Edited Movie 3 Tree of Might Dub

[Gonstead]

Has anything ever been explained why this movie was dubbed and retconned into the series in the original Ocean Dub? I really do not get the reasoning for creating the TV version since to me it just seems like a waste of money which could of been better spent on more episodes.

The movie itself conflicts with the series and there really is not a place where it can be placed inside the 53 episodes that were made.

We may have been young kids at the time (Those of us who grew up with Ocean Dub, FUNimation etc) but we certainly were not stupid to notice this.

I'm guessing at the time FUNimation were being experimental with the license they had of the Dragon Ball franchise.

Nonetheless though, it's still awesome to have 2 versions of the Ocean Dub Tree of Might with Ian Corlett and Peter Kelamis in their respective dubs.

[TheBlackPaladin]

There wasn't much logic to FUNimation's decisions back in those days. I think you're trying to look for logic where there was none. They thought it would bring in ratings, and that's all there was to it. To use another example, 4Kids once made an English-dubbed version of the song "We Are" from One Piece. Obviously that's...not exactly what we got. Anime News Network interviewed Al Kahn, then the CEO of 4Kids, and asked him why they changed the English-dubbed version of "We Are" to that (GODAWFULPLEASEDIEPLEASELEAVEFROMOURMEMORIESANDNEVERRETURNYOUDAMNEDTRAVESTYFROMHELL) rap opening. His response? "Well, we liked it, we thought it would be popular, and that's all there was to it." I'm pretty sure that same line of logic was what went into the decision to air an edited version of "The Tree of Might" on TV.

[Ashura]

Also, I think it's legitimately a better acted dub than the Pioneer version, say what you will about the script.

It's also one of the few early instances of Funimation actually adding footage to something during editing. It's longer than the Japanese version, and they put in a bunch of stuff, like extra shots of Kaiou and the dragon. Things are also slowed down in certain places. There's only one actual complete edit, and it's a portion where Talece has his foot on Goku. (This is disregarding the digital paint scenes.)

[G1Ravage]

Movie 3 was apparently included in FUNimation's original TV deal, so they broke it up into three episodes and slapped it into the end of the broadcast run. In order to have enough footage for three full episodes, they needed to splice in some footage.

[penguintruth]

Didn't the edited version feature Ian Corlett as Goku, while the unedited version had Peter Kelamis as Goku?

My preference is for Kelamis, so I'm glad I own copies of the first three movies with the good Ocean dub.

[Gonstead]

Didn't the edited version feature Ian Corlett as Goku, while the unedited version had Peter Kelamis as Goku?

Yes, that is correct.

[TheGreatness25]

Man I wish they sold the edited version on DVD. I loved Ian James Corlett's Goku. I think he sounded so awesome. Especially in that movie. I think it was the best work he's ever done as Goku. The line I'll always remember that he did was, "You planted this tree in our land? Well it's gotta go!" or when he shoots the henchman whose name I don't even care to know, and says, "Have a seat!" I mean he just sounds like a hero. Very commanding voice. I don't know, I'm a huge fan. I think by far the best English-voiced Goku ever.

[BluezaBladeNZ]

Despite it having a completely altered script and its 'Retarded' Gohan censor, I loved it too. I have to admit, I preferred Tullece's line 'You singed my fingernails.' over 'That was hot and spicy.' heard in the Uncut dub. Luckily it aired on Cartoon Network here two years ago so I was able to get a DVD recording.

[DragonBoxZTheMovies]

"PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN ALTITUDE!"
Sorry I had to.

[Gonstead]

'You singed my fingernails.'

Reminds me of that line Raditz said in the first episode.

"Goodness, you managed singe some of my leg hair".

[TheBlackPaladin]

Man I wish they sold the edited version on DVD. I loved Ian James Corlett's Goku. I think he sounded so awesome. Especially in that movie. I think it was the best work he's ever done as Goku. The line I'll always remember that he did was, "You planted this tree in our land? Well it's gotta go!" or when he shoots the henchman whose name I don't even care to know, and says, "Have a seat!" I mean he just sounds like a hero. Very commanding voice. I don't know, I'm a huge fan. I think by far the best English-voiced Goku ever.

Sean Schemmel will always be Goku to me, but Ian Corlett was my favorite of Goku's voice actors in the Ocean cast. Corlett was also the first voice actor for Goku that I ever heard, so nostalgia probably has something to do with it too, but I always thought he did a great job at giving his delivery a very natural feel. He had a sort of "everyman" feel to his voice that worked especially well for the softer and calmer scenes. Here's an example of what I mean. Go to this video and fast-forward to 0:18. His line is, "Uh oh...this isn't good. I still haven't recovered from the last attack." Notice how his delivery isn't over-the-top or exaggerated at all. It's very calm, but a sense of anxiety and uneasiness is still there. A very natural and realistic feel to it. It's that kind of delivery where Corlett was at his best. It's exactly how I would say that sentence if I was in Goku's situation.

