DreamWorks Studios invited us to walk the set, to try our own voice recording in their studios, and meet some of the voices behind their VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER mini-series that is available exclusively on Netflix.
We met with Tyler Labine (Hunk), Josh Keaton (Shiro), Rhys Darby (Coran), and Kimberly Brooks ( Princess Allura). It was an unforgettable experience, as these actors shared with us the basics and the behind-the-scenes truths of what it means to be a voice behind the animation figure.
May 3, 2016, DreamWorks Studios, Los Angeles.
Little do we know that when an actor auditions for the role, they don’t know what exactly they are auditioning for. Yes, in many cases, they receive a generic script and are given instructions what kind of tone, emotion, and characteristics the director is looking for.
Speaking about the nuances of actor-ship, so to say, we learned so much about what it takes to be a voice behind the animation character! What we see on the screen does not necessarily reflect a true nature of the creative person behind that character.
However, what really counts is the sincerity that each and every character is built with. During each recording session, each actor and actress have to produce that wholesome approach they’ve developed for their character on screen. That means, they need to feel, act, and voice their character with consistency of vocal cords and behavior patterns.
Simply said, the voice and character faults and strengths of the animated figure have to be recognizable and even predictable by the viewers.
Luckily for all recording crew of VOTRON, they had a chance to record their parts as a group in one studio at the same time. That is a huge luxury that not many in this industry artists get, as they work on different projects and have scheduling conflicts all the time. Not for the VOLTRON team!
The recording time spent together created a family-like bond among them. They absolutely adore and respect each other. Having spent time talking to them made us all a big and happy group of people sharing professional life’s moments with each other.
Josh Keaton is one of those people who takes a moment to reflect before he answers any questions. He is Shiro, the leader in Voltron. It shows in real life as well.
Tyler Labine voices Hunk who is kind of that clumsy and always-in-need of some leadership character. But Hunk is fond of jokes and good humor. In real life, Tyler is one of those lively personalities who is the heart of any company. Yet when it comes to take life seriously, believe him, he does it every single time.
Rhys Darby is quite a different in person from what I imagined when watching VOLTRON. He is the voice behind Coran. Rhys is one of the smartest, sharpest minds I’ve ever met. Talking to him is like being entertained every single moment. He is always interesting to listen to!
Humor is His Forte!
The Princess Allura in VOTRON has one of the most pleasant voices ever! Meeting the actress who gave princess that voice was quite eventful. Kimberly shared her her process of “becoming a princess” with the assertiveness of a lioness and a big heart of kindness and generosity.
She is an Amazing Personality and Voice Talent!
We, too, had a chance to record some lines from VOLTRON! One thing for sure – it is NOT and easy process! It seems like reading the script is all it takes to be a successful voice for the animated character. Wrong! Each actor and actress has to follow recording cues alongside with their creative process of giving a colorful personality for the role they play.
Oh, my, we had such a great epiphany of recording our own lines. It was exhausting!
Showing All Enthusiasm She Can. Blogger Heidi!
Watch this episode where Celebrate Woman Today put her voice to the lines of the PURPLE LION HERO!
We spent the whole day at the DreamWorks Studios. The culture, the people, the talent they develop and work with are simply top notch. I am so glad I had this opportunity to go and learn from some of the amazingly talented people in the movie and animation industry.
Yes, we’ve got lucky to taste all those famous VOLTRON Cupcakes during our DreamWorks Voltron-themed lunch!
Want to Make Them in Your Kitchen? Click HERE for Cupcake Tutorial!
31 thoughts on “Interview with VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER Voice Talent at DreamWorks Studios”
cool, you’ve summarized beautifully
Very cool. Dreamworks makes such great movies!
Oh my goodness, I grew up watching voltron defender of the universe it is my all time favourite cartoon. What an amazing experience you had
What a great opportunity and sounds like such an amazing interview! I’ll hope to experience this.
What an amazing experience for you! I would love to see the behind the scenes of something like this, and interview these amazing people!
Sounds like a wonderful opportunity to try your own voice recording in a studio & to have a interview with their team as well. I am sure this could have been a great experience to cherish & thanks for sharing it.
What an amazing opportunity! I can’t wait to see this movie, sounds fun
Wow, you are so lucky to meet all those people. My kids watched this when they were younger. They are excited that Voltron is making a come back.
How cool that you were able to interview the voice talent! This movie looks awesome. And they have some great actors.
Wow, Voltron sounds really have a good comeback! I usually watch it when I was young.
I can’t believe this comes back! Long before the Power Rangers, Voltron was one of those cool anime flicks with powerful into music and combat. The kid in me feels glorious. Josh Keaton’s a good voice actor too, heard him a lot of times in videogames that my male cousins are playing.
It’s so cool! What an amazing experience you had and yes, you’re so lucky to taste these famous VOLTRON cupcakes! These are all look so yummy! Enjoy reading your post!
Looks like so much fun. One day I’ll hope to experience this.
Oh how fun! I think it would be so neat to do voices for animation – totally different than acting in “real life”!
This sounds like it was such a fun trip and interview. I also love those cupcakes so I will be heading over to the tutorial!
What an awesome interview! and also a great Experience 🙂 Thanks for sharing
It’s always an awesome opportunity to meet artists and interview them for their work. You can see the passion they have and be inspired as well. This is awesome! I love the dessert bar as well.
That must have been sooo fun! I would have loved to have that opportunity. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds like a great experience! I have always found animation and the voicing process behind it intriguing.
And all those actors and actresses make it look so easy—the voice behind animation is anything but an easy job. That must have been one interesting day you had–informative and fun!
how fun! I loved Tyler Labine years and years ago on a show here in Canada. This looks really great, I can’t wait for my boys to see it!
What a great interview, thanks for sharing it. My nephew is a huge fan of all things Voltron!
My kids used to love watching Voltron back in the day. So glad the kids of this generation will get to know this superhero squad too.
It’s good to know the cast works so well together. It’s great that you got to talk to them. The new series looks cool!
This sounds like such a wonderful interview. This must have been such an amazing experience to be able to interview this talented individual!
What a fantastic interview to have! Love this and all the information you shared within the interview!
I have been watching Tyler Labine since Breaker High. It will be neat to hear his voice while my daughter watches ‘her shows’.
I have to check this out especially since I have a giveaway up for it!
Plus, I am a huge fan of Taylor Labine!
I heard about this a couple weeks ago and it was pretty cool to hear. I would love to interview them! What fun to be able to do something like that.
How cool! What an amazing opportunity! I can’t wait to see this mini-series. It looks (and sounds) so good.
Wow how lucky and to meet all those folks…what a fun time