Every June 12 World Dubbing Day is celebrated, to celebrate all the hard work done by the actors and interpreters of this work, all those who are behind a microphone giving personality and a voice to the characters.
One of the most influential voice actors in Latin America is the Mexican Mario Filio, who has given voice to many characters from Disney studios such as: Goofy, Ralph, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars), Remo and the mirror of Shrek, King Julien of Madagascar, Jaimico and Don Gato and his gang, among others.
In his more than 30 years of experience in dubbing he has been fortunate to lend his voice to more than 50 characters. He has also voiced actors like John C. Reilly; Ewan McGregor, Will Smith, and Clive Owen.
The also singer and comedian spoke of his beginnings in dubbing, in an interview conducted by the digital medium Duplos, on June 9. Especially when his father, Tilín “The Voice Photographer”, broke his illusion by telling him that he had participated in the dubbing of The Flintstones.
Revelation that at that moment surprised little Mario, and that aroused his irrepressible interest in the voices that were behind the animated characters. To the point of becoming years later his “great passion”, and recently Best Actor in Animated Dubbing at Lavat Awards 2020.
How were the beginnings of Mario in the dubbing?
“I grew up in a family of artistic blood, I started as a child in the guignol theater accompanying my father” Tilín the voice photographer “, who was a comedian from the 70s and 80s. There he made voices for dolls imitating Cantinflas, Topo Gigio, Chabelo, over time they invited me to dub voices and I realized that I could create them. I studied communication, where my advertising colleagues began to invite me to courses, auditions and castings, that’s how I started on the radio ”, Filio told Duplos.
The winner of the Voice Arts Awards (the Oscars of the voice) as Best International Announcer, he relived his first steps singing in Sesame Street or as Jafar in Aladdin. Later becoming the voice of Filoctetes (Hercules) or participating in cartoons such as: Inspector Gadget and Jaimico (I am the Weasel).
Transporting everyone who was connected to his memorable time as a voice actor for Cartoon Network with Johnny Bravo and Dexter’s Laboratory. In addition to his work at Disney for characters such as Chi-Fu from Mulán and a shark in “Fish are friends” from Finding Nemo.
What has been the most challenging for Mario?
“I have focused on being suddenly chameleonic, a challenge is constant motivation, being versatile and not very predictable. This keeps me cool and grounded so I don’t trust myself. Since 2005 I have joined the world of podcasting, since it is a very interesting means of communication, and I also like to sing, I have some singles ”.
For Mario, it has been gratifying to travel to various countries and see that people associate and recognize his voice from a radio advertisement, from a movie or a cartoon series.
“Seeing that people at all ages are surprised is a gift you don’t expect. Usually in dubbing you work in a very remote room where no one sees you and you spend many hours recording, so it is very nice when people congratulate you and thank you for being part of their childhood, “he says.
He emphasizes that one of the most important tasks he has had for 20 years is sharing his knowledge by giving lectures or master classes at universities. “For some colleagues I give training and updating workshops to learn new interpretive techniques and care of the voice and also the workshops ‘online’ for the public where I give practical exercises that help you put them into practice”.
Currently, he continues to do dubbing, series and films for companies that work by streaming and also gives classes to groups of speakers from all over the world who want to learn how to use the voice without being actors or announcers.
Dubbing
Voice dubbing is a process that consists of recording and replacing the voices of real or animated characters in an audiovisual medium (film, television and radio) using digital resources. The purpose of the dubbing is to give personality and voice to characterizations of characters in other languages.
The origin of dubbing dates back to Europe at the end of the 20th century when it was used as a resource to control information in a nationalist political context. In Spain, the Franco regime censored the audiovisual world, modifying and changing scenes. Films like ‘Casablanca’, ‘Mogambo’ or ‘The lady from Shanghai’ are some examples of the changes in the dubbing to go against political ideology.
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