Remember that 30 Rock episode when the writers discover that Jack (Alec Baldwin) once recorded himself reciting the dictionary for cash? All of which then wound up on a type-n-speak website? The entire episode’s biggest laughs emanate from the writers’ plugging words into the site which then recites them in his unmistakable voice. That instance alone was enough to land Baldwin some serious voice work all those years back, and he’s certainly Capital One’d the crap out of his marketable tones. So, it only makes sense that he’s now joining forces with another unique vocal talent, Kevin Spacey, for Dreamworks Animation’s next venture: Boss Baby.
The pair are slated to “voice star” in the animated feature, under the direction of Madagascar and Megamind director Tom McGrath. Inspired by the popular children’s book by Marla Frazee, the story sounds like a perfect fit for Baldwin. He’ll voice a newborn baby who springs into the world as a briefcase-wielding, fast-talking infant. His older brother is not too happy with his sibling, who then:
“… embarks on a mission to win back the sole affection of his parents, he stumbles upon a secret plot by the CEO of Puppy Co. (voiced by Spacey) that threatens to destroy the balance of love in the world – and this brash baby executive masquerading as his new brother is at the center of it all. Now, they must come together as true brothers to stop the dastardly scheme, save their parents, restore order to the world, and prove that love is indeed an infinite force.”
Megamind is one of my favourite animated flicks of recent years, but it’s never quite achieved the dizzying popularity of McGrath’s other kiddy-friendly fare, the Madagascar franchise. With Austin Powers‘ Michael McCullers writing the script, Boss Baby could be another very funny animated feature that’s got the quick-witted asides for adults and the slapstick for the kids. And with Baldwin and Spacey’s dulcet tones on board, consider this writer rather excited indeed.
Boss Baby opens in theatres on March 18th, 2016.
