I Know That Voice (2013)
– I’ve been wanting to review more documentaries on here, but here is one that
I worry might appeal only to a very select number of people. For me, I
Know That Voice is a very interesting look at one of my favorite
subsections of Hollywood, the voice actors who bring life to cartoons,
commercials, and animated movies. For as
long as I can remember, this has been a favorite guessing game of mine;
identifying the same voice across multiple media and through celebrity
impressions has always been fun for an amateur impressionist myself, and I Know That Voice gives viewers like me
the thrill of seeing the artists perform on camera (rather than behind the
safety of an animated character). The
greatest laugh of all comes when John DiMaggio, a heavyset white man, does his
impression of a middle-aged black man lamenting how “frustrating” white people
are “with they dogs and they yoga.” It’s a different kind of stepping into
character than most of us are used to seeing, but there’s real talent here on
display. I’m also glad that the film
isn’t just a series of nickels placed into voiceover jukeboxes as the
performers give their greatest hits (you do get to see Mark Hamill slip into a
little Joker dialogue); I Know That Voice
gives a pretty strong look into the business side of the industry, showing how
the performers get their gigs, how the recording process works, and the
delightful fan culture surrounding them at conventions. The striking omission here is the absence of
Frank Welker, though I understand he declined to appear, but otherwise I Know That Voice is a strikingly
definitive presentation of one of show business’s not-so-quiet secrets.That does it for this week’s edition of “Monday at the Movies.” We’ll see you here next week!
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