427. Voice Actor James Arnold Taylor Returns

Acclaimed voice actor James Arnold Taylor was a guest on this show on Episode 381. That interview was recorded at a Fan Expo Comic Con and was cut short by the Con event coordinators. Taylor vowed then to return to the podcast and made good on his promise in this episode.
Taylor has famously played Obi-Wan Kenobi in all Star Wars animated properties, including The Clone Wars, Rebels, and numerous others. He has voiced hundreds of characters in numerous properties, including Ratchet and Clank, Final Fantasy X, Drawn Together, and Johnny Test. He played Fred Flintstone in various commercials after the original voice actor, Henry Corden, passed away.

He is starring in a new 2025 animated film entitled “The King of Kings.” In it, Taylor plays eight different characters! The film stars many Star Wars alums, including Mark Hamill, Oscar Issac, Forest Whitaker, and Vanessa Marshall. The film also stars Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Griffin Davis, and Ben Kingsley.

In this episode, Taylor tells the incredible story of having voiced the entire movie for a scratch track to help the animators. He explained why The King of Kings is such a passion project for him. He also discusses how streaming has not helped create more opportunities in animation.