Whether its animated movies, videogames or cartoons, famous actors have been lending their vocal talents to these mediums for many years now. With the advent of virtual reality (VR) comes a new entertainment form that requires skilled voice acting and notable names are already jumping on board. Battlestar Galatica’s Katee Sackhoff voices the lead character in CCP Games’ EVE: Valkyrie, and Ethan Hawke narrates Baobab Studios award winning short INVASION!. And its for the latter’s sequel ASTEROIDS! that Baobab Studios has secured the talent of Emmy-nominated actor and director Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock, The Hunger Games, Wet Hot American Summer).
Banks lends her charm and wit to Cheez, one of the bumbling aliens, but kind-hearted aliens seen in INVASION!. ASTEROIDS! will make its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and has been chosen as an official selection. In the animated film viewers take on the role of a helper-bot alongside a pair of quirky aliens, Mac and Cheez. Joined by their other robot sidekick, Peas, viewers wait for a chance to prove their worth on a dangerous mission in deep outer space. The chance finally comes when the spaceship is endangered by teeth-gnashing space-bugs and careening asteroids. With the others up to their alien eyeballs in trouble, it’s their job to save the day!
“Elizabeth’s voice brings the heart-warming and blissfully innocent character of Cheez fully alive in ASTEROIDS! as viewers don a VR headset and become part of the completely engrossing animated story,” explains Maureen Fan, CEO and co-founder, Baobab Studios. “This story employs a secret, decodable and very fun alien language that she has fully and enthusiastically embraced in the voice of Cheez.”
And for fans of INVASION! who are keen to see ASTEROIDS!, Baobab Studios has released ASTEROIDS! Holiday Sneak Peek today for Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream via their respective stores. A standalone app experience for ASTEROIDS! will also be available soon for PlayStation VR.
For the latest news on ASTEROIDS! and Baobab Studios, keep reading VRFocus.