Animation 'Gills' Born from the Voices of Kang Ha-neul and Yoo Jae-myung... An Emotion Resonating on the Screen

[Special Times] Reporter Choi Seon-eun=A unique challenge that filled the screen with only voices has begun. Actors Kang Ha-neul, Yoo Jae-myung, and Kim Sun-young have opened a new horizon of acting by participating in the voice acting for the animated film based on the novel 'Gills' by author Gu Byeong-mo. On the 26th, Kang Ha-neul, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Sun-young, and director Ahn Jae-hoon attended a press distribution premiere held in Seoul to share stories about the work.

'Gills' captures the story of Gon (played by Jung Hae-in), a child of a difficult fate who develops gills underwater, through animation. Kang Ha-neul explained how voice acting contributed to portraying the process of his character's growth through his relationship with the protagonist, Gon. He stated, "I paid a lot of attention to the harmony between my voice and the character from a third-person perspective, which is different from existing live-action films."

Regarding this work, Yoo Jae-myung shared his thoughts, saying, "It was a fresh experience as it was my first time participating only through voice acting," and added, "There were difficulties, but it became a joyful time as a new challenge."

Kim Sun-young, who has mainly been active in musicals, compared the stage to voice acting, saying, "My experience on stage was of great help." She added that under the director's support, she enjoyed handling the unfamiliar experience.

Director Ahn Jae-hoon explained the reason for casting actors instead of professional voice actors and highly praised Kang Ha-neul's attitude toward participation. He conveyed that Kang Ha-neul actively communicated with the animators in the studio to solve problems in the process.

Jung Hae-in also went through much deliberation to express the voice of the character Gon. Regarding the choice of that voice, the director explained, "We chose Jung Hae-in upon the suggestion of director Ryoo Seung Wan and CEO Kang Hye-jung."

Director Ahn said he thought deeply about how to implement the stylistic beauty of the original work into animation. He stated, "I tried to incorporate the beauty of the Korean language contained in author Gu Byeong-mo's writing style into the animation's background." As part of this work, he sought to maintain the style of the original while maximizing the characteristics of the animation medium.

The film will be released on September 9. Regarding the film, Director Ahn said, "I am happy to compete with other films," and added his hope that the work will leave emotion and a deep lingering impression on many people.