Hayden/Brittany or Alyson/Meaghan as Kairi/Namine?

[SuperMillionaire]

Which pair do you like better as the English voices of Kairi and Namine: Hayden Panettiere/Brittany Snow or Alyson Stoner/Meaghan Jette Martin?

[sdm42393]

I like Hayden's Kairi but I prefer Meaghan's Namine.

[SuperMillionaire]

Alyson voiced both Kairi and Xion. In the next game, Alyson should voice Xion, Hayden should voice Kairi, and either Brittany or Meaghan can voice Namine again (they're both good).

[Fynn]

I seriously doubt the chances of Xion appearing in the next installment...

[SuperMillionaire]

Not in BBS, but perhaps III?

[Fynn]

That's what I mean. Considering what she was and what happened to her, AND (SPOILER)the fact that she was never supposed to exist I can't see how she can appear in KHIII. Even flashbacks wouldn't make sense.

[SuperMillionaire]

Well, you never know.

[Fynn]

Anyway, I always found Hayden's performance as Kairi mediocre, though Alyson Stoner will always remain Xion for me, so I guess Hayden should return. As for Namine - I could never tell the difference between those two, so I guess I don't care.

[SuperMillionaire]

Yes, Brittany and Meaghan sound almost the same.

[Roogle]

The popularity of Hayden Panettiere makes it difficult for her to be cast in every game in the Kingdom Heart series. I'm a fan of consistency in voice work from game to game in a series with many recurring characters; Alyson Stoner and Meaghan Jette Martin would be a better choice for me simply based on the fact that they would be more available for localization work.

[SuperMillionaire]

I've began to notice that a recent trend in English voice-casting is to cast actors from the Disney Channel; both Stoner and Martin previously starred in the Disney Channel original movie Camp Rock (the movie also starred Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers).

Comparing Hayden and Alyson as Kairi, they definitely sound different, but Brittany and Meaghan as Namine are very similar.

[Roogle]

That is probably an industry trend rather than a trend of the Disney Channel. Actors that appear in a few television movies or older television shows can often find more work providing their voice to a cartoon character or dubbing and they carve a dependable niche and career doing that rather than a few television appearances. Cree Summer is an example of this. She had a few guest star appearances on some sitcoms in the late 80's and early 90's, but really struck it big with her raspy, recognizable voice providing the voice of characters like Suzie Carmichael from Rugrats.

[SuperMillionaire]

You're right in that aspect too, but I was referring specifically to Kingdom Hearts Anglophone voice-casting. I also remember Cree Summer voicing Cleo in Clifford the Big Red Dog.

[Roogle]

Oh, do you know if Disney is involved with the localization of Kingdom Hearts in the dubbing aspect? I know that nearly all of the Disney characters were voiced by their official Disney voice actor. If that is the case, then, yes, you would be right about them contacting the actors that appeared in earlier low budget works.

[SuperMillionaire]

Exactly; all of the Disney characters' actors reprised their roles here. Original characters such as Sora, Roxas, Riku, Kairi, Namine, and Xion are often voiced by actors affiliated with Disney, especially the Disney Channel.