Needless to say, though, I'm not Goku. So I'm not sure that's how Goku would deliver that line, if ya catch my drift. I'm reluctant to publicly criticize voice actors, but I'll make a slight exception here because I feel I can blame it on the script rather than the performance. My one problem with Corlett's performance was that the script did not really allow for an accurate interpretation of Goku. This was when the scripts were at their absolute wor--okay no, Season 3--but by the standards of, let's say, the Kai dub, the scripts that were written while he was voicing Goku were sub-par at best. So he gave a great performance in the sense of sounding believable, but he did not give a great performance in the sense of sounding...like Goku.

For me, Corlett's Goku was the "everyman" Goku. He sounded like what a normal, everyday guy would sound like if he was put in Goku's situation. And there is definitely an appeal found in "everyman" heroes (as shown through many of the characters that Bruce Willis has played, for example). Many of Goku's most heroic-sounding lines while Corlett was voicing him were heroic-sounding because it was uplifting to hear a normal, everyday guy fighting for what he passionately believed in, and not ever giving up. "Everyman" heroes give us that sense that we're capable of anything, so they are always fun to watch.

...Most unfortunately, that's not really the kind of character that Goku is. He's far from an everyman. Just about one of the farthest people from one. He's a very unique character, who can be serious, angry, goofy...many different things, but all the while pretty far from normal. So for that reason, I can't honestly say that Corlett is my favorite Goku. Just my favorite Goku in the Ocean cast. I still feel that a lot of that had to do with the poor translations and woefully misguided writing, though. I really would have loved to have seen what he could do with Goku if he were given a more loyal script like the ones in the three Pioneer movies.

That edited movie was the last thing he ever recorded as Goku, too. After that he left due to money issues. To quote an interview featuring him, "I could have made more washing windows for God's sake!" I give him major props for being brave enough to do that.

[Pokewhiz7]

I'm thinking, they might have had it gathering dust for a while. If you'll recall, that was Ian James Corlett's final performance as Goku. They might have released it to buy themselves time to find a new Goku.

[jjgp1112]

Ian Corlett is really good, although he was kinda weak on the aggressive end. But his regular voice for Goku was really good. You can actually hear traces of what Sean Schemmel's voice would become in his. In a lot of ways, the voice Schemmel would finally find for Goku was like a mix of the best elements of Ian Corlett and Peter Kelamis.

On another note, I just watched that clip...angry Drummond Vegeta is fucking scary

[TheBlackPaladin]

On another note, I just watched that clip...angry Drummond Vegeta is fucking scary

I know, right? I have a tough time deciding between his Vegeta or Scott McNeil's Piccolo as my favorite voice in the Ocean dub (and I'm actively praying that both will reprise their roles in the Ocean dub of Kai). From what I can tell, it's those two voices that are the most popular in the Ocean dub. Which is interesting, because Drummond's performance was, from what I've been told, universally despised when it first aired.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Drummond's Vegeta is just unintentionally comical (see the deliveries of "Over 9,000", his "YOU WON'T ESCAPE MY WRATH!" scene and "Do you understaaaaaaaand?!"), though, which is not what's supposed to happen if you're trying to portray an intimidating, murderous villain.

[TheBlackPaladin]

Drummond's Vegeta is just unintentionally comical (see the deliveries of "Over 9,000", his "YOU WON'T ESCAPE MY WRATH!" scene and "Do you understaaaaaaaand?!"), though, which is not what's supposed to happen if you're trying to portray an intimidating, murderous villain.

I see what you mean with the "Over 9,000" and the "Do you understaaaaaaaand?!" scenes. But the "YOU WON'T ESCAPE MY WRATH" scene? I mean, to each his own, but I thought he rocked that scene. That's actually the scene that I point everyone to when I want to point out what I believe was the highlight of Drummond's performance. I have never heard someone sound so pissed before.

[Attitudefan]

You know, I feel out of all the Goku's, Ian Corlette seemed the weakest to me. He was good but not the strongest Goku. Evertime I see the scene in the TV version of the Tree of Might, and he's yelling at Turles; it's just is so weak.

[Gaffer Tape]

Drummond was pretty much universally despised at the beginning, but that's because, to the fans who were familiar with the Japanese version (who, remember, would be the majority at this point), he was absolutely NOTHING like Horikawa's deep, booming voice. Instead he was raspy and high-pitched... and his voice actor also voiced Yajirobe, which also would have been mind-blowing to anyone familiar with the original casting. I was introduced through to Vegeta through his voice, so I always liked Drummond's Vegeta (although it's been so long I have a hard time listening to it now), but I can certainly understand why a lot of the fans then took time to get on board with him.

Also, TheBlackPaladin, loved your analysis on Corlett. That does sum it up pretty well.

[Super Sonic]

Drummond's Vegeta has one of those classic recognizable villain voices like Megatron, Cobra Commander and Skeletor. You know it, when you hear it. And like the others, it sounded like Drummond enjoyed playing him.

[AgitoZ]

Drummond's Vegeta has one of those classic recognizable villain voices like Megatron, Cobra Commander and Skeletor.

Too over the top to take seriously?