Voice actors make or break a good animation. It’s why many viewers often shy away from the dubbed versions of Japanese anime, or switch around language dubs on video games to find a sound that suits how they view their favorite characters. And iconic voices make a character memorable – Donald Duck’s voice is recognizable even to those that have never seen even a glimpse of Mickey Mouse, and SpongeBob’s familiar sound is well known across the internet for his high pitched squeaky laugh.
But dialogue isn’t always the core of animation. Of course, it makes a good animation even better, but is it necessary? Absolutely not. And The Red Turtle (2016) is an excellent representation of such.
The Red Turtle is a collaboration film between the Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, and European film company Wild Bunch, receiving critical acclaim for having no dialogue. The visuals are not elaborate, the music not extraordinary, but the movie achieves its purpose – to tell a narrative, no more and no less.
The story itself is simple, without much of an insightful key theme or primary message to be pondered upon. It follows a man, stranded upon an island, who attempts and fails to save himself by escaping via raft – a massive, red turtle hinders his plans and destroys his raft everytime. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say the man discovers a secret about the turtle that keeps him on the island for decades to come.
A simple story that is easy to understand, easy to grasp.
Perhaps that’s why it is easy for animation to capture the magic of The Red Turtle without dialogue and only with a steady drawing hand and a musician.
But it’s not just these simple stories though. Sure, it’s probably easier to capture the essence of the story without the use of dialogue. However, Oscar winning short film If Anything Happens, I Love You (2020), proves that the seemingly impossible can be done once again – a heartbreaking animated short film, following the theme of grief, all without dialogue.
If Anything Happens, I Love You is a short film following the aftermath of grief that enshrouds two parents who have grown distant from each other following the death of their daughter, who was killed in a school shooting. The film follows the struggle to reconcile and the struggle to continue onwards amidst deep and ingrained grief. It’s a heart-wrenching watch that never fails to
To be fair, If Anything Happens, I Love You cheats a little. The film does use musical lyrics to convey the presence of the daughter still lingering in the corners of the home. But even when the lyrics are not playing, and all that the ear can hear is the backtrack to the film, the story still has the ability to reach out a hand to your chest and play with your heartstrings like any other film with words could.
In no dialogue films, there is more emphasis on expressions and small details. In films where the actors speak, it isn’t just their bodies acting, but also their voice. That’s why in animated films, finding a good voice actor is so important – it is single handedly the easiest place for a character to find a hook and shine. We see this in cultural impact too. Mickey Mouse characters are well known for being characterized by their famous “Mickey” voice – it’s a staple with those that attempt to dress up as the iconic Disney mouse.
But characters have become famous without a voice too. In Tom and Jerry, both protagonists rarely speak, though if you asked anyone on the street if they knew who Tom and Jerry were, they would most certainly answer affirmatively. It’s not the voice of Tom and Jerry that people remember, but rather their actions, their expressions, and the familiar music and sound effects that play when they act humorously.
In both The Red Turtle and If Anything Happens, I Love You, little actions and details are highlighted, like the way the man in The Red Turtle expresses his anger at the turtle, or the way the mother picks at her food out of anxiety and unease in If Anything Happens, I Love You. The little messages and connotations are there for the world to see, without the distraction of dialogue.
Dialogue is a tool. But dialogue is not a crutch. And films that choose not to utilize such a tool become exponentially more profound – simply by throwing away the crutch and relying on the bare bones of animation.
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