&fs=1&]
(Thanks to Jeff Birnbaum for the heads-up!)
4:23 AM — Anime Diet has a review of legendary anime director Miyazaki’s Ponyo (US-dubbed and released by Disney), including a good deal of commentary on the voice acting.
4:20 AM — SciFiWire.com has a full report of the Disney/Pixar panel’s Toy Story 3 presentation. Incidentally, I neglected to mention this in my previous con coverage, but it is not actually “breaking news” nor much of an announcement that Michael Keaton is performing the voice of Ken. IESB.net was the first to break this news back in August, 2008. Their original article is kaput, but The Pixar Blog reported it afterwards.
Elsewhere, Toon Zone has official photos and stills from the aforementioned Disney 3D and Disney Animation panel presentations.
4:15 AM — Comic Vine has a video interview with John DiMaggio. Listen for his great impression of Diedrich Bader as Batman around the 3-minute mark.
