The voice acting community was dealt a hard blow recently when Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse and Simpsons characters like Martin Prince, Sherri, and Terri, passed away. Some had wondered what The Simpsons would do with the characters following her death, and it was recently revealed the characters would receive a new voice actress.
As of "Marge The Lumberjill," Grey DeLisle-Griffin has taken on the voice acting duties of Taylor's iconic Simpsons (which are now technically also Disney) characters. Executive producer Al Jean made the announcement on Twitter, in an effort to get DeLisle-Griffin a warm welcome from The Simpsons' fanbase.
Grey DeLisle-Griffin is one of those major names in voice acting whose credits are too numerous to rattle off. As for her most notable characters, she's been the voice of Daphne Blake in modern Scooby Doo! projects, she was the voice of Vicky in Fairly Odd Parents, and the voice of Mandy in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Those are just a few of literally hundreds of credits, so she's definitely got the credentials to join an animation as prestigious as The Simpsons.
As Al Jean mentioned on Twitter, Grey DeLisle-Griffin made her debut in the most-recent episode of The Simpsons. Her voice as the twins Sherri and Terri can be heard in the back half of this clip, which features the children of Springfield Elementary attempting to recreate a scene from Riverdale.
I can't distinguish any major differences between this new voice and the past portrayal. Grey DeLisle-Griffin may be a little higher in pitch compared to Russi Taylor, but Sherri and Terri's appearances on The Simpsons are so infrequent I can't imagine many fans are going to take issue with her portrayal.
As for Martin Prince, Grey DeLisle-Griffin is the latest of many actors to portray the character. While Russi Taylor was the primary voice for Prince, other notable Simpsons actors like Nancy Cartwright, Pamela Hayden, and Dan Castellaneta have also voiced the character. That may mean his voice isn't one that's hard to peg down, which should mean the transition of DeLisle-Griffin voicing Martin will be smooth.
As seamless as the change may be, there are some Simpsons fans who believe the three characters should have been retired to honor Russi Taylor. The Simpsons has had no issues with removing other characters from the rotation, and has no shortage of characters it can move to the forefront in their place. For now, it feels like these characters aren't going anywhere, and it's possible Grey DeLisle-Griffin may ingratiate herself further in the Simpsons family with her ability to do so many voices.
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