Pixar's 'Soul' has a Black hero. In Denmark, a white actor dubs the voice.

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, March 28, 2024


Pixar's 'Soul' has a Black hero. In Denmark, a white actor dubs the voice.
German actor Kaze Uzumaki, who voices the role of Paul in the German version of “Soul.” The Danish-language version of Pixar’s ‘Soul’ has been dubbed primarily by white actors fueling a debate about structural racism and fanned anger about stereotyping and prejudice in European-language voice-overs, even when films have main characters of color. Kaze Uzumaki via The New York Times.

by Lisa Abend



COPENHAGEN (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Like most of their counterparts around the world, Danish film critics initially greeted “Soul,” Pixar’s first animated feature to focus on Black characters and African American culture, with rapture, hailing its sensitive, joyful portrayal of a jazz musician on a quest to live a meaningful life.

The film was described as “a miracle,” by one reviewer in Denmark, “beautiful and life-giving” by another.

What the Danish press did not initially focus on, by and large, was the characters’ race. But that changed after the movie’s release on Dec. 25, when realization spread that the Danish-language version had been dubbed primarily by white actors. This is also the case in many other European-language versions of “Soul.”

While in most countries, the film’s voice-over casting has barely registered with the public, in Portugal, more than 17,000 have signed a petition calling on Pixar to remake the local edition with actors of color. “This movie is not just another movie, and representation matters,” the petition states.

Joe Gardner, the main character in “Soul,” is Pixar’s first Black protagonist. The studio took steps to accurately represent African American culture, hiring Kemp Powers as a co-director and installing a “cultural trust” to safeguard the story’s authenticity.

In the Danish version, Joe is voiced by Nikolaj Lie Kaas, who is white. When the national newspaper Berlingske interviewed scholars and activists who expressed their disappointment about this and suggested that the casting was an example of structural racism, a fiery controversy erupted.

Asta Selloane Sekamane, one of the activists who criticized the casting in the Berlingske article, said in an interview that no one can claim there wasn’t enough Black talent to fill the main roles, because actors of color were hired to voice some of the minor parts. “It can’t be the constant excuse, this idea that we can’t find people who live up to our standards,” she added. “That’s an invisible bar that ties qualification to whiteness.”

Mira Skadegard, a professor at Aalborg University in Denmark who researches discrimination and inequality, said the resistance to accusations of structural racism was unsurprising. “In Denmark, we have a long history of denial when it comes to racism, and a deep investment in the ideal of equality,” she said.

“We don’t really understand this as a critique of institutions and structures; we see it as a critique of who we are,” she added.

© 2021 The New York Times Company










Today's News

January 18, 2021

Egypt makes 'major discoveries' at Saqqara archaeological site

The kids of survival are middle-aged - and transforming yet again

David Zwirner opens first solo show of Raoul De Keyser's work in Greater China

Lark Mason Associates announces sale of French Furniture and Chinese Decorative Arts

Dylan, Young, Fleetwood: Music publishing sector booming with high-profile sales

Germany's Buchenwald camp raps 'disrespectful' tobogganers

Sylvain Sylvain of the proto-punk band New York Dolls dies at 69

Exhibition at PDNB Gallery focuses on photography in the 1970's

Penn Museum exposes objects' exquisite details with Invisible Beauty: The Art of Archaeological Science

Collaborative exhibition by Casey Reas and Jan St. Werner on view at bitforms gallery

Rocker David Crosby on songwriting, 'emotional voyages' and Donald Trump

"Christo & Jeanne-Claude: The Tom Golden Collection' opens at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at FSW

When Raf met Miuccia

Pixar's 'Soul' has a Black hero. In Denmark, a white actor dubs the voice.

Marsha Zazula, 'metal matriarch' of Metallica and others, dies at 68

Six great movies about presidents

3Arts launches Disability Culture Leadership Initiative to advance advocacy and justice efforts in the arts

Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery opens an exhibition of works by three artists

Full programme announced for inaugural chapter of year-long LUX Scotland Artist Moving Image Festival

RØDE founder and chairman Peter Freedman AM donates $5 million to Sydney Festival

MAK Center for Art and Architecture announces new Director

'Cabello/Carceller │ I Am a Stranger, and I Am Moving' on view at Galeria Joan Prats

Richard Saltoun opens the first exhibition in a 12-month programme dedicated to Hannah Arendt

Heritage Auctions holds its first modern sports cards event at just the right moment

Phil Spector, famed music producer imprisoned in slaying, dies at 81

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD ESSAY INTRODUCTION




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful