For as long as animation (or any form of media like gaming) exists, there has been one true constant, especially in bring our favorite characters to life (besides pen and paper), and that is the art of voice acting. Voice acting goes way back in in the early 1900s, with the advent of radio. Originally done for radio serials, news, weather, bible stuff and so forth, it was not until 1928 with the first Mickey Mouse cartoon done with sound and voices, Steamboat Willie. And since then, voice acting slowly started to get steam, especially done by legendary voice actors, such as Daws Butler, June Foray and especially the Man of a Thousand Voices, Mel Blanc. And for the next several decades, voice actors come in all shapes and sizes, especially with those who brought our favorite characters to life, including Neil Ross, Cam Clarke, B.J. Ward, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Jim Cummings, Dan Gilvezan, Frank Welker, Larry Kenney, Tara Strong, Kevin Conroy, Jodi Benson, Peter Cullen, and so on and so forth. And it is not just in the good ol' U.S. of A, it is in other countries like Japan with Seiyuu like Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, Toru Furuya and Takeshi Kusao and even Canada has awesome voice actors like Scott McNeil, Michael Donovan, Ward Perry, Matt Hill, Terri Hawkes, Susan Roman, Katie Griffin, Linda Ballantyne, Lucas Gilbertson, Mark Hildreth, Andrew Francis and Mark Gatha. When all these voice actors voice their characters, they are not just the characters' voices, they are the characters and that is why we loved them very much, especially with Kevin Conroy as Batman, Jodi Benson as Ariel and especially Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime. But, there is one, little, itty-bitty problem, they are being overlooked.
You see, voice actors, as much as we like them so, are not, according to the news media, well known, like all the regular actors, sports athletes, music makers and other famous people combined. They are often ignored, pushed aside, or not mentioned at all, even if some pass away like Susan Aceron, Norm Spencer and the aforementioned June Foray and Mel Blanc (even if some news outlets mentioned the two). In short, unlike all famous people, voice actors don't have the same admiration and respect as they do. While regular actors have all the glitz and glamour, voice actors are normal, decent people. If you look beyond their physical appearances and hear their performances with their voices, you know, they deserve that same admiration and respect as all famous people combined.
But, I am planning to bring justice for all voice actors. You see, one of the legendary voice actors, Michael Bell, is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. I talked to him on Facebook long ago about this issue and he agrees with me about it. Shoot, I even wrote this letter to all the news outlets, which I didn't send it yet, but I think you take a look before I make my move or rewrite to make it better. This was written after Susan Aceron's passing.
Here is what you have to do. If you have social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so forth, leave a message to them with the hashtag, #RespectVoiceActors, to show your support for voice actors in our quest to give them the admiration and respect they so rightfully deserve.
One of my friends, Christopher Tenney, wanted to do a news magazine themed program, in the same manner like CBS Sunday Morning, but devoted to animation, including voice acting. If you want to talk to him about it, his email is at the bottom of the blog.
Bottom line, voice actors have been overlooked long enough. It is time to give them same respect as all famous people, before animation becomes a dead genre. Not just for all voice actors living, but for those who are no longer among us. For justice, for freedom, for honesty, for voice acting!
If you want to give the Screen Actors Guild a piece of your mind, demanding voice actors the same recognition as all actors, their address is below the blog, along with Mr. Tenney's email address. Until next time, stay frosty, my friends.
Saraba da (Farewell)...for now!
Christopher Tenney's Email: loyalmoonie@yahoo.com
Screen Actors Guild - Main Headquaters
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
#RespectVoiceActors
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