During the talk about the dubbing process, Chiba, participating in an Illumination project for the first time in 14 years, showed his delight at reuniting with Yamadera, with whom he had previously co-starred. Suzuki, taking on her first dubbing challenge, revealed, “A few days before the audition, I worked with Mr. Yamadera on another project, and he taught me what's important in dubbing. Thanks to that, I passed.” Yamadera praised her, saying, “She has wonderful talent.” On the other hand, Ace of Batteries expressed his worries, saying, “I'm worried about the intonation of standard Japanese,” while Jike shared the difficulties unique to a beginner, saying, “Since it's a pure and goofy character, it was hard to produce a voice I don't normally use.”
In the middle of the event, Suzuki asked Matsudaira, “What is the secret to staying powerful and active across so many different genres for so long?” Matsudaira replied, “First is a healthy body, and second is making sure the audience enjoys it,” adding, “I did some reckless things when I was young, but after turning 60, I've been living seriously and regularly, taking care of my health.”
Regarding the dubbing of Goomy, the character he plays, Yamadera commented, “We are changing the pitch of my recorded voice, so the staff is doing some incredibly hard work. They'll be moving forward while doing various tunings, so it's very difficult.” Furthermore, on what he keeps in mind when playing a difficult role, he showed his professional side, saying, “I practice a lot. Since I'm doing something like speaking the whole time without tightening my lips, we sometimes rewind over and over for just one cut, and it drags on. I have a recording session in two days, so although there's a wrap party for another project tomorrow, I will be absent.”
In another segment tied to the film's title, each cast member showcased an illustration of what they considered the “strongest monster.” Matsudaira came up with a cute transforming monster made of three connected creatures, while Yamadera drew “Voice Monster Voiceler,” who solves everything with a loud voice, surprising the venue with his impressive drawing skills.
In the subsequent talk segment themed “I am a [blank] Monster!”, Matsudaira answered that he is a “Can't-Sit-Still Monster” who moves around even on days off. Chiba answered “Merchandise-Collecting Monster,” and Suzuki said “What-a-Waste Monster” as she tightly packs her schedule. Furthermore, when Yamadera revealed he is a “Miyagi-Love Monster,” Chiba, who is from the same prefecture, nodded deeply, creating a warm atmosphere that offered a glimpse into the cast's personalities and private lives.
Finally, Matsudaira concluded the press conference with a powerful message: “This is a movie that the whole family can enjoy. Please come to the theaters.”
【Product Information】
・Title: Minions & Monsters
・Release Date: Roadshow nationwide starting Friday, August 7
・Director: Pierre Coffin
・Japanese Dub Cast: Ken Matsudaira, Yudai Chiba, Airi Suzuki, Koichi Yamadera, Batteries, LiSA
・Distributor: TOHO-TOWA
(C) Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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