FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Goofy grows

Goofy grows

A brain voice actor Bill Farmer, who makes Disney's Goofy sound so goofy, smartens up to do Doc the dwarf

HAVE YOU EVER wondered what the Seven Dwarfs were up to before they met Snow White? It turns out the little guys had quite an adventure of their own, according to Disney Television Animation’s “The 7D”.
The re-imagining of the titular characters from Disney’s own 1937 film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is the story of Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey when they were protecting Queen Delightful the city of Jollywood from magical villains Grim and Hildy Gloom.
Actor Bill Farmer, best known as the voice of Goofy for the past 30 years, plays Doc, the self-proclaimed leader of the dwarfs. Actress Leigh-Allyn Baker from “Will & Grace” lends her voice to Queen Delightful, while Whoopi Goldberg takes the role of the Magic Mirror and Jay Leno is the Crystal Ball.
The wicked mage and witch Grim and Hildy Gloom are voiced by Jess Harnell and Kelly Osbourne, who debut her first major voiceover role in “The 7D”.
We asked Farmer, “What’s up, Doc?”

HOW DID YOU BECOME END UP IN THIS ROLE?
I do auditions all the time for TV series, commercials and announcing jobs. My agent told me about this new series called “The 7D” and said they wanted me to try out. They sent me a picture of Doc and couple of the other ones as well, which I tried out for. I came up with this voice of Doc and they liked it.

HOW WAS IT DIFFERENT FROM DOING GOOFY?
Unlike Doc, Goofy’s been around since 1932. With Goofy it was more of a voice match. With Doc it was a whole lot of different process.
The most important thing when doing a voiceover is the personality. You have to know what the character is like. Is he an angry character or a happy one? You’re not on camera, but you have to find a way to act just in your voice.
Doc is very scientific and intelligent, so I decided to speak very articulately and quickly, since his mind must work fast. It’s like playing an instrument, I think. You have to do it enough that you don’t have to think about it too much.
WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART?
At first it was just maintaining the voice. I kept forgetting at what voice I came up with. So I’d have them play back things from the last episode, and then I remembered. Once I learned the voice it became very easy.
The other difficult thing is this other character I do on the show, Sir Yipsalot, who’s a little dog. That’s tough on my throat because it’s this weird, sucking-in, high-pitched voice. If you do that for about 10 minutes, you voice gets very tired.

DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STUDIO.
The actors record their lines separately, which makes it easier for the editor to put everything together. We’d do several takes for each line and they’d pick the best. It’s not as much fun, because I love working with other people, but occasionally we had three or four guys in at the same time.
We’re not watching the animation when we record. It’s just words on a sheet, like reading a play. It’s interesting, because in your mind you have to fill in the blanks. I’d never even seen a picture of Queen Delightful until the show came out, so in my mind I had a vision of what she looked like, which was totally different from what she actually looks like on the show.
Now we’re going into the second season and we’ve seen the episodes, so I now know what they all look like and that gives me an even better resource to act.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A VOICE ACTOR?
When I was a kid I loved dubbed cartoons and movies, and I always wanted to be in show business in some capacity. But I grew up in Kansas, which is the middle of America, and Hollywood seemed like it was a million miles away.
I got a college degree in broadcast journalism and I was in radio for a number of years. I found out at an early age that I could do voices. I’d listen to TV and movie stars, the old Western actors like John Wayne, and I started doing the voice. My friends got me to play pranks, like driving through McDonald’s and ordering in a strange voice.
Later on I started doing stand-up comedy. I actually became a full time stand-up comedian for five years before coming to Hollywood, and that gave me the ability to deliver lines and make them funny, which is very important.

AND HOW DID YOU LAND GOOFY?
At the time Disney had four or five voice actors doing Mickey, Donald and Goofy, but then they decided to have just one for each main role so that the audience would always be hearing the same voice.
There was a big audition. I could do a Mickey Mouse voice, but Goofy was always my favourite. Out of about a thousand people that tried out, they liked my Goofy voice, and I’ve been doing it ever since, since January 1987. I’m very honoured that they still want me to do it.
In 2008 I was named a “Disney Legend”, which is also an honour. I think it’s the best job in the world, being a voice over actor.

YOU AND GOOFY MUST BE GREAT PALS AFTER 27 YEARS.
And he’s a good guy too, because he’s always optimistic and friendly and doesn’t let things get him down. He’s very happy-go-lucky.
One of my favourite things to do from time to time is talk to children in hospitals, and that’s when the magic comes alive. You’re one-on-one talking on a phone with a child who’s very sick and wants nothing more than to talk to Mickey or Goofy. To make them feel better, to hear that in their voices and to get thank-you letters from the parents, that’s one of the best parts of being Goofy.

DO PEOPLE EVER RECOGNISE YOU ON THE STREET?
Occasionally, because of YouTube and the premieres I attend. People who are really into cartoons might know who I am, but the general public doesn’t. And that’s the best part of it – I can turn it on and off – whereas if I were Tom Cruise I couldn’t go out of the house without getting mobbed. I always like to say that Goofy and Doc are famous, but I’m not, and I like it that way.

HEE-YUCK!
“The 7D” airs at10am, 3pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and Sunday on the Disney Channel (TrueVisions 448).
 

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