Noro Kayo is a voice actress for the Japanese version of Disney & Pixar's new animated feature film, "Elio" (released August 1st). She plays Woooo, a liquid computer who serves as a guide at "Communiverse," where representatives from the stars gather. Although she sometimes makes sarcastic remarks, she is a cute character who supports the main character, Elio, with her various high-tech abilities. We spoke to Noro about her thoughts on the role of Woooo and some episodes from the recording.
◇Has experience as a cast member at Tokyo DisneySea
The film stars Elio, a boy who yearns for a "true place to belong" somewhere in this vast world. Elio is invited to the "Communiverse," where representatives from the stars gather, where he meets Grodon, a similarly lonely alien boy. The two bond over their shared feelings, but a threat that threatens to shake the "world of stars" approaches... This is the story. The film is directed by Madeline Sharafian, who served as story artist for "Coco" (2017), Domee Shi, director of "Me and the Red Panda" (2022), and Adrian Molina, writer and co-director of "Coco."
Before entering the entertainment industry, Noro was such a big Disney fan that she worked as a cast member at Tokyo DisneySea (Urayasu City, Chiba Prefecture). After auditioning in the US, she received a call in her dressing room informing her that she had been selected as the voice actor for Woooo. As someone who has always loved Disney, she was delighted to even be approached about auditioning, and after passing, she said her emotions grew stronger with each passing day.
"I couldn't believe it, and I was incredibly happy. With each passing day, it felt more real, and I was more moved... The moment I felt it the most was when I went to see 'Lilo & Stitch.' They played ' Elio Back' in the trailer. It hadn't been announced yet that I'd be in it, but when I saw the trailer, I thought 'Amazing!' and cried in secret (laughs). I'd been a cast member in a Disney film, so it was quite moving."
◇ I like my own voice. "I feel like there's something about my mother in it."
Before recording, Noro recalled, "I've learned so much from Disney and Pixar's works, so I felt a great sense of responsibility. Producing the voice of Woooo in the Japanese version had become a grand undertaking for me, and I wondered what to do." However, she added, "No matter how much I thought about it, nothing would move forward, so I temporarily switched my focus from my admiration for Disney to the fact that it was my job."
During the recording, they came up with ideas and tried and tested different things to perform the "Uuuuuu" voice.
"I matched my voice while listening to the dubbed version of the original, but I always thought that the original voice was the right answer, so at first I tried my best to sound similar. But sometimes it didn't sound similar, so I got a lot of ideas on how to incorporate elements from the Japanese version, and I came up with a lot of ideas myself. I found this process really enjoyable. For example, I tried saying the lines in a slightly more amusing way, or in a more humorous way. I was allowed to try out different ways of saying things, which was really fun."
The line "Gravity is on!" in Communiverse was also born from this kind of trial and error. "I tried several different versions. If you listen carefully, you'll see that I changed the atmosphere a little bit and said it in a fun way (laughs). I was hoping to make it sound like a Sentai, warrior, with a woo-woo kind of vibe," he recalls with amusement.
When asked about her thoughts on her own voice, Noro said, "I actually like my own voice quite a bit."
"I really like my mother's voice. When I listen to my own voice objectively, I can hear my mother's voice somewhere... It made me really happy, so I think, 'I'm glad I was given that voice.'"
◇Even though he is in high demand, "it's still fun" and he wants to work outside the box
A former member of AKB48, she has recently appeared in popular dramas such as "Brush Up Life" (NTV), "Saionji-san Doesn't Do Housework" (TBS), and "The Hot Spot" (NTV), and is in high demand, with people saying, "No dramas starring Noro Kayo are always a hit." Noro, who is steadily building her career, enthusiastically says, "I want to do everything I can."
"Little by little, I have come to realize that I want to do dramas, movies, and theater. In the past, there were always people who would tell me to choose one or the other. I was always told, do you want to do variety shows, or do you want to be an actor? What do you want to do? But I want to do everything I can. I want to work hard. That belief has never changed since I was a child. And if that doesn't work out, I just need to cut something out."
She is eager to continue working in the future without being limited to dramas and variety shows.
"After all, it's fun. But I think that when it stops being fun, that will be the end. For now, being able to do both is probably very enjoyable for me. I want to live a fun life. I've always thought that entertainment is probably not the only way to live a fun life, but right now I'm doing what I want to do most, so I hope I can keep doing that," she said, thinking about the future.
