Animating the Voice

From Adriana Caselotti’s iconic performance as Snow White to Idina Menzel’s chart-topping rendition of “Let It Go,” the voice has been at the heart of animation since the classical Hollywood era. In this first comprehensive study of the voice in animation, Colleen Montgomery surveys over one hundred years of Disney and Pixar feature animation to examine the key role of the voice in the production, marketing, and transnational distribution and exhibition of animated features. Expansive in historical and theoretical scope, Animating the Voice is a multidimensional media industries study that blends film historical, feminist, sound studies, and translation studies methodologies to analyze the integral functions the voice performs in the commercial life cycle of an animated film. Drawing on extensive primary research and close textual analysis, the book offers vital insights into the relationships between race, gender, vocality, and identity in animation.