Ask Sovereign

[Sovereign]

Actually, I own all of the recent games except Diablo 3. I've played Starcraft 2 the least but even then I liked it. My favorite Blizzard game is WoW even if I don't play it right now but I'm planning to do so soon. I started it in 2008 and I've played it intermittently ever since then. I just love the game: I cannot even begin to list all of the great times I've had with it. Legion was a nice addition and it managed to breath some life into the game. I also like Warcraft 3 due to it's great design and storyline. Needless to say, the Warcraft universe is my favorite Blizzard franchise.

At the moment, I play mostly Heroes of the Storm. Even if it gets on my nerves sometimes, it's still a solid and fun game. Blizzard has put some serious thought into it and it's quick matches are enough for the MOBA genre. My favorite heroes are Medivh and Gul'dan. I also play lots of Hearthstone even if I'm not too serious about it. It's a bit too luck-based for me.

[Dracorider19]

I have one more question dealing with animated films: how do you feel about the use
of celebrities as voice actors for characters?

I feel the celebrity voice actor has become overused, and the fact that celebrities are now
the norm when casting a voice for an animated movie character is displeasing to many
animation fans, myself included.
Celebrities are typically only cast for "name power" in hopes that an audience will be more likely to see the animated film if it has "big names" in it. While I do think some celebrities and
regular actors are talented enough for the voice of an animated character, more often than
not, I wish that actual voice actors (Tim Curry, Jim Cummings, Frank Welker, etc.) were
used more often in animated films.
Now I'm not completely opposed to the choice of casting regular actors or celebrities to voice animated characters, since I saw Disney's Moana and Dwayne Johnson did such a great job as Maui. I just feel that casting "big name" actors is being overused and
often do not bring the heart and soul to a character that voice actors do.    

What pleased me most about Moana's casting was the choice of Auli'i Cravalho, who had
never been in a film before and was completely new, to voice Moana. They didn't choose
her because of any fame at all, but because they wanted a talented newcomer! Bless them
for that!

[Sovereign]

The sad part for me is, I don't know most of those celebrities they're hiring these days. They do very little for me and I wouldn't even know some voice that the producers feel I should. Yet, I agree that most of the times professional voice actors do a better job. It's not a bad thing that there is a wider range of voice actors used but all of those you named are phenomenal in their job and they are able to express many different voices. Even then, I don't think voice acting should be a small, closed circle and partly because of that I don't mind the celebrity voice actors. If someone wishes to hear their idol in a film, I have nothing against it, especially if they do a good job. I believe Reba McEntire in JOTB can be used as an example. I really liked her performance as Etta and she didn't feel out of place in any way. However, if they screw up their performance, there's little reason to use them. They should indeed impersonate the character rather than themselves. For example, things would have gotten rather awkward, say, Justin Bieber had been Hans in Frozen. So there should be some consideration when those celebrities are hired. I haven't seen Moana yet so I can't say anything about that.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

thx very much! I liked to read your respond!

Not gonna post my position about this question and start discussion here since it's Ask me thread.

Here's new question:

Do you believe in rainbowfa... oops, I mean, in aliens. In that UFO stuff?

And opposite side from that question: Do you believe in supernatural? Ghosts, Demons, superhumans, etc?

In many ways the scenario you describe happened with Pterano, Petrie's uncle who lead many from original herd that was looking for Great Valley to their destruction. The adults then did not trust Pterano when we reappeared in Great Valley. You are right, the Gang of Five will see through anything, if one is blind the rest isn't, take Ali, Cera saw immediately she was stand offish, while Little Foot was aware, but a little beguiled because of his friendship.

[Sneak]

thx very much! I liked to read your respond!

Not gonna post my position about this question and start discussion here since it's Ask me thread.

Here's new question:

Do you believe in rainbowfa... oops, I mean, in aliens. In that UFO stuff?

And opposite side from that question: Do you believe in supernatural? Ghosts, Demons, superhumans, etc?

In many ways the scenario you describe happened with Pterano, Petrie's uncle who lead many from original herd that was looking for Great Valley to their destruction. The adults then did not trust Pterano when we reappeared in Great Valley. You are right, the Gang of Five will see through anything, if one is blind the rest isn't, take Ali, Cera saw immediately she was stand offish, while Little Foot was aware, but a little beguiled because of his friendship.

I think you confused poss/thread. Oo

[Dracorider19]

I have one more question on your ideas about animation:
Which years in the 2000s do you feel was the worst time for animation?

