Racial Stereotyping In Animation Voice Overs ??

[joggerjayne]

... in animated movies.

In yesterday's paper.

It's all to do with the voice over guys.

If the cartoon character is lazy, or a petty criminal, they employ an Afro Caribbean voice over (eg the crows in Dumbo)

Work shy? ... Jamaican (Sebastian in The Little Mermaid)

Evil? ... Afro American (the Hyenas in The Lion King)

Fat and sentimental? ... Mexican (Eduardo in Despicable Me)

Smart, but baddie? ... English

But ...

Main parts, heros, leaders, royalty, etc ... white American voice actors.

Hmm, when you come to think about it ...

Are they right? Do animated movies tend to portray a structure where all the good characters are voiced by white Americans, and the voices of the other characters are used to portray negative characteristics?

[Zacs-Master]

One example of each doesn't really substantiate the claim.

[boxtops]

Since most films these days are made with the American market in mind, you are probably right.

[Zacs-Master]

LOL^^^

[joggerjayne]

Mr Zacs ... are you wearing your pedantic pants today ?

The examples are not to "substantiate" the claim.

They are merely to "illustrate" the principle.

It would be dull if I just trotted out lots of examples. The dim zebras in Madagascar who have no separate personalities, and all look the same ... Afro ... the lions, each of whom has a distinct role and personality ... Caucasian.

Now, clean pants, please!

[Zacs-Master]

Aw gawd. I point out a flaw in the question and immediately the P word appears.

[Peter Pedant]

o come on they gartta live...

Alan Rickman did very well as an English accented baddie in Hollywood.

You cant have every terrorist as an Arab especially if the vocab is limited to "yalla" [ let's go, vas-y, marchons ]

[Zacs-Master]

So provide more examples of lazy mexican voice overs, work shy Jamaican voice overs etc and I might just take your Q seriously.

[joggerjayne]

For Zacs!

http://www.shesaidboutique.com/shop-Tie,-Spank-and-Tease-Spanking-Paddles-34/17inch-Black-Leather-Paddle-in-Black-Leather-34#Tie,%20Spank%20and%20Tease/Spanking%20Paddles

[Peter Pedant]

yeah and those lovable monekys in Jungle Book
had scouse accents to show work-shy thieves innit ?

[Zacs-Master]

Ah right. York to Brighton.....5 hours. I'll do it in 4.

[joggerjayne]

Happy Feet ... the underclass, street dancing penguins ...

Robin Williams ... but doing a Latino accent!

[joggerjayne]

Five hours?

Oh, yeah ... Planes (which was rubbish, but ...)

The emotionally repressed plane ... English (John Cleese)

The seductive plane ... Indian (Priyanka Chopra)

The little cute pink plane ... French Canadian

And, of course, the fat, overly sentimental plane ... Mexican !!

[Peter Pedant]

The mexican plane farted a lot cos it was jet ?

[joggerjayne]

I can't remember, PP

Maybe it farted coz it ate Mexican food.

Or is that just me? lol

[sandyRoe]

The maid in the Tom+ Jerry cartoons had an African-American voice.

[sandyRoe]

Though I can't ever remember her pharting

[woofgang]

Kaa in jungle book is a Brit..mind you Bagheera is too
the Cat in Shrek is a latino
Shrek himself is Scottish
The Wicked Fairy in Shrek is a Brit
Donkey in Shrek is Eddie Murphey, not evil

I think Dumbo is a bit too old to count as an illustration.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

The hero in Despicable Me is Russian/Slavik?