Academy Award nominee re-versioned at Lipsync Post

LipSync Post of London have recently completed five foreign language versions of ‘Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,’ the latest animated feature from Nickelodeon for Paramount Pictures, scheduled for UK and European release at Easter.
A 2002 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Film, ‘Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius’ recounts the adventures of its highly resourceful eponymous hero, described by producer Albie Hecht as “Half Einstein, half Bart Simpson.” The character was developed from an original award-winning 40-second animation, first shown at the 1995 SIGGRAPH Convention.
‘Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,’ released in the U.S. for Christmas 2001, has a distinctly retro-fifties visual style and features the talents of several celebrity voices including Patrick Stewart, Martin Short and Andrea Martin. The voice of Jimmy Neutron is played by one of the voice-over world’s most distinctive and consistent artists, Debi Derryberry.
Lipsync Post’s Head of Sound Steve Hayes said: “The key behind mixing a successful foreign version is to convince local audiences that the production was originally made in their language. We receive the Music and Effects tracks together with a print master with the final English Language mix. Normally the foreign voices are recorded in the country of origin where the script might well have called for some adaptation to better fit local culture. While we’re mixing we always have a native speaker present to advise on issues like nuance and emphasis - those are the sort of mistakes that can spoil the experience for an audience.”
Additionally Haynes has to ensure that the characteristics of the original - the appropriate amount of reverb on voices speaking in a large room for example - are adhered to in the foreign versions. “It’s more than simply a technical exercise,” he maintains, “you have to listen carefully to each scene, to make sure that the original creative version is successfully communicated in every language.”
‘Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius’ was mixed in Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese in Lipsync’s two DFC-equipped Dolby theatres.
No stranger to high-profile foreign version dubbing, the company has provided foreign versions for a host of internationally successful movies including ‘Rugrats in Paris’, ‘Tomb Raider,’ ‘Jurassic Park III,’ and ‘The Mummy Returns.’
Lipsync, www.lipsync.co.uk
(GB)