Over the summer of '97 (back when I had free time), I e-mailed the very nice Larry Kenney. He agreed to answer questions from a fan of his cartoon work. What follows is our e-mail interview. My questions are listed as the first document. Mr. Kenney's answers are the second document. I have not changed any of the documents. This interview is not published in hard copy. I have never made any monetary profit from this interview. Also, for personal reasons, I have removed my name and old e-mail address from this record. I assure you that I did provide my name to Mr. Kenney at the time of the interview. I am not being sneaky, just protecting some of my privacy.
Mr. Kenney,
Please take all the time you want and answer only the questions
you desire to, I don't want to take too much of your time.
First, how did you get started in voice acting?
Had you had much experience before working with Rankin-Bass?
How do you create appropriate voices for characters? For
example: Are you given a model sheet and description of the character?
When you first looked at the ThunderCats project, did you choose
Liono as the character you wanted to read for, or was that chosen for you?
Originally, did you intend to read for a different character?
After working with the show for some time, did you have any
interaction with the writers or input with the directors regarding future
story lines and character development?
How much time did you have to become familiar with a script?
Did you have time to think over and visualize the scenes you were reading?
Did you find the scripts easy to work with or obscure in their
How long was a typical recording session?
Did you and the other actors discuss the events in the scripts?
For example, did you practice making conversation between the characters
sound realistic and easy? Also, did you find the scripts somewhat
humorous (such as their use of terms like "Somoflange")?
How did you and the other actors release stress or deal with
fatigue, if you had a particularly long session?
What is your favorite memory of working on the show?
What, if anything, would you change about the work that you did on
ThunderCats?
Other voice actors sometimes say that when they are in public,
people will hear them speak and realize that they have heard the voice
before, but not be sure where...or sometimes the actor will be immediately
recognized for a character they have voiced. Have you had any similar
experiences?
Finally, have you noticed any change in the way you do your work,
or any change in the voice-acting and animation industry as a whole from
when you started to your present work?
Thank you very much for being receptive to these questions and to
your fans. You have made quite a number of us very happy for taking the
time to search us out on the internet. I think I can speak for all the
fans in expressing our appreciation for your, and the other actors',
writers', directors', and animators' work on this show.
Thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions. Please
be aware that this is mainly for my personal interest and curiosity,
anything you send me will not be published without your permission. I
would like to post your answers on my web page for the benefit of other
fans interested in you and your career. Please state if you do not want
this posted on the web.
Sincerely,
------- ---------
P.S.--If you still have contact with the other actors or know how to get
in touch with them, many, many other T-Cat fans and I would love to
e-mail the rest of the cast to express our appreciation for their work.
I don't mind at all if you put my answers on your web page.
In answer to your questions:
Before we did THUNDERCATS, I had never done a cartoon show, but I had already been (am still am) the voice of COUNT CHOCULA and SONNY, THE COCO-PUFFS BIRD on TV commercials.
Before recording, we were shown drawings of the characters and given a biographical description. In the original audition, I read for many of the characters, but I knew that LION-O was the one I most wanted to play.
As actors, we members of the cast had no input into the story line or development of the characters. Nor did we desire any. We realized that it was up to the writers to create the story line, and our job was to bring it to life.
We usually received the script a few days before recording. Upon arriving at the studio, we were shown basic drawings of the action involved in each episode, and, along with the directors, decided how each scene should be acted out. Each 30-minute episode took about three hours to record. The directors were wonderfully easy to work with. The writers were the best in the business, and we always got a great laugh out of the dialogue.
My favorite memory about creating THUNDERCATS (and SILVERHAWKS, KARATE KAT, and TIGER-SHARKS) is how the cast and crew came to be a real family..... I've never worked with nicer people!
Since the voice of LION-O is pretty much my own speaking voice, I'm often asked, even today..... "where do I know your voice from?" I'm very proud to say..... "I'm LION-O!"
The greatest change in our business in the area of technology; recording equipment has improved dramatically since 1983, when we recorded the first T-Cats episode. Back then, everything was recorded on tape. Now, nearly every studio uses digital equipment. In other words.... computers!
I occasionally see other members of the T-Cats cast at auditions and recording sessions. They are delighted, as I am, to hear there are so many people like you who are still keeping alive the 'CODE OF THUNDERA." Next time I see any of them, I'll ask if they have an internet address!
Thanks again, -------.
Sincerely,
Larry Kenney