(From left) Park Bo-gum, who voices the title character in the animated film "David"; Do Kyung-soo, who voices Mungchi; and Park So-dam, who voices Bami, in "On the Road, Mungchi" [Lotte Entertainment, Odoltogi, Malddeum]
(From left) Park Bo-gum, who voices the title character in the animated film "David"; Do Kyung-soo, who voices Mungchi; and Park So-dam, who voices Bami, in "On the Road, Mungchi" [Lotte Entertainment, Odoltogi, Malddeum]

"I'm not a pet anymore."

Mungchi is a stray dog abandoned overnight by his owner. He has clung faithfully to his owner's parting promise to return — until a streetwise veteran named Jjanga shatters that belief in an instant. Confronted with a harsh new reality, Mungchi falls in with a group of dogs led by Bami, an escapee from a dog farm, and together they dare to dream of true freedom. The adventure of animals from different backgrounds united by a single goal — freedom — is both a warm story and a meditation on what it means to live as one's true self. That is the premise of "On the Road, Mungchi," an animated film set to open next month.

"On the Road, Mungchi" reunites directors Oh Sung-yoon and Lee Chun-baek — the team behind "The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly," still the all-time top-grossing Korean animated film — and is a newly remastered version of their 2019 film "Underdog." The emotional adventure, redrawn over six years, comes to life through precise direction and a seamless harmony between character and voice. The film's vibrant characters — Mungchi, Jjanga, Bami and others — carry voices that feel strangely familiar, naturally calling to mind the faces of well-known actors. Those actors are Do Kyung-soo (Mungchi), Park So-dam (Bami) and Park Cheol-min (Jjanga).

Mungchi, the protagonist of "On the Road, Mungchi," voiced by Do Kyung-soo [Odoltogi, Malddeum]
Mungchi, the protagonist of "On the Road, Mungchi," voiced by Do Kyung-soo [Odoltogi, Malddeum]

As the summer vacation season gets underway and a string of animated films lines up for young audiences, competition over voice casting is intensifying. Both domestic and foreign animated releases are drawing audiences with strong voice-acting lineups. The star power behind these vocal performances is shaping up to be one of the defining attractions of this summer's box office.

"On the Road, Mungchi," opening Aug. 19, used a record-before-animate production method — capturing the actors' performances first and then completing the animation around them — to bring those performances to life with exceptional immediacy. Rather than simply laying voices over finished animation, the production wove the actors' facial expressions, emotional depth, breathing and nuance directly into each character's performance. To achieve this, the production team drew 145,440 individual frames.

The result is characters that closely mirror the actors who voiced them. Mungchi — a novice stray who leads the charge toward a utopia — carries the clear, wide-eyed innocence that defines Do Kyung-soo's screen presence. Bami, voiced by Park So-dam, overlaps neatly with the actor's image of quiet resilience. And Jjanga, the wily street dog, is rendered as a character that could only have been drawn from Park Cheol-min's signature blend of sly charm and savory comic timing.

The character Jjanga from "On the Road, Mungchi," alongside actor Park Cheol-min, who provides the voice [Odoltogi, Malddeum]
The character Jjanga from "On the Road, Mungchi," alongside actor Park Cheol-min, who provides the voice [Odoltogi, Malddeum]

In a promotional video for the film, Do Kyung-soo said he hoped audiences would "watch the adventure of the stray dog Mungchi and his friends as they set out toward freedom, and feel what a world where every animal and person can coexist happily might look like."

The dubbing lineup for "David," which opened July 10, is equally impressive. The film follows an ordinary shepherd boy named David — from the songs of his mother to his fateful confrontation with the giant Goliath — as he comes face to face with a destiny fit for a king.

Park Bo-gum voices the title character, David — his first foray into feature-length animation dubbing. With a clear, grounded tone, Park traces the young shepherd's growth as he grapples with a divine calling. Veteran musical actress Cha Ji-yeon voices David's mother Nitzevet, conveying a mother's love through a deep and warm timbre, while Jang Gwang voices the prophet Samuel, adding tension to the film with his trademark commanding presence.

David, the title character of the animated film "David," voiced by Park Bo-gum [Lotte Entertainment]
David, the title character of the animated film "David," voiced by Park Bo-gum [Lotte Entertainment]

Jang Sung-ho, the director behind last year's North American box office hit "King of Kings," praised Park Bo-gum's dubbing performance. "Finding a character's own tone is never easy for actors doing animation voice work," he said, adding that "Park Bo-gum found his tone naturally and delivered the songs brilliantly."

The perennial favorite "Detective Conan: The Angel of Death on the Highway," opening Aug. 12, is drawing attention with a top-tier cast of Korean and Japanese voice actors.

Voice actress Kang Su-jin, who has played Shinichi since the dubbed series began, and Kim Seon-hye, who has voiced Conan for 22 years, reprise their signature roles, while voice actress Jeong Yu-mi — familiar to audiences as the narrator of the mystery variety show "Crime Scene" — takes on Chihaya, a character making her first appearance in this theatrical installment. Also joining the lineup are voice actor Kim Jang, known for voicing Kururu in "Sergeant Frog," as police colleague Matsuda Jinpei, and Kim Gi-heung, known for voicing Baikinman in "Anpanman," as Hagiwara Kenji.

(From left) Lee Jang-won, who voices Maui in the live-action film "Moana"; Kim Su-yeon, who voices Moana; and Jeong Yeong-ju, who voices Tala [personal, Big Boss Entertainment, Big Title]
(From left) Lee Jang-won, who voices Maui in the live-action film "Moana"; Kim Su-yeon, who voices Moana; and Jeong Yeong-ju, who voices Tala [personal, Big Boss Entertainment, Big Title]

The Japanese-language version also brings together Takayama Minami, who has voiced Conan across every installment since the franchise began, and Yamaguchi Kappei, known for voicing Inuyasha in "Inuyasha," reprising their roles as Conan and Shinichi for longtime fans awaiting the new theatrical release.

The live-action adaptation of the original animated film — a global box office hit that grossed $1.7 billion worldwide — "Moana" offers a different appeal through its Korean dubbing cast. Voice actor Lee Jang-won, a veteran of the original "Moana" series as well as "Inside Out" and "King of Kings," voices the demigod Maui, while musical actress Kim Su-yeon, known for her work in "Rent" and "Cyrano," takes on the role of Moana. Jeong Yeong-ju, who voiced the character in the original and is widely recognized for her roles in the drama series "Lovely Runner" and "Brave New World," again voices Moana's guide, Grandma Tala.


balme@heraldcorp.com