Dubbing, Fans, and Cultural Expectations in Animated Films

What is it about?

This article examines a major online controversy that erupted on Twitter (now X) in May 2023 after Sony Pictures México announced that 24 “star talents” (influencers, YouTubers, and media personalities) would participate in the Latin American Spanish dubbing of the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. What initially appeared to be a marketing announcement quickly turned into a large-scale backlash from fans, voice actors, and moviegoers. Using this controversy as a case study, the research explores what audience reactions reveal about expectations of quality, authenticity, and cultural belonging in animated film dubbing. The study is based on a qualitative analysis of 2,220 Twitter comments, combined with a close examination of the dubbed version of the film to assess the actual roles played by the star talents and the strategies behind their inclusion.

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Photo by Tony Luginsland on Unsplash

Photo by Tony Luginsland on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The analysis shows that the backlash was overwhelmingly negative: more than 94% of the comments rejected the use of star talents. Audiences criticized Sony’s marketing strategy, defended professional voice actors, questioned the legitimacy of non-specialists performing dubbing work, and even expressed a preference for watching the film with subtitles rather than in the dubbed version. For many fans, dubbing is not a minor technical detail but a core part of how animated films are experienced, enjoyed, and culturally “made their own.” Interestingly, the study finds that most star talents only voiced very minor or incidental characters, meaning their presence had little impact on the final product. However, the controversy itself revealed something more important: audiences in Mexico and Latin America feel a strong sense of ownership over dubbed versions of global films. They expect dubbing to respect both the original narrative and local cultural norms, and they react strongly when they perceive these expectations to be violated. Overall, the article shows how social media platforms have become key spaces where audiences publicly negotiate cultural value, creative labor, and legitimacy. The case illustrates that dubbing is not just a technical translation process, but a site of cultural meaning, emotional attachment, and audience power in the circulation of global media.