I know that Disney wasn't doing too good for most of the 2000s (with the exception of "Lilo and Stitch" (2002)), but while other studios like DreamWorks and Pixar were thriving, I feel there was a 'dork age' for animation in general from about 2005-2007.                                              
2006 was the worst year for animated films for me. Plus, at that time a lot of terrible animated TV shows were made which I strongly disliked to the core.

[Sovereign]

I haven't much too much of the TV shows (except Naruto and Attack on Titan   ) in the 2000s so I'll answer on basis of films. In the first years of the century, there were a number of acceptable to great films like Atlantis, Brother Bear, Spirited Away and even Polar Express that were actually alright. Plus, LBT was still running those days. It really needed a lot of balancing not to say these years because of stuff like Shrek and Monsters Inc. (This is kinda off-topic but it still shocks me that Monsters Inc stole the Oscar for the best song from the Fellowship of the Ring :angry:).  2005 had Corpse Bride and 2006 Bambi 2 and even if those films weren't awesome, they were quite funny to watch. Lately, there has been once again very nice films like Tangled, Frozen, Wind Rises and JOTB so I guess things are getting a bit better.  The driest period for me is 2007-2009. I cannot come up with bright spots on those years so the time between Bambi 2 and Tangled was the darkest age of the 2000s for me.

[Dracorider19]

Yes, since the turn of the 2010s, there has been a lot of great animated films, and Disney has come full circle in another renaissance known as the "Disney Revival".
I do acknowledge that there were great animated films in the early 2000s such as Shrek, Spirited Away, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo, and I knew LBT well in that time.

Bonus fact: You once mentioned in an earlier reply that a great deal of CGI-animated films were overly comedic, and there's an explanation for that- one large factor is because of CGI films in the early 2000s such as Shrek relied on pop culture jokes and parental bonus humor, and so was a driving part for this. Shrek was a very influential film when it came out in 2001. But the genre that Shrek and other CGI films used became stale in a few years, and so there's been more traditional and sophisticated films such as Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon, and of course, Frozen.

[Sovereign]

I haven't seen most of Disney's recent films (Wreck-it-Ralph and Zootopia, for example) so I cannot really say about the Revival. Even if the films have improved clearly, there still hasn't been a new Aladdin or Hercules. I guess I have no business complaining about the genre Shrek initiated as the clear majority of the people like it. However, I am simply happy that its dominance over animation is slipping. Bluth, you better start a new era in animation with Dragon's Lair!  

[Littlefoot fan 1990]

Are you a Disney fan?

If so, which era of Disney films do you like best? The Disney Classics (anything prior to 1989), Disney Renaissance (1989-1999) or Modern Disney? (2000-present)

[Sovereign]

This is somewhat similar to Dracorider's old question but I'm a Disney fan. My favorite era is the so-called Golden Age (1937-1942) which contains the three greatest Disney films there are, Bambi, Fantasia and Snow White. The way those movies are told, the way they are drawn and the stories behind those films are mesmerizing. For example, Bambi's plot is built quite masterfully and the way it is drawn is stunning and I cannot help but love the old-school music of those films. Also, Fantasia's Nutcracker and Rite of Spring sections pretty much sum up everything I love about classic animation. The many books I have about the subject only adds to the appreciation I have to the early days of Disney. For example, a book called Bambi: the Story and the Film, written by its leading animators,really makes you think about the work these great artists put into the film.

I also have great respect for the Disney Renaissance. Many films of that era (like Hercules, Aladdin and Mulan) are extremely entertaining and funny in the right way and most of their songs are just great. Also, they're drawn very well. A few years back, I made a top 100 animation songs Youtube video. There's far too little LBT in there as it was done before I recovered my love for it but otherwise, I still like it pretty much. Here's the link, if you're interested!  

[Anagnos]

Don't mind me, just thought I'd revive this thread. 

What would you name your boat if you had one?

[ImpracticalDino]

What would be your ideal vacation retreat?

[Sovereign]

Interesting questions. About the boat, I'm not exactly sure about that one but it would probably be something unimaginative. As for the vacation retreat, I'd rather have a more active vacation and see stuff but if I only had to rest, it'd probably be some hiking destination, probably in the Caucasus.

[ImpracticalDino]

What is your spirit animal?

[Sovereign]

My spirit animal? I've always loved cats so that's what it is, I guess.

[StardustSoldier]

Do you have a favourite non-LBT animated film?

[Sovereign]

Thank you for the questions, Stardust! That's an easy one, though. Bambi is my absolute second favorite animated film, there's no question about it.

[StardustSoldier]

You're very welcome. I have plenty more questions I can ask.

I really need to watch Bambi again sometime. I haven't seen it since I was a kid.

Anyway, do you have a favourite video game(s)?

[ImpracticalDino]

What is your favorite season of the year?