Animated documentary

Finding His Voice (1929): Cast & Plot

Name: Finding His Voice
Genre: Documentary, Animation
Released: 1929-06-21
Duration: 11 min
Cast: Carlyle Ellis, Billy Murray, Walter Scanlan

Finding His Voice is a 1929 animated documentary directed by Max Fleischer and F. Lyle Goldman, starring Carlyle Ellis as Narrator, Billy Murray and Walter Scanlan. It runs 11 minutes.

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Released: June 21, 1929
Runtime: 11 min
Directors: Max Fleischer and F. Lyle Goldman
Genres: Documentary , Animation
Original language: English
Studio: Western Electric Sound System
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is Finding His Voice About?

The premise of Finding His Voice without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Animated figure Talkie gets a visit from his friend Mutie in search for a job. Talkie takes him to the Western Electric sound lab…

Finding His Voice Themes & Keywords

· 32 tags

film projector
audio recording
technology
motion picture industry
2d animation
black and white film
educational short
black and white short
cartoon
hand drawn animation
how it works
black and white movie

+20 more

early sound film
talkie
1920s
sound recording
sound recorder
movie theater
movie studio
movie production
film within a film
camera
year 1929
sound proof room
microphone
intertitle
sound board
behind the scenes
10 minutes
sound stage
sound recordist
20th century

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Cast & crew

Finding His Voice Cast & Characters

Carlyle Ellis leads the cast as Narrator, with Billy Murray and Walter Scanlan. Directed by Max Fleischer and F. Lyle Goldman.

Co-director Max Fleischer
Co-director F. Lyle Goldman

From the directors

Finding His Voice Plot Summary

What happens in Finding His Voice from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

In a playful, experimental live-action sequence, a hand draws a strip of film that takes on a life of its own, coalescing into a human head and then a body shaped by musical notes. The strip begins to sing, crafting a xylophone from its notes, and after a brief solo, another piece of film—silent—jumps onto it. The talking strip bellows, > “Hey, Mute! What’s the big idea, busting up my act?”

The silent piece returns the question with sign language, its subtitles rising above to ask about the origin of the voice. The response reveals a backstory: a man named Dr. Western gave him a set of vocal cords, and now Mutie longs to meet him as well.

Full summary

The whole story of Finding His Voice, scene by scene

Read the full summary

Timeline of events

Seen Finding His Voice?

Movies Like Finding His Voice

Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Cinema Finds Its Voice, A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound and The Voice That Thrilled the World.