Ocean Studios' "Dragon Ball Kai" Dub Turns 15; Still Unreleased

[Planetnamek]

The disappointment from both Goku's about not getting another shot is kinda sad. We need to crowdsource a fandub of super, heck have Chris sabat play copy Vegeta lol

In all honesty tho, I would love to at least see ocean do all the films, outside of seeing kai, that all I want

I definitely wouldn't mind seeing them do the movies myself(and also maybe GT and original DB)

[WittyUsername]

Do we still not know what company produced the dub? I figured people could ask someone there about it.

[Scsigs]

Do we still not know what company produced the dub? I figured people could ask someone there about it.

Ocean did.

[Robo4900]

Do we still not know what company produced the dub? I figured people could ask someone there about it.

Ocean did.

Yep.

Just as with their dubs of Z 108-276/123-291 in Vancouver, and DB 1-153 and GT 1-64 in Calgary, Ocean produced it themselves.
Back in the day, they did so through their somewhat-independent production arm, Westwood Media, but for Kai, either Ocean itself, or their newer production arm, IPP (Inter-Pacific Productions, I believe) acted as producer; though I think either way, the named producer would likely be Ocean.

[MasenkoHA]

The disappointment from both Goku's about not getting another shot is kinda sad. We need to crowdsource a fandub of super, heck have Chris sabat play copy Vegeta lol

In all honesty tho, I would love to at least see ocean do all the films, outside of seeing kai, that all I want

Ian Corlett apparently being interested in reprising Goku and being declined makes me sad.

Still the best English Goku we ever had.

[Scsigs]

The disappointment from both Goku's about not getting another shot is kinda sad. We need to crowdsource a fandub of super, heck have Chris sabat play copy Vegeta lol

In all honesty tho, I would love to at least see ocean do all the films, outside of seeing kai, that all I want

Ian Corlett apparently being interested in reprising Goku and being declined makes me sad.

Still the best English Goku we ever had.

Meh. He wasn't bad, but there was definitely better after him.

[SX10]

Can confirm, it was Ocean.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

It's ironic we spent so much time speculating who the producer of this dub was when the answer was staring us in the face the whole time.

[Robo4900]

It's ironic we spent so much time speculating who the producer of this dub was when the answer was staring us in the face the whole time.

Yeah.

In fairness, a lot of people (myself included) just didn't understand how Ocean works. People assumed they were just a recording studio, editing facility, etc. But, of course, as becomes clear when you look into things a bit further, they're a producer too. This also, of course, puts an end to the long-standing misconception that AB Groupe produced the Ocean dubs of DBZ 108-276, as well as DB and GT; Ocean (through their now-defunct production arm, Westwood Media) produced them, and then later, directly, produced Ocean Kai... Not that general people on the internet won't make those same mistakes. (I still cringe at my memories of those stupid "DBZ Trivia!!" videos that claim Ocean's actors were asked to imitate the Funi cast )

Certainly clears up a lot of things!
I just wish this dub would air already.

[TheGreatness25]

Spoiler:

The disappointment from both Goku's about not getting another shot is kinda sad. We need to crowdsource a fandub of super, heck have Chris sabat play copy Vegeta lol

In all honesty tho, I would love to at least see ocean do all the films, outside of seeing kai, that all I want

Ian Corlett apparently being interested in reprising Goku and being declined makes me sad.

Still the best English Goku we ever had.

Is this true? I always really enjoyed his performance the most (for English-speaking Goku). But, he quit. I'm sure he wouldn't like to go back to the screaming. I'm also pretty sure that he doesn't do anime anymore due to the pay structure to work ratio. I'm sure he really enjoys when people flock to him because he played Goku for a "season" back in 1994, or so.

I definitely see Peter Kelamis being more interested in playing Goku again. I would love to see him play Goku, just directed a bit differently. I just don't know how Richard Ian Cox would do in that role. I don't know if he could capture the playful, innocent tone for Goku. Would really love to find out... Anytime now... Leak the damned thing already...

[Robo4900]

Is this true? I always really enjoyed his performance the most (for English-speaking Goku). But, he quit. I'm sure he wouldn't like to go back to the screaming. I'm also pretty sure that he doesn't do anime anymore due to the pay structure to work ratio. I'm sure he really enjoys when people flock to him because he played Goku for a "season" back in 1994, or so.

I definitely see Peter Kelamis being more interested in playing Goku again. I would love to see him play Goku, just directed a bit differently. I just don't know how Richard Ian Cox would do in that role. I don't know if he could capture the playful, innocent tone for Goku. Would really love to find out... Anytime now... Leak the damned thing already...

