Kapamilya actor Joshua Garcia was introduced as the Filipino voice behind Inside Out 2’s character Lance Slashblade during a press conference on Wednesday, September 18.

 Joshua recounted how the opportunity came about. “Nagsimula ‘yan, tinawagan ako ng manager ko na gusto nga raw ako kunin ng Disney+ Philippines na mag-dub. Cameo lang siya, si Lance Slashblade,” he began. 

 A big fan of animation, Joshua admitted he couldn't pass up the chance. The 26-year-old actor said, “Eh ako, sobrang fan ako ng mga animation, lalo na Disney, Pixar, lahat. Fan ako… Hindi lang sa mga Disney, like ‘yung mga anime na Japanese, fan ako ng mga ganu’n. Sabi ko, bakit hindi ko subukan ‘to kasi parang challenge ito sa akin since it’s my first time doing it, and ginawa ko siya kahit kinakabahan ako.”

 Joshua then went on to share his experience, sharing his realization that voice acting isn’t easy. “And while doing it, akala ko madali lang. Ang hirap pala niya. May kailangan kang hawakan na parang handle bar habang nilalabas mo ‘yung emosyon ‘dun sa salita mo para lang mas mailabas mo siya, para lang mas maging expressive ka. 

 “Ang gandang experience niya sa’kin kasi ‘dun ko nakita na [ang] value na hindi madali maging voice actor. Napakahirap ng trabaho nila. Pero at least na-try ko siya once. And, ‘yung ginawa ko, cameo lang ‘yun. Imagine kung ginawa ko ‘yung buong pelikula as [one of the major characters]. Ang hirap, di ba?” he continued, and thanked Disney+ for inviting him to take on the opportunity.

 Describing the character he dubbed, Joshua admitted feeling challenged as this was different from his usual film projects. He said, “Kasi ‘yung character ko rito, makata siya. So, ang lalim ‘nung Tagalog… Dapat malaki [yun boses]. So mas mahirap sa’kin kasi ‘yung usual ko, pag mga pelikula, alam ko na kung ano ‘yung binigay ko ‘dun. Mas subtle lang ‘yung acting so hindi malaki ‘yung mga boses na ginagawa ko. Pero dito, ang laki ng emosyon eh kaya ‘dun ako nachallenge talaga.” Likewise, he also recalled how his throat would get dry so he had to sip water every few minutes. 

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Nonetheless, Joshua said that he eventually got the hang of it. “Siyempre sa una, mahirap talaga kasi nagwawarm up pa lang. Parang makina ‘yung sarili ko eh, kailangan ko muna pagdaanan ‘yung ilang takes, and then after that, dire-diretso na rin,” he shared. 

 Meanwhile, Allie Benedicto, Director of Brand & Content Marketing (PH) for The Walt Disney Company, SEA, shared the significance of this project. “Ito ang pinaka-kauna-unahang Filipino-dubbed content on Disney+ because we want more fans and family to connect with this content,” she said. 

 A Disney and Pixar blockbuster film, Inside Out 2 will be available with a Filipino dub on the Disney+ app starting September 25, 2024.