If someone were to ask you, have you seen the latest Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey movie this Christmas? Surely the answer would be: “Ah, but have they released a movie? I had no idea".
The conversation could continue in these terms, “Well yes, it is the sequel to that musical they did together in 2016!”, and the other would say to me, “How? Musical? I had no idea Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey had ever worked together, let alone in a musical." And he might even add, "Well, I remember some black and white ads they did a few years ago, for Dolce & Gabbana," and if he's a movie buff, he'd add, "Martin Scorsese directed them there!"
But anyway, I would be referring to the premiere this Christmas of ¡Canta! 2, a very nice animated film by Illumination Studios, which has been distributed by Universal, and which, of course, is the sequel to ¡Canta!. The film, as many parents know, follows a group of fun and varied animals that try to succeed in the world of song, putting on a big musical. And it is crossed by popular musical themes, this time also by U2. Even Bono has lent himself to voice a character, a lion who triumphed singing and has retired sad and saddened by his widowhood.
Animated movies often use big-name actors to voice the characters. In the case at hand, the squad has nothing less than Scarlett and Matthew, with Reese Witherspoon, Taron Egerton and Bobby Cannavale, in addition to the aforementioned Bono. But of course, since we don't see their faces, they have to go through a certain invisibility. An invisibility that is total if the dubbed version is seen, because his voice is not there, we have that of the dubbers, who are usually famous. For example, Ash, the character of Scarlett, is dubbed by Andrea Compton, and the villain of the show, Cannavale in the original, is replaced by Luis Tosar.
Does the viewer recognize the dubbing actors? Well, let's be frank, the answer is "no" in most cases. Perhaps it is a good cure for humility, to go unnoticed like this, as happens to so many who appear in the credit titles of a film, each one fulfilling their small great function, thanks to which, teamwork, the final result is achieved. . No film is just the result of the work of its supposed "author".
And the "star system", which glorified the actors to the point of paroxysm, deserves to be nuanced by the work of one and the other. Since most of a film's animators are total unknowns, it's also okay for megastars like Scarlett and Matthew to get a little under the radar, at least beyond US borders. Because in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, of course, they dominate the red carpets and television shows, they are still essential elements for people to talk about the film, although when you see it, you don't... see them.
