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For those who haven't seen this yet, with mucho thanks to the awesome flistie who gives me a heads-up on stuff like this (because despite impressions to the contrary, I do not actually have my finger on the pulse of all things Jensen):

Honestly, if I didn't know that was Jensen? I wouldn't know that was Jensen. I'd be sitting here going, "I know that voice. I think I know that voice. Where do I know that voice from? Dang, it's gonna drive me nuts! Why do I know that voice?" Because that not his "Dean" voice, and it isn't quite his regular speaking voice, either. And that's awesome!

This is definitely on my Netflix queue. And if we like the movie, I'm sure it will end up in our collection.

Also, links to mucho praise being given to Jensen by the production team of this movie:

Andrea Romano is the casting director who brought Ackles into the project. She's a 25-year veteran of the animation genre and has cast Oscar, Emmy and Tony winners to voice some of the best-loved superheroes in the world.

Romano, herself, is an eight-time Emmy winner and has received 30 nominations for her work as a voice and casting director.

"When you get a first-timer in the booth, there are often risks involved, particularly in understanding the techniques involved in working with the microphone. Jensen picked it up so quickly and was so effective in this very difficult role. Red Hood is written as such an embittered, angry, verging-on-insane character, and it can so easily be overplayed. But Jensen found just the right level of energy and flair. I loved his acting. His quality was dead-on, and he really offers a perfect balance with Bruce (Greenwood).

As a director, you live the emotions with the actor. There’s one scene where Jensen has to let his emotions completely bubble to the surface. I had to work really hard to see my script through the tears that I was crying with him as he let his emotions come through."

Source article is here. (Aside: Hey! She worked on the Animaniacs! I know her work!)

Item #2 from Flistie of Awesome:

Judd Winick who wrote the original Red Hood graphic novel and penned the script for the animated film.

"Red Hood is funny for me because I thought I'd written this character in this incarnation more than anyone else, but I had no clue what he'd really sound like. And yet, when Jensen speaks, that's the right tone and timbre."

Source article.

Item #3 from Flistie of Awesome:

comic book legend, Bruce Timm who developed Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited and executive produced many of the DC Universe Original Animated Movies, including Red Hood:

"Red Hood is such a pivotal role in that he needed to be somebody who was forceful, threatening, weirdly sympathetic, and also had to be of a certain age. Not too young, not too old, just right. Andrea and I both knew of Jensen’s work, and he was one of those guys we had in our “Gotta work with that guy some day” file. And he fit the bill perfectly. He’s got an intensity in the booth that really matched the material."

Source article.

This isn't something that would normally show up on my radar, particularly since it's direct to DVD. But I'm kinda really looking forward to his. *nods*

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Interesting! Really is was only near the growlly parts a the end of his lines that I could recognize the voice. And I wasn't watching the video, just listening. Probably would never have caught it if you didn't say who it was. V. Good!!

Though P.S. When Batman was saying "What happened? Maybe I can help..." or some such I kept thinking "His Mommy burned up on the ceiling! Where were YOU, Batman!"

But very cool.

P.S. Off that subject I had a thought of Michael Hurst today, but I'll either send you an email or a PM if I can figure out how so as not to get too off topic!

Though P.S. When Batman was saying "What happened? Maybe I can help..." or some such I kept thinking "His Mommy burned up on the ceiling! Where were YOU, Batman!"

Ha ha haaaaaaaa!

Heh, people keep saying they didn't recognize his voice and i knew it's him the second i heard his part and now i'm not sure whether is was because i knew he was doing that part or becuase i'm so familiar with his voice i'd recognize it no matter what timbre he'd choose to use.
Anyway, i think Jensen did a wonderful job there (at least in that vid). I felt all RH emotions through his voice.

That's what I mean by if I didn't know it was him, I wouldn't know it was him. I think I would have recognized the voice, but I wouldn't have been able to place it. Because certain parts of the scene I don't recognize his voice at all, and in other parts I think, "Oh, yeah. There he is. That's him."

I'm interested to see the entire movie. Should be interesting!

Being Jensenated is a hard work. I never watch comics as cartoons and i feel like i need to watch THIS one just because of an awesome voice work. I'm hooked just on this little moment.

I have never purchased this kind of DVD before...but you can bet we'll be getting this one. I've read articles singing Jensen's praises on his role in this...and then when I "heard" it I knew I had to have it. I'm curious about the scene that made the director cry....

We have Mask of the Phantasm, and Geo has some anime in his collection, but for myself, I don't usually go out of my way for these kinds of movies. I think it will be really interesting and a lot of fun to hear what he does with an animated character.

Sounds like he's using a higher timbre and a neutral accent (he has a pretty distinctive twang, especially as Dean), which is impressive. Most people aren't even aware they can change timbre.

Interesting.

