Chris Pratt Is Playing Garfield And Nobody Understands Why
Chris Pratt is lending his voice to yet another beloved pop culture character, namely Garfield The Cat, and the denizens of the internet are not impressed. Last month it was announced that he would play Mario in the animated Mario Bros. movie. It was basically laughed off. Then it was announced on Monday that he would be playing Garfield (ironically the most hated day of the lasagna loving feline).
This begs the question: Why? Why does Hollywood feel the need to stunt cast celebrities in animated features who are better known for how they appear on screen? Now, I know the real answer is of course the money, but when said actor's voice is nothing more than a bland, every-man voice that doesn't stick out in a crowd it seems to hurt a project more than helps. I'm not saying Pratt is a dull actor by any stretch, more just miscast for such ventures.
That's not to say other on-screen actors haven't been perfect in their roles and for good reason. James Earl Jones as Mufasa. Inspired. Gilbert Gottfried as Iago The Parrot in Aladdin. Chefs kiss. Bill Murray as, well, Garfield. He sounds just like Lorenzo Music, who was the original voice of Garfield on the television cartoons. Genius casting.
Fun fact: Lorenzo Music played Dr. Peter Venkman on The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. A character made famous by Mr. Bill Murray.
The other problem with casting a celebrity voice is the issue of taking work from seasoned voice actors who are relegated to bit roles. Vocal talents like Dana Snyder (Master Shake on Aqua Team Hunger Force), Frank Welker (both Fred and Scooby-Doo), Tress MacNeill (a Simpsons regular), and Maurice LaMarche (Pinky And The Brain's titular Brain) have been mainstays in animated television and movies for decades in some cases, yet you more than likely couldn't pick them out in a line up. A sad commentary on the state of Hollywood casting choices.
At the end of the day, we are discussing cartoon characters, yes, but that doesn't make the genre any less important to the zeitgeist of entertainment. I guess some of us just want the right person for the job.
So, to all the brilliant unsung voices of our childhoods, we hear you.