The reason Corlett quit was because he butted heads with some of the producers at Ocean and Funimation, particularly over the low pay. He decided "They don't pay me enough to put up with this", and quit. He's since said that if he had known about conventions back then, he may have stayed on, at least for a little while; he likes the convention circuit, he's happy that the fans enjoyed his work, and he's fully aware of the fact that he had a real knack for working within the limitations of the Japanese mouth flaps... But to his mind, it's no real loss that other people are playing the role; he sees it like James Bond.

Peter Kelamis, I'm sure he'd love to do it, but I don't think they'd cast him again, after they failed to tell him in advance about a recording break, which led to him filling the time with other work, so he didn't have time to continue recording when it came back... And realistically, he didn't play the character in a lot of stuff. He played the character in 54 episodes plus three movies, which does beat Ian Corlett's 36 episodes and two movies, but both pale in comparison to Kirby Morrow's 132 episodes in the role. So, it makes sense that Morrow was the only one Ocean re-auditioned before deciding to go another way (though I suspect they also auditioned Jeremiah Yurk, assuming he's not retired or moved. Maybe Jeffrey Watson instead, though I would highly doubt it).

Richard Ian Cox... I'm fully expecting him to be astounding in the role; apparently the casting guys spent AGES trying to find the right guy, Scott McNeil said they really agonised over the decision.

I don't think it will leak, but Ocean are still actively shopping it around, negotiating with distributors, etc., even now, ten years on, so I fully expect we'll see it... But who knows how long it will take. Could be just a few months off, could be years off. I think Ken Morrison and all the rest at Ocean know that if they get a distributor to pick it up, they could be on a long gravy train of Dragon Ball dubbing what with TFC and Super out there and all, provided the distributor is interested in getting more after the initial 98 episodes of Kai, so I think they probably want this to get out as much as we do -- if not moreso!

[TheBlackPaladin]

I've--briefly, I must emphasize--met Ian Corlett a few times. Like I said, the word "briefly" can't possibly be emphasized enough, he most definitely wouldn't know my name if it was mentioned. That said, we used to be repped by the same agency, and we crossed paths a few times in classes taught by voice-over TV promo producers. Fun fact, TV promos are one of the most coveted genres of VO work for voice actors because, once you become a promo voice, you tend to work a lot...and let's just say, depending on how often you work and for what network, you can end up with an enviably healthy checking account. In any event, he said you pretty much have to live in Toronto if you want Canadian TV promo work, and that Vancouver gets very little of it (one of sever reasons he moved to LA, apparently).

Anyway. Super-brief though our interactions were, he was a really nice guy. When he mentioned his name was Ian Corlett, I asked, "Ian Corlett, like, Goku-Ian Corlett?" His immediate response was to put his hand up and, with a smile and in a super-humble manner, reply, "Oh, one of many." He then added, "And I guess that's like a really intense subject of debate on the internet."

He's not wrong.

I think Ken Morrison and all the rest at Ocean know that if they get a distributor to pick it up, they could be on a long gravy train of Dragon Ball dubbing what with TFC and Super out there and all, provided the distributor is interested in getting more after the initial 98 episodes of Kai, so I think they probably want this to get out as much as we do -- if not moreso!

Of all the people I'd love to see an interview with one day, I'd love to hear from Ken Morrison. He could clear up so many mysteries and rumor-based assumptions that people have had over the years about the alternative dubs that DB, DBZ, DBGT...and of course, Kai...have gotten over the years.

[WittyUsername]

This has been brought up before, but is there enough of a following for this to inspire a social media movement (#ReleaseTheOceanDub)? I’d assume something like that would be an important step in getting this released in a non-leaky fashion.

[Robo4900]

This has been brought up before, but is there enough of a following for this to inspire a social media movement (#ReleaseTheOceanDub)? I’d assume something like that would be an important step in getting this released in a non-leaky fashion.

We've tried.

I still think there is enough of a following, but no one interested in starting such a movement has even remotely the reach to actually get it anywhere.

Well... Actually, I did talk to one YouTuber who had some reach (not a huge ton, but certainly some) who was interested in this, but for some reason, they're under the impression that current EU regulations prevent anime from airing on kids' channels in the UK (which is entirely horseshit), so they refuse to do anything until after Brexit is over (which may be upwards of a decade from now).
So, that's a dead end.