Interesting! I usually find his accent as Dean to be fairly neutral overall. The Texas character does slip in from time to time, but no moreso, I guess, than I'm used to hearing with the WV accent that was imported into the area where I grew up. (Jared's Texan has also been known to make an appearance. I've heard him slip in an "all y'all.") But overall, I think both guys have neutralized their accents pretty well. But I think I see what you're saying.

I think I hear what you're saying about the timbre as well. It's the same . . . tonal quality? . . . that I'm used to hearing, but it's . . . I don't know . . . You're the music expert. :-) But it's something interesting for me to consider. Interesting, indeed!

I've been interested in differing regional (or in my case, non-regional) dialects since we touched on it in high school English class. If it's a conversation you'd like to continue, I'm game. :-)

Speaking of . . . the skit I'm doing today, the woman I'm playing opposite is using her comic, OTT deep south hick twang, and I, when we were reading through it, was using my regular, very clean non-regional speech. I'm trying to decide of my using something softer than hers but more southern than my own will work, or if it will just make things more awkward (since I haven't really practiced it) and detract from her comedy. Hm . . .

I think both guys have neutralized their accents pretty well.

I'd agree that it's relatively neutral in SPN. As as Midwesterner, though, and I can tell you that their accents are NOT Kansan! It's not strong, but they've both got a drawl that's missing the Midwestern "rasp". (And Jared, true to Sam's character, occasionally sounds more "educated" than Jensen.)

Perhaps "timbre" wasn't quite the right word: Jensen's voiceover sounds like it's in the same "voice" he uses normally (men have two "voices", women have three), but it's pitched higher. He also sounds less resonant.

Oo, I love talking accents! I've had some exposure to ones you'll never hear on TV, Pennsylvania Dutch and Canadian Low German, and I think it's fun to figure out where people are from just by hearing them talk.

Okey dokey. Accents. :-)

*raises hand* Born and raised midwesterner (Ohio). I learned in high school English that our dialect (which I later learned is called "non-regional") is the one that's taught to national newscasters because it's the most easily understood nationwide.

When my husband traveled to Australia several years ago, he traveled with two women, one from DC, and one from . . . Maryland, I think. The Aussies told them that my husband had the thickest American accent of the three of them. I told him that made sense, because he spoke non-regional, the most neutral accent of the three of them, and the one the Aussies were probably most used to hearing as American.

One of my favorite stories about midwestern accent is from my dad. Born and raised in midwestern Ohio (Darke County). He spent a summer working a job with both New Englanders and Southerners. And he had to translate between them because he was the only one who could understand both accents, and he was the only accent both could understand. Bwah!

And I've been told by someone from Austin that I do have a very clear, distinct, neutral accent.

Keeping this in mind . . . I've also been mistaken as being from Alabama by northern Ohioans (who have a more nasal northern quality to their speech). And I used to always adopt the flat nasal of my Michigan cousins when I spent a lot of time with them.

Having moved to Virginia, I was really interested to hear that some people around here pronounce such words as "about" as "aboot," which I always associate with Canada. But I've been assured that these people are born and raised Virginians. Interesting!

I'd be kind of interested to hear the variation in the Kansan/Nebraskan midwestern accent in comparison to the midwestern Ohio accent. (Northern Ohioans have a nasal quality slighter than by akin to the Michiganders, and southern Ohioans have a hint of Kentucky and West Virginia.) Please explain this rasp of which you speak?

Maybe the rasp is more on the western end of Midwest, but it's the flat, overly-bright short-A, Ah, or Eh that we have, like we're trying a bit too hard with them. It disappears as you go south (or north, or to the coasts), and Sam & Dean use a more rounded ("classical") A/Ah/Eh. Bobby, on the other hand, has it. (Jim Beaver's from Wyoming.)

My mom was born and raised in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but has lived in Nebraska for almost forty years; she has developed the rasp, and now thinks her PA family sounds weird.

Twice I've had people unable to place my accent, possibly because I can pick up or drop a rural drawl. Or possibly because of the strong Germanic influence on my extended family (and church) that would make anybody confused. Grandpa's German accent is thick as borscht, Grandma's is pure Midwest. Grammy, however, has a rural PA accent that has a whole different tonality to it.

I think I know how to explain Jensen's voice/accent/speech here. It's "cleaner" or "clearer" than what I"m used to hearing. He's done a good job, I think, of neutralizing his accent in SPN, but I think I get now what you're saying about the "flavor" or "texture" of his speech. Maybe I don't think of it so much as an "accent" as just a part of Dean's characters.

Anyway . . . I'm really looking forward to this movie. We'll have to discuss this further when we've seen the whole film, yeah?

Edited 2010-07-03 21:08 (UTC)

Wow, thanks for sharing this. I'm so excited to watch the film. I think Jensen did well here, if I hadn't known it was him I don't think I would have made the connection right away. :-)

You're welcome. I'm very much looking forward to his project. I've done a little bit of research on the character, and I totally get why an actor would want to play this role. Heck, I'd love to see Jensen play the role in a live action production. He's so going to rock this.

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