Donald and Goofy's English voice actors reflect on Kingdom Hearts III

[DChiuch 5,773]

D23, the official Disney fan club, have conducted an interview with the English voice actors for Goofy and Donald Duck in the Kingdom Hearts series – Bill Farmer and Tony Anselmo. The voice actors reflect on 17 years of voicing for the Kingdom Hearts series, and share their thoughts about Kingdom Hearts III and the future of the series.

Check out the interview below, thanks to D23!

Quote

D23: How is recording for a video game different than doing voice work for movies and shorts?
Bill Farmer (BF): There are typically many, many more lines of dialogue involved with a video game than with a movie or TV series, so I knew that I would be busy with a lot of work.
Tony Anselmo (TA): While there may be more dialogue to record in a game than in a short, the dialogue for our characters must be written, performed, recorded, and mixed, with the same consistency and character integrity as in any other Disney product.

D23: Do you have a favorite memory from working on Kingdom Hearts through the years?
BF: Two things. One, Kingdom Hearts was first produced in Japanese, and so I heard the Japanese actor’s voice in my headphones while I provided the English translation. It’s somewhat of a challenge, but it’s a lot of fun to contribute to such a new and inventive project. Secondly, we do not record in a distinct front-to-back linear fashion, so figuring out the story and how to voice a particular scene was a fun challenge.
TA: I have to say working with my old pal Bill Farmer is never short on laughs.

D23: Do you have a favorite thing about the Kingdom Hearts version of your character?
BF: Seeing how Goofy changes from world to world was my favorite thing.
TA: I’m proud of Donald’s sense of adventure, courage, and heroism.

D23: What is your favorite interaction with fans of Kingdom Hearts?
BF: The fans are so involved, and so knowledgeable about the game that it thrills me to know that I am helping to provide something that so many people enjoy.
TA: I’m always impressed by how big a part of their lives Kingdom Hearts is and how dedicated they are.

D23: Did you ever expect Kingdom Hearts to become such a huge phenomenon?
BF: From the look of the game and the story, I knew that it would be a hit, but I had no idea that it would be so massively popular. It was a wonderful surprise.
TA:  We never know at the time. We hope our audience will be entertained, and it’s always rewarding when they are.

D23: Is there something exciting or new in Kingdom Hearts III that fans should look forward to?
BF: I certainly hope so, but I’m usually the last to know, so just keep your ears open. I’m sure there is something great just around the corner.
TA: Even more spectacular animation, color, design, and characters than before.

D23: Throughout the different games, your character travels to different worlds and often takes on fun new designs and costumes to match the worlds. Could you name three of your favorite designs of your character?
BF: There are so many to choose from, but I guess my favorites are Halloweentown, Monsters, Inc., and Timeless River.
TA: I must admit, I laughed pretty hard when I saw Donald in his Monster design.

D23: What is something you hope fans take away from playing the Kingdom Hearts games?
BF: I just hope they have as much fun playing the game as we had making it!
TA: If they are entertained, have fun, and come back again for this new game, we couldn’t ask for more.

D23: We are coming to the end of a very long saga with Kingdom Hearts III. How does it feel to say goodbye to this beloved franchise?
BF: Like all projects with Goofy, it is sad when the journey ends, but knowing that it will entertain people for years to come makes it all worthwhile.
TA: They asked me that question after we finished the first game. I doubt anything this popular could end any sooner than its audience wants it to.

Be sure to follow our master coverage for Kingdom Hearts III!

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[Kaweebo 3,617]

Yeah, I don’t know what the interviewer is talking about. Nomuras already said there will be more games, and surely Donald and Goofy will be there in some capacity. 

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

8 hours ago, Kaweebo said:

Yeah, I don’t know what the interviewer is talking about. Nomuras already said there will be more games, and surely Donald and Goofy will be there in some capacity. 

Yea but i am sure there wont be a new game for atleast 5-6 years. Question is will they be our permanent sidekicks on the new saga or will they get their own little side missions. I would actually like to play as donald since this was the first plan

[Allwil13 754]

8 hours ago, Kaweebo said:

Yeah, I don’t know what the interviewer is talking about. Nomuras already said there will be more games, and surely Donald and Goofy will be there in some capacity. 

Exactly. It's really annoying when people keep referring to KH3 as "the end of the franchise", especially when Nomura has confirmed that this is not the end numerous times. 

 

4 minutes ago, Dustin Lübbers said:

Yea but i am sure there wont be a new game for atleast 5-6 years. Question is will they be our permanent sidekicks on the new saga or will they get their own little side missions. I would actually like to play as donald since this was the first plan

There probably won't be another main numbered title for 5 or 6 years, but I imagine they'll churn out one or two more "side games" to expand the lore further. I still think we'll get some kind of console release relating to KHX.

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

5 minutes ago, Allwil13 said:

 

There probably won't be another main numbered title for 5 or 6 years, but I imagine they'll churn out one or two more "side games" to expand the lore further. I still think we'll get some kind of console release relating to KHX.

That would be of course after all they did the same with chain of memories and rhe plot in that game is not unimportant. Plus the fact of the matter is i wont get into the mobile game anymore at this point. Btw is the story in khx completed finally?

[Allwil13 754]

6 minutes ago, Dustin Lübbers said:

That would be of course after all they did the same with chain of memories and rhe plot in that game is not unimportant. Plus the fact of the matter is i wont get into the mobile game anymore at this point. Btw is the story in khx completed finally?

No, there's still more to come. I don't play it as much as I used to but until they announce a console release of KHX I will continue to play it since it seems like they fully intend to weave it into the overall plot of the series.

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

2 minutes ago, Allwil13 said:

No, there's still more to come. I don't play it as much as I used to but until they announce a console release of KHX I will continue to play it since it seems like they fully intend to weave it into the overall plot of the series.

Oh great that its not done jet has the nomura " Something is gonna happen that turns everything we thought we knew upside down" smell all over it

[Tyranto Rex 277]

3 hours ago, Allwil13 said:

Exactly. It's really annoying when people keep referring to KH3 as "the end of the franchise", especially when Nomura has confirmed that this is not the end numerous times. 

 

There probably won't be another main numbered title for 5 or 6 years, but I imagine they'll churn out one or two more "side games" to expand the lore further. I still think we'll get some kind of console release relating to KHX.

I remember them saying a while ago they planned on having a new KH game every year. I don't know if that's still the plan but they have been pretty much following it so far. I actually expect the next game to be a non numbered game.

[Allwil13 754]

4 minutes ago, Tyranto Rex said:

I remember them saying a while ago they planned on having a new KH game every year. I don't know if that's still the plan but they have been pretty much following it so far. I actually expect the next game to be a non numbered game.

Same here. They've laid the groundwork and foundation for the series' lore so far with the non numbered titles but I think there's still more to reveal. I imagine we'll have another entry within a couple of years, but not a numbered title.