'Hayop Ka!' director explains why casting celebrities is necessary for Pinoy animation projects

Barely a week since its Netflix debut and Trese has been hogging the headlines for several reasons.

One of the hot topics is the anime's dubbing, with some expressing displeasure with the decision to cast a known celebrity to voice the lead character instead of a professional voice actor.

Actress Liza Soberano was tapped to voice protagonist Alexandra Trese in the series.

The argument is that professional voice actors are more trained and skilled, and would give more justice to the character being portrayed.

Director Avid Liongoren has a different opinion, though.

“The hot take that our local animations should cast voice actors instead of celebs is incredibly ignorant to the reality of the state of Pinoy animation. The reason why we have to cast celebs is simple: money. You know that elusive thing people need to make art?” Avid wrote on the Facebook page of Rocketsheep Studio, the independent animation studio that he founded.

Avid was the director and producer of the adult animated rom-com film, Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story.

The film featured the voices of celebrities Angelica Panganiban, Robin Padilla, and Sam Milby, for the lead characters.

They were joined by fellow celebrities Empoy Marquez, Arci Muñoz, Yeng Constantino, and Eugene Domingo, among others.

The genre's taxing process plus the huge cost involved, according to Avid, make it more complicated to produce and sell as compared to non-animated films.

Having a celebrity gives a project a fighting chance to be noticed both by producers and the audience.

“It takes at least three years to make an animated film or show while a live action rom-com with famous actors can be made in a span of six months for the same amount, if not less,” he wrote.

“It's a very tough sell to financiers. Why fund something that takes so long when a faster option to make money exists? The few business folks that do buy in mitigate their risk by attaching popular names.

“It's a very practical and logical compromise. We need their money and they need some kind assurance that it won't go to waste.”

He added, “That is why Hayop Ka!, Barangay 143, and Trese cast celebs. With regards to the quality of performance, voice acting goes hand in hand with directing.

“Performance quality is subjective and is not the point of this post. We are simply explaining the necessity of [casting] celebs.

“Even the great Makoto Shinkai casts idols and actors for his films because his name alone is not yet a guarantee for the return of investment to the money people.”

Filipino animation, continued Avid, is still in its infancy and its ability to make money remains in question.

This is the reason why local animated films in Philippine cinema are few and far between.

“Studios like us barely survive doing what we do. We do not know of any Pinoy animation creator who is rolling around in money.

“Even the creators of something as hugely successful and popular as Trese cannot quit their day jobs just yet to do that full time.”

Avid ended his post by stressing that casting celebrities for Filipino animation projects are the way to go - at least for now.

“Someday when our homegrown characters reach the popularity of Hello Kitty, Goku, or Mickey Mouse, celeb voices will be unnecessary,” Avid said.

“We yearn for that, too. We yearn for a wide sustainable industry. But for now we need celebs to create a future for Pinoy animation that more of us can be a part of.”

Read Avid's post in full here:

Check out our list of Filipino anime films and series in this gallery: