Voice actor John DiMaggio recently spoke with “Breakthrough Entertainment” about the new documentary “I Know That Voice.”
“I Know That Voice,” which opens Friday, Dec. 27, exposes the word to the fascinating and all too often unrecognized world of voice over acting – from the talent that does the acting to the people behind the “animation cells” that make this work into an art form.
DiMaggio served as executive producer of the new documentary. His voice acting credits include Bender Bending Rodriguez on “Futurama” as well as Rico the penguin in the “Madagascar” movies, Jake on “Adventure Time” and Dr. Drakken on “Kim Possible” among many others.
Listen to “Breakthrough Entertainment’s” full interview with DiMaggio by clicking HERE. The following is an excerpt from the interview in which the voice actor discusses what he hopes that audiences will take away from watching “I Know That Voice.”
“The more interviews we did, the more people wanted to be involved in it. We have got over 150 interviews and 160 hours of stuff which we then edited down to 95 minutes. So we still have got plenty of footage. If we wanted to do a ‘I Know That Voice 2,’ we probably could. It took us a while but I think that the end-result is really fantastic and shows just how much work [goes into making cartoons], how much respect I have for my peers and how much I want them to be seen. It is a Valentine to my peers.
“I just really wanted it to be like I am the Wizard of Oz and I am pulling the curtain back to give a peek at what we do. People always ask, ‘What’s it like? How does your job work?’ I want people come away [from this movie saying], ‘Wow! Now I get it! Now I understand! Now all of those questions I had about the industry are answered!’ And I want people to see just how much work goes into ‘Futurama’ or ‘Adventure Time’ or ‘Pinky and the Brain’ or ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ or ‘Ren and Stimpy’ or ‘Phineas and Ferb’ or any other cartoon.
“And I want people to come away from it with a sense of joy. Cartoons touch people’s lives from day one. I think that this film appeals to people from 1 to 92 – or at least anyone who is old enough to be conscious of, ‘Wow! This is how they make cartoons!’ I mean, if you don’t like cartoons, there is something that is kind of wrong with you. Cartoons are usually our first form of entertainment so they stick with us. And now with the proliferation of adult-themed cartoons, anything goes. The world of animation is open to so many and I think that that really says something about the genre. So I am just really excited to have people watch [this film].” – John DiMaggio