If someone like Ajay or Geekdom wanted to get in on this, we could probably get it going. Netflix could pick it up to help them compete in the anime space (potentially leading to further Netflix-Ocean dubbing of Dragon Ball), or Cartoon Network UK, Nicktoons UK, or something could air it, or some channel in Canada like Toon-A-Vision or Teletoon could pick it up, or MangaUK could put it on DVD.

Though, I think if we went for MangaUK, it would be smarter to pitch DVDs of the original Ocean dub of DBZ; the Saban dub of 1-53, the Ocean edits of Funi 54-107, and the Westwood dub of 108-276. Then, after that, if it was successful enough, DB and GT.
Kai was kind of a flop for MangaUK by all indications, so I'm not sure they'd go for it right out the gate. Plus, we're long overdue for the original dubs to be out on DVD, and to be honest, I think those would sell better than Kai.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

If someone like Ajay or Geekdom wanted to get in on this, we could probably get it going. Netflix could pick it up to help them compete in the anime space (potentially leading to further Netflix-Ocean dubbing of Dragon Ball), or Cartoon Network UK, Nicktoons UK, or something could air it, or some channel in Canada like Toon-A-Vision or Teletoon could pick it up, or MangaUK could put it on DVD.

Ajay has been quite vocal about his disappointment over never being able to see this dub. I'd say hit him up if you have any ideas at all. Geekdom has also said in Q&As he'd be interested in seeing it, although sadly the few times he's talked about it he didn't sound optimistic about there being anything we could do about it, but I wouldn't let that deter us.

Though, I think if we went for MangaUK, it would be smarter to pitch DVDs of the original Ocean dub of DBZ; the Saban dub of 1-53, the Ocean edits of Funi 54-107, and the Westwood dub of 108-276. Then, after that, if it was successful enough, DB and GT.

Agreed. There's been fans, even from the US who have wanted to own the Canadian dubs for many, many years, and plenty more that would just like a re-release of Rock the Dragon because no matter where they grew up, if they lived in an English-speaking country that dub was their exposure to the series in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Kai was kind of a flop for MangaUK by all indications, so I'm not sure they'd go for it right out the gate. Plus, we're long overdue for the original dubs to be out on DVD, and to be honest, I think those would sell better than Kai.

I have my doubts Kai was a flop for Manga UK. Maybe it didn't do the business they hoped it would, but I've seen them on Amazon UK's top 100 best selling anime regularly. The orange bricks probably gave them unrealistic expectations for anything with "Dragon Ball Z" in the title, especially after waiting so long to release it. Ocean Kai would most likely sell better because it wouldn't be a repackage of an existing Madman master, but knowing Manga they would probably see releasing it as a risk because they never released anything with the Canadian cast other than the BLT dub of movie 1 on the first banana brick, but hey, maybe someday soon we will get the Westwood and Blue Water dubs and their success will give Manga more confidence in releasing Kai. A man can dream

[Robo4900]

Ajay has been quite vocal about his disappointment over never being able to see this dub. I'd say hit him up if you have any ideas at all. Geekdom has also said in Q&As he'd be interested in seeing it, although sadly the few times he's talked about it he didn't sound optimistic about there being anything we could do about it, but I wouldn't let that deter us.

I have talked to Ajay about this stuff in the past. I don't think he has any ideas in regards to Ocean Kai, but I'll ask him next time I talk with him.

I have my doubts Kai was a flop for Manga UK. Maybe it didn't do the business they hoped it would, but I've seen them on Amazon UK's top 100 best selling anime regularly. The orange bricks probably gave them unrealistic expectations for anything with "Dragon Ball Z" in the title, especially after waiting so long to release it. Ocean Kai would most likely sell better because it wouldn't be a repackage of an existing Madman master,

That's fair.

but knowing Manga they would probably see releasing it as a risk because they never released anything with the Canadian cast other than the BLT dub of movie 1 on the first banana brick, but hey, maybe someday soon we will get the Westwood and Blue Water dubs and their success will give Manga more confidence in releasing Kai. A man can dream

FWIW, MangaUK wanted to release the Canadian dubs back in the late '00s, but they couldn't put it on uncut footage, and they didn't know who had the rights and/or masters.
So, I don't think they'd be unwilling.

[Cure Dragon 255]

This has been brought up before, but is there enough of a following for this to inspire a social media movement (#ReleaseTheOceanDub)? I’d assume something like that would be an important step in getting this released in a non-leaky fashion.

We've tried.

I still think there is enough of a following, but no one interested in starting such a movement has even remotely the reach to actually get it anywhere.

