Tawfiq al-Hakim’s classic novel is getting an English-language edition on its 85th anniversary

BURBANK, United States: Built on hills in Hollywood, won’t the debate over artificial intelligence spawn a mouse? However, this technology in no way worries Mickey’s American dub, for whom an AI could never capture the essence of the character.

“There’s definitely amazing technology being developed with AI that’s really exciting,” said Brett Evan, the actor who voices the Disney icon. “But I think nothing can replace the heart of a character and, more importantly, the heart of storytelling.”

During an interview ahead of the Disney studio’s centennial celebration on Oct. 16, he insists that character and narrative are “specific to an actor, a writer, an animator, an artist, a creator.”

If the company is busy celebrating its centennial, Hollywood has less to party with this summer. Scriptwriters have been on strike for over two months, and actors are threatening to join the social movement.

In addition to the inevitable salary issues, this spiral is fueled by the US film industry’s fear of artificial intelligence. Because if it’s only in its infancy, this new tool has the ability to clone voices or imitate actors to create scripts.

But Mr. For him, the originality of creators is essential to the art of “storytelling,” storytelling.

“I hope this feature continues and allows real people to do this work!” says the forty-year-old, the character’s fourth official translator.

The famous big-eared mouse’s falsetto voice was originally provided by Walt Disney, from the character’s first appearance in the 1928 cartoon “Steamboat Willie”. Two actors have taken on this lofty tone in more than three decades. Mr. Before Ivan took charge.

“I hope I can do it as long as my vocal chords last,” said the translator, who voices Mickey in the “Kingdom Hearts” video game series.

– Hand Animation –

But in the field of animation, the genre of cinema on which Disney has built its reputation, technology has already played a significant role for years.

At both Disney and its competitors, computer-generated images have long taken over from traditional hand-drawn ones.

If humans continue to make movies, the recent use of AI to design the credits for the series “Secret Invasion,” which aired on the Disney+ streaming platform, has sparked controversy in Hollywood.

But for Eric Goldberg, the animator who designed the legendary genius “Aladdin” in the 1992 cartoon, this new technology threatens new sectors of his industry.

“I don’t think AI will affect hand-drawn animation more than computer animation because AI reproduces reality,” he summarizes. “The characters I draw, Genie’s head turns into a toaster! This is not possible with AI writing!”

“Drawing by hand gives us a slight advantage from this perspective,” he adds.

At age 68, this passionate craftsman has completed the training of five new apprentice designers at Disney. He firmly believes that there will always be a “core part of us that wants to see hand-drawn animation.”

“I don’t think AI will be a problem for this aspect of the medium because we have to use our imaginations more to represent hand-drawn characters because there is flexibility in what they can do,” he explains.

The traditional cartoon will continue, “As long as there are people who want to do more!” He concludes.