Simpsons, Futurama, and the oversaturation of Tress Macneille

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Autumn_Stormm

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Why exactly does Tress MacNeille voice so many characters in both The Simpsons and Futurama?

I know, I know, EVERYONE in those shows are voiced by only a few actors. The only difference is, Tress MacNeille only has, like, three voice types: old woman, middle-aged woman, and little girl. And most female characters in those shows are given one of those three voices by her. I mean, the shows have several voice actresses working on them. Why don't they voice more female characters? Why does Tress play almost everyone? It comes off as rather lazy to me.

What do you guys think? Is Tress MacNeille's voice utilized too much in these shows? Do you find that there are way too many characters who sound the same?
 
I think Tress is a very talented and versatile VA. Yes, after working for so many shows, there's bound to be some carry-over voices, but overall, she's terrific.
 
I agree with Monterey Jack on that MacNeille is very talented in her craft. You might want to add that she can do a really good snobby business woman who thinks her poo doesn't stink.

Despite the carry-over voices MacNeille does, I'd also have to say the same for Kath Soucie, and to be very honest, her Li'l Sneezer/Lil/Pony Puff Princess voice irritates me to no end.
 
There are subtle differences to Tress' voices, even though many of them are sprung from the same basic mold. If I was just listening, I could still tell the difference between Agnes Skinner and Hattie.
 
While she is very talented, I will admit that her voice can become very grating and annoying, especially when almost all of them sound like a slight variation of the same voice. I never understood why they overuse her so much in The Simpsons and Futurama, there's plenty of other talented female voice actors out there that have better range in character (Tara Strong comes to mind).

I'm really wondering why they didn't cast her as Leela in Futurama, since they seem to use her for so many background voices.
 
I dont mind her in Futurama, since she was a frequent voice on that show from the very beginning and in my mind her gels well with the other cast members and characters. And she's great as Mom. "Jam a squirrel in it you crap!"

I'm sick of her on the Simpsons though. I feel like she's every single female character now that Maggie Roswell is gone. Her Lindsey Naegle voice is probably her most obnoxious and it's irritating how often that character and Cookie Kwan show up just to give Tress more work. Aside from the handful of characters she was doing on the show from the earliest days, I really don't like any of Tress' Simpson characters, even the minor ones.
 
Maggie Roswell returned in Season 14, and has appeared more frequently in later seasons. She mostly voices her older characters (Miss Hoover, Milhouse's mother, Helen Lovejoy and Maude Flanders in flashbacks), but hardly any incidental character.

As for Tress MacNeille, when she is not voicing Lindsay Naegle, she gets a similiar character, either on the Simpsons or Futurama, which gets quite annoying.
 
I can't stand that go to voice she always does. I don't know how to describe other than a snobby self absorbed career woman. It pretty much is any background female voice on The Simpsons now.
 
...I like Tress Macneille,in fact,she's one of my favorite cartoon VAs....While alot of her voices sound similar(and the same can be said of many VAs),it has yet to bother me,and I think she has alot of talent...
 
Please note this topic isn't about whether she's a good actress or not. I personally think she's great, just that she's heard a little too much in said shows for my tastes.
 
I think it's comfort, when working with actors it's daunting to find new ones, you have to work and mold them into what you want taking into account what they want to bring to the character.

If you already know an actor/actress very well, you're sure what they can accomplish, you know the voice range you start to write wit them in mind.

Also, cartoons are voiced in bulk, so it's quicker to get it done by one capable person instead of finding 5 people, teaching them what you want, molding it and then finally being happy.
 
Definitely not- a voice-over legend like Tress MacNeille is never utilized too much. It's called versatility. As long as she doesn't lose her voice for an undetermined period of time, she can voice any character in any animated TV show. BTW, for any Flintstones fans out there, Tress MacNeille is the current voice behind Wilma Flintstone. In fact, she has practically inherited all of Jean Vander Pyl's voice-over roles. Big time props to her.
 
There are several females who work on the shows, and yet the same one woman plays dozens upon dozens upon dozens of characters in both, and she only has 3 different voices she uses. How is that versatile?
 
Even Tress MacNeille had her name mentioned a few times in a Simpsons episode! But will a character Tress voiced in the past (Gadget Handiwrench, Babs Bunny, Dot Warner) ever make a Simpsons cameo someday?
 
Tress Macneille is a great voice actress. I personally like her 'old hag' voice the best - very blunt and sarcastic... it always makes me laugh. :p Seems like she evolved into becoming the female equivalent of Harry Shearer and Hank Azaria, and rightfully so.

I agree that The Simpsons and Futurama overuse some of her voices, but it's not like they get redundant like Pamela Segall young boy voice or Kathy Soucie's Phil & Lil voices.
 
I know you're desperate to see the Silver Age Warner Bros. characters back on television again in any form, but you have to admit, you're really reaching at this point.
 
I think Tress is an amazing voice artist, and even if she does only 3 voices, its not much more than any other voice artists.

Example: Tara Strongs voice is almost same in every cartoon except higher or lower.
 
I gotta say that I can recognize Tress's voice on just about every role she plays. There are subtle differences, sure, But you always know. The only really different voice she had, in my opinion, was Dot Warner.
 
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