How important are the voice actors who do certain parts to you?

[Andrew NDB]

I post this in General TMNT Discussion because largely the opinions here will likely be shaped by the affinity to the voice acting of the various TMNT voice actors, but I ask in a broad sense.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

When it comes to voice acting, I always do prefer the originals, but I am fine with new takes on the same character as long as they are done well. For example, the Shredder's voice in the 1987 show does change a lot despite James Avery's performance being so iconic.

The replacement Shredder's in the cartoon are all pretty good and have their unique take on him, like how Shredder's voice in Red Sky is much more vicious and vengeful which is fitting since those seasons adopt a more serious tone. So ya, originals are always the best for the sake of consistency and having an established voice, but having other voice actors isn't the end of the world and might even bring something new and worthwhile to that character.

[newfan]

Depends, how much you like the actual voicework, does it compliment the character? (I know all voicing expresses character, I mean where it stands out to us especially) also is the voice more distinct or is it more an ordinary voice that could more easily be replaced.

Generally I would rather they didn't change, especially if as I said above, the voice was one I particularly liked. I'd also add favourite character to that but Leo was my favourite turtle in 2012 yet I liked Green even though he sounded off at first (from being very different) he suited a more grown Leo later on. Though I liked both voices there are others that I'd rate as my favoruites in the show.

As when actors are changed and we have a whole different face to look at, I don't always like that but we can get used to it, depends if they are any good. Although I still imagine had Peter Weller done Robocop 3 when I have re-watched that sometimes, but this is going off topic as it's a different thing. (though Weller has quite a distinct voice)

[sdp]

If it's a different continuity then a different VA should voice the character. If it's the same continuity then the same VA should voice the character. I love Kevin Conroy but he's the DCAU Batman voice, I don't want him doing other continuity Batman's, he should only do DCAU Batman.

[MikeandRaph87]

Rob Paulsen made Raphael for me so it caused a problem later on. What I mean is when I think of Raphael I think the sarcastic hothead with his voice. Later on he voices Donatello, but Rob Paulsen defines Raphael for me and many of Generation Y for better or worse. The result is Raphael's voice coming out of Donatello. I also note that Rob has a particular personality that he brings to the characters he voices. Nickelodeon acknowledged that as well and noted that Donatello was the least popular of the four turtles so if the personality that he brought to Raphael, who has other traits in his overall character that can flourish, could be brought out with Rob's brand in Donatello it would work for them. However, it does not for me. It sounds like Raphael coming out of Donatello like an error made in the 1987 cartoon that won't go away.

I am also disappointed in Nickelodeon hiring Jason Biggs to voice a Turtle considering his brand. It would seem like if they were aiming for Paulsen to inject his brand into a character they would know what to expect from Biggs, it goes along with their line of thinking which doesn't make sense to me. However, hiring a voice actor that sounded exactly like Biggs voice to finish out the season and while I would have kept the voice actor on they were smart in creating an in-story reason for his voice to change.

As for voice actor substitutes in the 1987 cartoon it was a bit jarring to hear Scooter's voice coming out of Donatello a half dozen times. Pulling double duty with Bebop, Bebop sounded like he has a slight cold, it was close enough and I could say Bebop had seasonal allergies bothering him as a head cannon. Rob also missed the most episodes, mostly due to getting hired for other voice work. The same with Bill Martin as The Shredder, Tosensend Coleman, Jim Cummings, and at least one other actor voiced The Shredder, but its James Freaking Avery that IS The Shredder. Despite that however, in his 7 voiceovers as The Shredder, Bill Martin did a pretty close imitation of Avery's take and like with Bebop earlier I have head cannon of being ill casuing his voice to sound slightly off. However, Shredder was allowed to let loose more and be the badass he could be so there is always his being more aggressive and pissed all the time. As mentioned above he made Raphael of the 1987 cartoon a character that I love. Michael Gough was fine, but I was not a fan of the other replacements. The 1989 season 3 had a jump to 47 episodes and seemed to have caused scheduling conflicts with some of the actors. I can understand the episode jump and the commitments being of issue. The series never had a consistent number of episodes from 8 to 47, its ridiculously low and high. To this day despite the many absences even within their incarnation I hear James Avery's voice as The Shredder whenever I think of the character to this day and the same goes for Rob Paulsen with Raphael despite everything.

So yes, the voice contributes to my recognition of the character, my love of a particular character, and perhaps echoes a particular direction or incarnation of a character. The voices one hears first help shape what they think of when it comes to the character and the overall incarnation if not brand itself. Changing course part of the way through is not a good idea unless its necessary (like how I wanted Biggs removed from day one). I remember seeing Turtle Power documentary and my eyes got teary eyed seeing the original voice cast together for the final time. It was not just Ninja Turtles, but MY Ninja Turtles and it was not a redux of the character set that falls on parody.

[IndigoErth]

I'm a mix between two answers. If there is a good reason...and if it's close enough.

I assume you mean changing mid series like 2012 or the substitutes of the FW show? Not crazy about it having to happen and in all those cases I'd have rather the new voices were closer to the originals, but I understand they can't choose from anyone in the world and have to pick from the best options in front of them at the time.