Well... Actually, I did talk to one YouTuber who had some reach (not a huge ton, but certainly some) who was interested in this, but for some reason, they're under the impression that current EU regulations prevent anime from airing on kids' channels in the UK (which is entirely horseshit), so they refuse to do anything until after Brexit is over (which may be upwards of a decade from now).
So, that's a dead end.

If someone like Ajay or Geekdom wanted to get in on this, we could probably get it going. Netflix could pick it up to help them compete in the anime space (potentially leading to further Netflix-Ocean dubbing of Dragon Ball), or Cartoon Network UK, Nicktoons UK, or something could air it, or some channel in Canada like Toon-A-Vision or Teletoon could pick it up, or MangaUK could put it on DVD.

Though, I think if we went for MangaUK, it would be smarter to pitch DVDs of the original Ocean dub of DBZ; the Saban dub of 1-53, the Ocean edits of Funi 54-107, and the Westwood dub of 108-276. Then, after that, if it was successful enough, DB and GT.
Kai was kind of a flop for MangaUK by all indications, so I'm not sure they'd go for it right out the gate. Plus, we're long overdue for the original dubs to be out on DVD, and to be honest, I think those would sell better than Kai.

I wouldnt want to rely on such an UTTERLY STUPID Person like him. But have you tried showing them the Dragon Ball Super UK airings? Or Schedule and website? ANYTHING to prove him wrong!

[Robo4900]

I wouldnt want to rely on such an UTTERLY STUPID Person like him. But have you tried showing them the Dragon Ball Super UK airings? Or Schedule and website? ANYTHING to prove him wrong!

Eh, I don't think I care to negotiate further with that individual. As I say, I'm pretty sure it's a dead end.

[eledoremassis02]

Does Canada share the same Netflix and the U.S? I feel like streaming would be kai's best bet. It sucks because it sounds like there is more Dinosaurs than Anime in Canada and the ocean fans in the U.S are a small minority at this point.

I've been holding out watching this in English until ocean comes out

[Planetnamek]

If someone like Ajay or Geekdom wanted to get in on this, we could probably get it going. Netflix could pick it up to help them compete in the anime space (potentially leading to further Netflix-Ocean dubbing of Dragon Ball), or Cartoon Network UK, Nicktoons UK, or something could air it, or some channel in Canada like Toon-A-Vision or Teletoon could pick it up, or MangaUK could put it on DVD.

Ajay has been quite vocal about his disappointment over never being able to see this dub. I'd say hit him up if you have any ideas at all. Geekdom has also said in Q&As he'd be interested in seeing it, although sadly the few times he's talked about it he didn't sound optimistic about there being anything we could do about it, but I wouldn't let that deter us.

Though, I think if we went for MangaUK, it would be smarter to pitch DVDs of the original Ocean dub of DBZ; the Saban dub of 1-53, the Ocean edits of Funi 54-107, and the Westwood dub of 108-276. Then, after that, if it was successful enough, DB and GT.

Agreed. There's been fans, even from the US who have wanted to own the Canadian dubs for many, many years, and plenty more that would just like a re-release of Rock the Dragon because no matter where they grew up, if they lived in an English-speaking country that dub was their exposure to the series in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Kai was kind of a flop for MangaUK by all indications, so I'm not sure they'd go for it right out the gate. Plus, we're long overdue for the original dubs to be out on DVD, and to be honest, I think those would sell better than Kai.

I have my doubts Kai was a flop for Manga UK. Maybe it didn't do the business they hoped it would, but I've seen them on Amazon UK's top 100 best selling anime regularly. The orange bricks probably gave them unrealistic expectations for anything with "Dragon Ball Z" in the title, especially after waiting so long to release it. Ocean Kai would most likely sell better because it wouldn't be a repackage of an existing Madman master, but knowing Manga they would probably see releasing it as a risk because they never released anything with the Canadian cast other than the BLT dub of movie 1 on the first banana brick, but hey, maybe someday soon we will get the Westwood and Blue Water dubs and their success will give Manga more confidence in releasing Kai. A man can dream

This guy actually thinks Brexit has anything at all to do with TV content? I don't even know what to say to that

At any rate I think it's worth asking Gaffer about this as well, I could see him potentially raising awareness of this dub.

Does Canada share the same Netflix and the U.S? I feel like streaming would be kai's best bet. It sucks because it sounds like there is more Dinosaurs than Anime in Canada and the ocean fans in the U.S are a small minority at this point.

I've been holding out watching this in English until ocean comes out

From what i've gathered online Canada has less films and TV shows on Netflix then the US version does, but it does have some exclusive content that the US does not get.