Voice actors are what make Rick and Morty work as well as it does. Granted that animators set the stage, execute the storylines, and add the expressions. However, it is the way that the VAs voice the characters that has become timeless for the series. From Jerry’s whining to Beth’s irritated voice and even Summer’s monotonous personality, all reflect well because of the way their actors shape them.
Since Justin Roiland was the voice actor for both Morty and Rick, one can imagine that a lot could have gone wrong after he was fired. With how much time we spent with his portrayal, it is not surprising that fans are critical of Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni’s voice acting as his replacements, even though it is as close as the show can get.
However, the blame may not be entirely theirs to bear. The two recently revealed something that could explain why their Morty and Rick seem a little off.
Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni don’t get to improvise on Rick and Morty
With the release of the eighth season, the cast of Rick and Morty has been revealing small pieces of information from the production of the series. Recently, Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni gave an interview with CinemaBlend, where they revealed one very interesting piece of information about their process of recording the series.
Cardoni confessed that they are not allowed to improvise their lines in the slightest. Since the writers of the show have been creating the series for eight seasons now, they trust their process very well, understanding the characters through and through. Since Cardoni and Belden were brought in for season 7, it would seem that the series does not trust them enough to make improvisations in character.
I think by the time the scripts get in front of us, they’ve gone through so many iterations. The writers really do an amazing job, and they’ve got it in a place that they really feel really works for the show, and the improvisational sounding moments are often written in.
And, so while we’ve, especially in season 8, I’ve had some creative license in terms of where burps are placed, and you know, certain stammers and yells and things like that. The improv comes in the delivery in finding the motivation behind the words, but the writers are really kind of giving the core material.
From burps and stutters here and there to Rick’s insults and even Morty’s nervous rambles, all that seems improvised is actually written into the script in detail. It would seem that, although Cardoni has gotten some control over the burps this season, they were not allowed to do any of these things by themselves in the seventh season.
While the voice actors don’t seem confident enough in their capabilities to do this right now, since they have only played these characters for two seasons, one cannot help but wonder if such a process affects the quality of the show.
Rick and Morty needs to give Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni some creative control
Since Harry Belden and Ian Cardoni joined Rick and Morty, it seems to be shining because of story-focused reasons rather than character-focused ones. While their psyches were explored in the previous seasons, that was credited to the excellent writing of the season.
On the other hand, their personalities are evidently different, and their voices could have a lot to do with this. From the sounds of it, two actors are not getting a lot of creative control to add these to the story since everything is being written in the script already.
While their writing talents are shining, the voice actors are not able to add personality to their dialogue. On the other hand, the voice actors seem to just be following instructions, being specifically told what to do at every corner, and calling it ‘improvisation.’ This makes Morty and Rick seem like they are under the weather. Morty’s voice has more voice cracks, and Rick is missing his fed-up attitude. Both are just lacking specific, key parts of their characters.
While Justin Roiland’s firing was necessary and justified, he had a level of control over the script that helped him add personality to these characters. On top of being a voice actor, he was also playing the role of writer, which allowed him to shape the series according to how he wanted it. He was able to improvise when he wanted and take whatever direction he wished to.
While the new voice actors cannot be given the same amount of freedom since they have just joined the series, allowing them to stutter and burp where they think they should is something the series can allow them to do.
Rick and Morty is currently available for streaming on Adult Swim.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