However, the part that bothers me the most is when the a voice, tone, or accent of a voice actor just does not suit a particular Turtle.

We're used to Raph sounding like New York, Mikey taking up a bit of a surfer tone, and Leo and Donnie just having that "no accent" General American accent that doesn't stand out in any particular way. Change these up and they just sound jarringly wrong to me.

Other major characters also of course have to have voices that suit them.

[triplexxx]

When it comes to the turtles or any characters I love, the original VA's are always appreciated, but with different shows, different atmospheres, different takes on franchises, subsequent VA's can always be well-appreciated too as long as they do it well and are befitting to the characters' personalities, and of course there's always room for variety when it comes to personality of a character, as long as the core values of that character remain intact.

What's of bigger concern to me is that the characters are drawn well, that they look good, that's a must.

[CyberCubed]

For one specific incarnation the voices should remain the same. For the 3 cartoons, (original, 2k3 and Nick), the voices really do fit the characters for each show. To the point when the original cartoon had substitute voice actors for a few episodes the Turtles always sounded wrong.

It's the same in the movies, it was noticeable Don's voice was different in Secret of the Ooze but Leo/Mike were the same voices in all 3 movies. I did like the 3 Raph voices though.

[Jester]

I loathe it in the FW series, mainly because the replacements aren't anywhere close (and I'm very partial to Rob Paulsen) with the worst was the Donatello replacement. Though to be fair some I can barely tell. When Peter Renaday did Leatherhead (though it's only a line or 2) I never really knew.


When it comes to the movies the Raphs are pretty close to each other and I prefer Adam Carl to Cory Feldman.


Green > Biggs

[ABrown]

I loathe it in the FW series, mainly because the replacements aren't anywhere close (and I'm very partial to Rob Paulsen) with the worst was the Donatello replacement.

Ah yes. Muppet Babies Scooter as Donatello.

[MikeandRaph87]

While I will always prefer the 1987 cartoon to the 2003 one, aside from Hun's VA being replaced for an episode, did we have that in the cartoon? I cannot really think of an instance aside from that one that a substitute was used to voice a character. That is one of the things I give the 2003 cartoon props for, because if it did it went unnoticed to me or at the very least does not standout to memory which means it did not effect the overall appreciation for a particular episode.

[ranger_scout]

I am also disappointed in Nickelodeon hiring Jason Biggs to voice a Turtle considering his brand. It would seem like if they were aiming for Paulsen to inject his brand into a character they would know what to expect from Biggs, it goes along with their line of thinking which doesn't make sense to me. However, hiring a voice actor that sounded exactly like Biggs voice to finish out the season and while I would have kept the voice actor on they were smart in creating an in-story reason for his voice to change.



He never was a good actor, to begin with. Over the years, I never understood how he got any work. His acting makes Shia LaBeouf look like Tom Hanks and Nicholas Cage look like Jack Nicholson.

[Prowler]

TMNT cartoons are long running and from different decades. So naturally, it would be illogical for me to expect Cam Clarke and Co. to still be voicing the Turtles 30+ years later. It was odd hearing Rob Paulsen as Donatello in the 2012 series though.

Now, within a series, I don't like changes or replacements. Most of the replacements in the FW series felt off and were bad. I know that actors get busy with other shows, but somehow the Anime industry almost never does that. One Piece has been airing for over 2 decades now, and EVERY character has kept the same VA throughout the series. Including the main characters. And those VA also do their voices in movies and special episodes. And they also work for other series as well. Zoro's VA also worked for the Gintama anime series, for example. Unless a VA dies, replacing him or her is pretty much a no-no in the anime industry.

[IMJ]

I think on the rare occasions when a voice actor beings to define a character so strongly that there is a good case for continuity there. Nolan North as Drake, Kevin Conroy as Batman - great cases for cross-project continuity there.

It's also better when a voice actor lasts through a show. Honestly the only time in cartoon history that a voice actor has been changed and it didn't feel jarring and disinteresting was TMNT '12, and that was mostly because they actually wrote the vocal change into the plot which I thought was clever as hell.

[DarkFell]

I get that most VA's grow old, tired, or just plain fed up of the characters that they voiced despite the impassioned pleas from fans of an animated / video game franchise.

It's the VA's that do not sound 'engaged' to the characters that they are supposed to portray that gets to me.

Not every VA can sound exactly the same as the last person that 'passed the torch' but if the individual learns a bit from the voice actor(s) that came before and actually researches their animated character, then maybe their efforts will work out. But if the voice actors are truly invested into the character(s), then that is something else.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

While I will always prefer the 1987 cartoon to the 2003 one, aside from Hun's VA being replaced for an episode, did we have that in the cartoon? I cannot really think of an instance aside from that one that a substitute was used to voice a character. That is one of the things I give the 2003 cartoon props for, because if it did it went unnoticed to me or at the very least does not standout to memory which means it did not effect the overall appreciation for a particular episode.

