Animate! brings popular voice actors to Miami

Collin Simpson // Staff Writer

Animate! Miami, Florida’s Largest Anime Convention, brought three days of entertainment and learning to lovers of animation, comic books, and video games. From Oct. 23-25, 2015, the Animate! Miami Convention took place at the Miami Airport Convention Center. Since the theme of the con is animation and anime, the majority of the actors appearing at this convention were voice actors.

Some of the major stars of the show came from no other than Disney itself. Actress Linda Larkin was one featured guest, the voice actress of the fiery Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and all later features. Actor Christopher Daniel Barnes was another visiting celebrity, known for the voice of Prince Eric in “The Little Mermaid,” Spider-Man and Peter Parker in the Spider-Man Animated Series, and Greg Brady in “The Brady Bunch Movie.”

Also starring at the convention was Margaret Kerry, who portrayed Disney’s most beloved fairy, Tinker Bell, in the 1953 Peter Pan classic. Kerry discussed working with the legendary Walt Disney himself.

The convention provided several cast reunions, such as “Attack on Titan” featuring Josh Grelle (Armin Arlert), Lauren Landa (Annie Leonhardt), Robert McCollum (Reiner), Patrick Seitz (Keith Shadis), and Ian Sinclair (Nile Dok). There was also a reunion of actors from the hit Nickelodeon series “Every Witch Way,” featuring Jason Drucker, Todd Allen Durkin, Jackie Frazey and Lisa Corrao.

Although the Disney, Power Ranger and Steven Universe actors charged for their autographs and photo ops, all the anime actors attending signed three items per person for free. For these events, the lines were often long and were capped off after a certain number of people filled the line. These actors had specific times for their signing, so unless you were willing to show up early and wait for half an hour or so, you were unlikely to get an autograph from some of these actors and actresses.

The attending celebrities also appeared in question and answer panels, in which they discussed their experiences in the acting and voice acting world, sharing some of their most memorable experiences on the job. Most of these actors either staged standalone panels or were part of a cast panel. Linda Larkin talked about her experiences for Disney, such as what it was like working with the late Robin Williams and what she loved about Aladdin.

When asked about her feelings toward her character Jasmine, Larkin responded, “What I loved about Jasmine is that she was a feisty princess. She had a very strong mind and did something very cool. Jasmine said to her father, ‘The law is wrong,’ about the marriage law, and she went out and risked everything because of what she believed in, and changed the law. That is what I think is a modern, cool princess.”

The cast panels presented an entertaining perspective, allowing the audience to view first-hand how the actors worked perfectly with and supported each other.

Josh Grelle explained to the audience the danger of online piracy during one panel, which was supported by his fellow anime actors. “When you come to cons, it’s easy to think that animes are the biggest things ever. These days they are much more popular thanks to the Internet. But also, thanks to the black magic of the Internet, they are also dying because people would rather get them for free or steal them, as opposed to supporting the shows. So, spread the word.”
Robert McCollum added, “Don’t pirate because of us, do it because you love this art form.”

Animate! Miami held something for everyone. Shoppers were delighted as they strolled through the immense array of booths filled with every kind of product one could desire and the deals were excellent. The products ranged from plush dolls and anime statues to actual stainless steel swords and bins full of comic paperbacks. There were items there to suit every want and need.

Wherever you looked, themed costumed characters meandered throughout the corridors and conference rooms. Multiple costume and cosplay events were scheduled throughout the three days for people who role-played in costume, as there were thousands of dollars in cash and prizes on the line. From the colorful anime world of “DragonBall Z”, “Bleach” and “Attack on Titan” to the tights of superheroes, cosplay was everywhere. Even characters from the galaxy of Star Wars landed in Miami as a Jedi, Sith or clone trooper.

For those into gaming, Animate! Miami had an enormous gaming center, full of video games for every system one can imagine, from the high-def next generation systems to the vintage classics. After all, what’s a better way to relax than pounding each other in Super Smash Melee or outracing each other in a round of Mario Kart 64?

Missed it? Don’t worry, there are still plenty of comic conventions in Florida, such as Ultra-Con on Nov. 21 and 22, and Magic City Comic Con, taking place January 15-17, 2016. And don’t forget the FIU Comic Con, taking place at Biscayne Bay Campus Nov. 19.

 

All Photos courtesy of: Collin Simpson

 

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