Abstract
This chapter looks at the textual effects of DreamWorks’ use of well-known actors to voice characters in their films. These castings often have an active intertextual function, with stars imbuing their characters with meaning derived from their earlier roles and public personae. The chapter combines existing theories from star studies, performance studies and animation studies to position the animator as an equal participant in the star performance. Then, using Woody Allen in Antz, Robert De Niro in Shark Tale and Antonio Banderas in Shrek 2 as case studies, it illustrates how star voice actors can be deployed as signifiers of genre and ethnicity, while also helping storytellers establish characters’ personalities by imparting to them qualities associated with the actor.
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Summers, S. (2020). Woody Allen in the Anthill: DreamWorks and Star Performance. In: DreamWorks Animation. Palgrave Animation. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36851-7_4
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