MovieChat Forums > Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2007) Discussion > Kari Wahlgren (Ariel here) Vs. Melanie M...

Kari Wahlgren (Ariel here) Vs. Melanie MacQueen (the original Ariel)


Hi there Robotech fans and casual viewers.

In the original Robotech: New Generation series dub, Ariel, the Invid Princess who is given the name Marlene after Scott Bernard's ill-fated fiance Marlene Rush, was voiced by Melanie MacQueen, billed as "Aline Leslie" at the time (she was also the voice of Lisa Hayes in the Macross Saga portion). In this feature, Ariel is voiced by Kari Wahlgren, who of course has done her fair share of anime dub work as well as contributing to such superhero works as Hulk Vs. (as Amora the Enchantress), Wolverine & the X-Men (as Emma Frost), Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Amora again, and also Jane Foster), and Young Justice (Carol Ferris, minus Star Sapphire), while Melanie MacQueen, the original Ariel, only returns to voice Marlene Rush for a few flashback/visionary moments.

I was wondering what everyone else thought of this change, given that they had Robotech veterans like Tony Oliver & Gregory Snegoff reprising their roles as Rick Hunter and Scott Bernard, among others. I'm guessing this may have been a Screen Actor Guild thing (they can be funny when it comes to voice actors & how many roles they get away with) or possibly an aesthetic choice, feeling that Melanie MacQueen's voice wouldn't match the new design for Ariel (gotta wonder how Melanie herself felt about the change).

Having just finished watching the series all over again for a 2nd time in closest approximate chronological order (putting the Sentinels in between the end of Macross Saga & the start of the Masters, then putting Love Live Alive & Shadow Chronicles after New Generation) and it's a little jarring to go from hearing Melanie MacQueen's voice come out of Ariel's mouth (and not even trying to sound different from Lisa Hayes) to hearing Kari Wahlgren's voice come from Ariel, given how different their voices are (Melanie's voice being deeper & more maternal sounding, while Kari's voice is lighter & more youthful) and then hearing Kari's voice juxtaposed with Greg Snegoff as Scott. It's almost like watching Lois Maxwell as Ms. Moneypenny go from interacting with Sean Connery as James Bond to interacting with Roger Moore as James Bond.

So what does everyone else think about this?

reply