I want to say Leatherhead but I could be wrong. It was something I noticed when watching the Season 4 episodes where Don got mutated. His voice sounded kinda off.

[MikeandRaph87]

I watched The Tower of Power episode this past week. The story is fine, Shredder actually tried to murder April and Irma too. The main thing is the usual, why does Shredder attack where the Turtles always are even when they are not in NYC. The city is unprotected so it would be opportune. Anyway, I had trouble with this episode because Rob Paulsen sat out the European Vacation episodes, this one of seven ( I think) that Barry Gordon missed, Shredder is voiced by Jim Cummings, and Rayle's wife is voicing April in probably the only episode Renae Jacobs missed. So many substitutes make it jarring. Conflicts among employees and a schedule to keep? Well, a delay is fine for a better quality product. No offense to the substitute voice actors.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I remember when Townsend Coleman voiced Krang in Cowabunga Shredhead and his take on the character was so forced. Ugh!

[ABrown]

While I will always prefer the 1987 cartoon to the 2003 one, aside from Hun's VA being replaced for an episode, did we have that in the cartoon?

I want to say Leatherhead but I could be wrong. It was something I noticed when watching the Season 4 episodes where Don got mutated. His voice sounded kinda off.


Yes, Leatherhead definitely had a different voice in season four. And Hun had a different voice for seasons 5-6, but it was back to normal for BTTS and Turtles Forever.

[ranger_scout]

I remember when Townsend Coleman voiced Krang in Cowabunga Shredhead and his take on the character was so forced. Ugh!

I remember reading somewhere that looking back he wished he hadn't done it. I don't think he should hang his head low though because many fans consider that episode to be one of the most, if not the most, popular episodes of the entire series.

[neatoman]

I've avoided this thread because I wasn't sure how to respond because the question is "in a broad sense", which makes it hard for me to give a clear answer. So in order to be able to give any clear answers, I'm going to make different scenarios just to make it clear where I stand depending on the situation.

If it's clearly a different version.
Why should I really care here? Yeah it might be cool if someone reprises their role but in general it's expected to hear someone new.

If the actor is dead.
Obviously if the actor is dead you need a new one if the character is important. Here is the thing, it is more important for the story to make sense than it is to "respect the actor" or whatever. Like I understand that it would have been weird to recast Leia but it would have been better than what Rise of Skywalker actually did with the footage of Carrie Fisher. However, if the character is unimportant, then you might as well just not include the character at all. In the case of TMNT, I guess I don't care that James Avery was replaced by Kevin Michael Richardson because of that reason (but I do have something else to say about it). Then again, I don't like the Fred Wolf cartoon, the Fred Wolf Shredder or those crossover episodes in the first place, so maybe I'm not the one to speak for anyone in this particular case.

Refusal or contractual obligation.
Unfortunate? Sure, but there isn't much to be done about it. If the character is necessary for the project, then you need to replace them.

The actor was caught up in some kind of controversy.
Here my opinion gets a little mixed. On one hand, I can understand a studio's desire to distance themselves from controversy and if it's so bad the person risks jail, you may have to replace them eventually. But then again, if the controversy is kind of stupid and fairly benign I'm not sure it's really worth it. People are kind of fickle and will easily forget the controversy soon enough, which might make it kind of pointless. I mean, can anyone really remember what Jason Biggs did? Tweet something about his pubes or something?

If the actor simply couldn't be there because of a booked schedule or other temporary inconvenience.
This one is where I am starting to question if it's worth it to find a replacement. I get that shows and movies have a deadline when it comes to production but an animated production should be more flexible. You don't need to have all actors on set because there is no set. Just have them come in a day later or something to record their lines.

But ultimately, if you have to use a replacement actor, try to find one who can sound similar enough to the previous actor. Remember, cohesion is king here.

[MikeandRaph87]

I remember when Townsend Coleman voiced Krang in Cowabunga Shredhead and his take on the character was so forced. Ugh!

After James Avery bowed out with 'White Belt, Black Heart' Townsend took over for the remainder of the episodes of the season. I don't recall Townsend filling in that early. I will have to watch it during my treadmill jog.

Of Shredder's alternate voices the only one that truly works for me is Bill Martin in his seven Red Sky episodes. Perhaps its the more desperate Shredder and slightly matured tone that works in his favor.

Which episodes did Townsend fill in as Splinter? I remember Peter missed a couple of episodes because he was pretty sick and Townsend had to fill the role so Townsend took the bonus he got for the fill-in and wrote a check to Peter for what he would have gotten normally.

[Mewzard]

I'd rather they not replace voice actors in most things unless there's a good reason (retirement, death, the character is dramatically different,etc).

But since I tend to focus on the comics, I'm not as attached to any TMNT voice cast as I am with a lot of media.

[Andrew NDB]

I'd rather they not replace voice actors in most things unless there's a good reason (retirement, death, the character is dramatically different,etc).

But since I tend to focus on the comics, I'm not as attached to any TMNT voice cast as I am with a lot of media.

Mewzard! Yay.

[Mewzard]

Mewzard! Yay.

I might be a bit behind on my TMNT reading, but I'm still around, lol.