Today’s Episode
Why do so many Chinese viewers love Zootopia 2 but dislike its Chinese dubbing? In this episode, we explore why celebrity voice acting often feels “not right”, why people say they “get pulled out of the story”, and what audiences really want. Let’s dive in!
Membership Preview
In next MaoMi Chinese+ episode, we look at some fun and surprising Chinese translations of famous films, and explore the culture, humour, and history behind them. If you’ve ever wondered why titles change so much in China, this one’s for you!
Support MaoMi & Get exclusive to premium content!
*Please be mindful that Spotify does not support the membership program.
大家好，欢迎回来 MaoMi Chinese！
最近很多人都在电影院看Zootopia 2，中文名叫《疯狂动物城2》在中国，也有非常多的人喜欢这部电影。可是，很多人说他们不喜欢这部电影的中文配音。配音，也就是给电影或者电视剧加上声音。今天我们来聊一聊《疯狂动物城2》的中文配音。为什么大家会这样说呢？
在电影里，有一些角色是明星配音。很多网友一听，就觉得不对劲。“不对劲”，也就是听起来怪怪的。有人说自己“出戏”，也就是你在看电影，但是你脑子里想到的不是角色，而是那个明星。比如，你明明看到的是一只动物，但是一听声音，你想到的是明星上节目、拍广告的样子。这样大家就很难专心看电影。
为什么大家不喜欢明星配音呢？第一，很多明星的声音太有名了。也就是他们一开口，你马上就知道是谁。大家就会想：“哦，这是那个明星”，而不是“这是电影里的角色”。这样，我们看电影的时候会出戏。
第二，很多网友觉得明星的配音不自然。“不自然”，也就是听起来不像真的在说话，更像在读书本上的句子。专业的配音演员会用声音表现开心、生气、害怕这些感觉。但是明星可能没有训练过，所以他们的声音听起来平平的，没有特别的感觉。
第三，现在中国观众对动画电影越来越认真。他们希望角色听起来像角色本身，而不是像一个明星。如果角色是一个活泼的小动物，声音就应该活泼一点。如果角色是一个冷静的大角色，声音要冷静一点。但是有时候明星的声音和角色差很远，所以网友就会觉得“不合适。”
每次有电影用明星配音，网友都会讨论。有人说明星可以让更多人来看电影。但也有很多网友说：“配音应该请真正会配音的人。”
好啦，我们来复习一下今天学的词：
配音，也就是给电影或者电视剧加上声音。
不对劲，也就是听起来怪怪的。
出戏，也就是你看到角色，但是想到的是别的东西。
不自然，也就是听起来不像真的在说话。
不合适，也就是和角色不一样。
你有没有看过一部动画片，一听到声音就觉得怪怪的？你也可以在网站给我们留言！
Hello everyone, welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!
Recently, lots of people have been watching Zootopia 2 in the cinema. In China, the film is called 《疯狂动物城2》, and many people really like it. However, quite a few people say they don’t like the Chinese dubbing of the film. Dubbing means adding voices to a film or TV show. Today, we’re going to talk about the Chinese dubbing of Zootopia 2. Why are people saying this?
In the film, some of the characters are voiced by celebrities. Many internet users say that as soon as they hear the voices, something feels “not right”, meaning it sounds a bit strange. Some people say they feel “taken out of the story”, meaning that when they watch the film, they don’t think about the character—they think about the celebrity. For example, you’re clearly looking at an animal on screen, but when you hear the voice, you think of the celebrity on TV shows or in adverts. This makes it hard for people to concentrate on the film.
Why don’t people like celebrities doing voice acting? Firstly, many celebrities’ voices are too well-known. That means the moment they start speaking, you instantly know who it is. People think, “Oh, that’s that celebrity,” instead of “This is the character in the film.” And that takes the audience out of the story.
Secondly, many internet users feel that the celebrities’ voice acting doesn’t sound natural. “Not natural” means it doesn’t sound like real speech—it sounds more like reading words from a book. Professional voice actors use their voices to show emotions such as happiness, anger or fear. But celebrities might not have had this kind of training, so their voices can sound flat, without any special feeling.
Thirdly, Chinese audiences are taking animated films more and more seriously. They want characters to sound like the characters themselves, not like a famous person. If the character is a lively little animal, the voice should sound lively. If the character is calm and serious, the voice should sound calm. But sometimes the celebrity’s voice is very different from the character, so people feel it’s “not suitable”.
Whenever a film uses celebrities for dubbing, people start discussing it. Some say celebrities can attract more viewers to the film. But many others say, “Dubbing should be done by people who are truly skilled at it.”
Right, let’s review the new words from today:
不对劲 – this means something sounds strange or not quite right.
出戏 – this means you’re watching a character, but thinking of something else.
不自然 – this means it doesn’t sound like real speech.
不合适 – this means it doesn’t match the character or doesn’t fit well.
配音-this means adding voices to a film or TV show.
Have you ever watched an animated film where the voice just felt strange? You can tell us in
the comments!
I’m from Germany. I really enjoy German dubbing! German movies/actors are in many cases not really …outstanding. I cannot complain about voice actors. Usually i dont “know” the voice actors, they are not really 明星. I have always enjoyed anime and Disney movies.
So it is the opposite to the case above.
Really interesting to know. Thank you for sharing!