A large part of making animated films comes from efforts made by voice actors in a professional audio booth. However, this was not the exact case for Disney films Luca (2021) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), as their production processes fell victim to the effects of COVID-19. In this blog post, I will be looking at Luca’s usage of at-home voice recording by examining how the film was produced and recorded, as well as discussing its impression and relevance today.
Luca follows the journey of Luca, a young sea monster who ventures out of the water and into an Italian town where he makes new friends and faces new challenges – both personally and competitively. The voice recording process for this film was fairly unconventional, as while Luca’s voice actor Jacob Tremblay was able to perform all of his lines within a professional studio (0:00-1:32), a majority of the cast was stuck doing so in their homes due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The cast members working from home were equipped with iPads and microphones, and were tasked with finding rooms within their homes/apartments that managed sound well and were fitting for voice acting work. For example, a key actor within this film was Jack Dylan Grazier, voice of Luca’s best friend Alberto. Although the importance of Grazier’s character was up there with Tremblay’s, Grazier captured his lines over the course of a year from a closet within his home rather than at a studio at Disney/Pixar (1:34-3:02). Through watching behind-the-scenes footage, it can be seen that the set up Grazier transformed his closet into resembled some aspects of a professional recording booth. Expanding upon this, beyond his use of headphones and what looks to be a condenser microphone, the walls surrounding Grazier are covered in blankets, sheets, and pieces of fabric. These materials were hung up to help eliminate echos similar to how the foam pieces in professional studios do. In fact, the foam pieces can even be seen in the behind-the-scenes footage of Jim Gaffigan, actor of Lorenzo (Luca’s father), who also recorded his lines from a room within his home that was made to act as a remote studio (4:38-5:52).
The production process for Luca leaves an impression today that is similar to a time capsule. It shows how the film industry (and the rest of the world) had to adapt to the unprecedented times of 2020/2021, as work deadlines don’t stop even when it feels as if time has. I believe that the relevance of Luca’s at-home recording studios/process can also be seen in how remote work has become increasingly normalized since COVID-19 was at its peak. Just as how some of Luca’s cast had to make studios in their own closets and spare rooms, people working 9-to-5s had to make offices in their own living rooms and kitchens. All of this being said, I find that Luca as a film is a heartfelt story that can bring tears to your eyes, but as a production process, it is a message about making art under strange circumstances.
Sources: https://comicbook.com/movies/news/luca-cast-recording-from-home-pandemic-pixar/, https://voice123.com/blog/the-voice-over-industry/lucas-voice-cast-how-to-record-a-blockbuster-from-home/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWeLKQnKXbc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkX7-L6kjgI