Ming-Na Enthralled by Final Fantasy Movie

By Azad on 2001-04-24 18:34:10

Ming-Na, who is the voice behind Dr. Aki Ross in the upcoming CG flick Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, told SciFi Wire in an interview that it was weird seeing her voice coming out of someone else's photo-realistic animated face. "The first time I saw it, it was very odd," the actress said in an interview. "Because I didn't realize how lifelike it would be. Now that I've seen a little bit more of it, I'm more used to it. But in the very beginning, yes, it was a little disconcerting, actually, yeah."

The Final Fantasy movie is based on the Square videogame series, and the story centers on the heroine Ross. Dr. Ross is a scientist in the year 2065 who is bedeviled by dreams and must figure out a way to thwart an alien threat to Earth. Advance footage of the movie, which screened over the weekend in Los Angeles, reveals animation that approaches reality, complete with human characters that are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, as well as fantastical alien landscapes, Aliens-like armor and spacecraft and otherworldly monsters.

"Every time I see more of it, I'm more blown away," said Ming-Na, who still hasn't seen the full movie. "And I can't wait. ... They're now in the process of doing the music, with the London Symphony, ... and they're e-mailing me and telling me how fantastic the music is. ... So I'm really excited to see the final product."

Ming-Na, who is also known as the lead voice of Disney's Mulan, added that she was unfamiliar with the venerable game series from which the movie is drawn. "I started playing the game a little bit after I got the part, just for fun, just to see what it was about," she said. But she added that she's not worried about fan reaction to the movie. "No," she said. "When I go into any project, ... I do it because I love the material, or I love the character, or I love the people I'm working with, and I want to have that experience in my life. And if it becomes a big hit, or if it is successful and people profit from it, or people enjoy it tremendously, and it becomes whatever it becomes, then that's a life unto itself. I'm sure [director Hironobu] Sakaguchi-san, because he has such his heart and soul in this project--you know, it's his image, it's his story, his production company--I'm sure if you talk to him, his pressure is definitely different from mine. Mine is just to make sure when I go into the studio, I do a good job, and my pressure is hoping that people will believe in this character, and that's all I have to worry about."

Final Fantasy opens July 11.

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