EXCLUSIVE: Keegan-Michael Key Talks Voice Acting & Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
Keegan-Michael Key returns as everyone’s favorite mummy, Murray in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, and we got the chance to hear from the star regarding his return for the fourth movie in the Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.
During the interview, Key talked his reaction to the new design for Murray in the movie, voice acting, and so much more. Check out what he had to say below.
What was your reaction when you saw the new design for Murray?
“I was surprised. I expected him to be bigger. I expected Murray to be bigger. To me, it was like one revolution of wraps, so I thought he’d be this big, kind of fat, corpulent guy. Then when all the wraps come off and you see that he’s just… First of all, he was super short, but he’s really working the jowls. That was my favorite thing, just jowls for days. I like that. It’s really great because it helps inform you as to what you want to do vocally then, because they had a completely different voice for him. He was great.”
What has been the most rewarding part of the voice acting animation experience on these films?
“I would say the most rewarding part is that the concept of not having any limitations, especially in these movies. The look of the characters are so exaggerated that anything that you would have been busted for on a live action movie, you don’t have to worry about. That is the best thing, because that’s what you did… It reminds me of being a kid. When you’re a kid and you play with the other friends, your imagination went everywhere and there’d be times you’re at the field, and playing and screaming and all of that abandon you get to channel that again as an adult when you’re doing animated films. It’s not only not frowned upon, it’s encouraged. That to me is my favorite thing about working in this space.”
You can read the rest of the interview below the jump. Hotel Transylvania: Transformania will be released to Prime Video on January 14.
Photo credit: Amazon Studios
What do you think these movies do well at showcasing?
“I think what’s interesting is the way that they portray the family dynamics, like how spouses and loved ones, and girlfriends, and everybody is working off of each other. Those dynamics are really well observed I think in the movies. I think they’re really well observed.”
Why do you think adults relate to these movies so much?
“You know that sense where an adult can be laughing at a hard joke with a hard punchline, but also at the same time there’s this sense of ‘Oh my God, we do that. Me and my wife do that.’ It’s super deliciously relatable.”
What are you going to miss most about this series?
“I’m going to miss the final products that we always see. The movies are really, really done on such a high level and it’s the rhythm of the movies, and the spirit behind them that really, really moves me. In a way, I’m saying I’m going to miss seeing them, if indeed this is the last one. I’m going to miss seeing the new one, when a new one comes out, because they’re always really, really, really well done.”
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity