Dear Pokémon USA:


I am deeply disturbed, disgusted, and shocked to find out that you have replaced the wonderful Pokémon English dub cast for the 10th Anniversary Special, and are considering replacing them for seasons 9 and up of Pokémon the TV series.

I am 23 years old and have been a fan of the show since it began airing here in the United States of America 8 years ago. I must admit that the concept of the Pokémon games did not appeal to me until I watched the TV series and heard the talents of Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, Addie Blaustein, Stan Hart, and all the rest of the dub cast bring the characters to life. 

Since then I have been a faithful fan, watching the TV series every week (including reruns), buying all the games, buying the DVDs, CDs, and other Pokémon related merchandise, even ordering the Pokémon Chronicles DVD through Amazon UK at extra expense to myself.  I attended each Pokémon movie released in the movie theaters multiple times as well. This dub cast has caused me to laugh and cry with the episodes and films, even their songs!

This dub cast has helped me through a lot of difficult times in my life just hearing their voices have brought me comfort and lifted my spirits when barely anything else will. I was sincerely upset last year when Megan Hollingshead was replaced as Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, a relatively minor part, and I understand that replacement was necessary due to her moving across the country. I can only imagine the betrayal I would feel if the entire cast was replaced with "sound-alikes."

My understanding, having been in contact with several of the voice actors, as well as through publicly available information gathered by looking at the annual financial reports from  4Kids Entertainment's website (http://4kidsentertainment.com/home/home.php) is that the voice actors' salaries are a rather small slice of the financial pie, so it is neither accurate nor is it truthful to claim the wholesale replacement of the current cast of voice actors as to" save money" or in reference to any significant improvement in the "bottom line".

These artists, of Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, Addie Blaustein, Stan Hart, and all the rest of the present dub cast bring the characters to life, are inspired and inspirational talents; hard working voice actors, who have developed these characters with full respect to the fans and to the genius of the Pokémon concept.  These individuals and the ensemble work they have created comes through consistently over the course of the 8 years of the show's US run, primarily out of love for the show and the work they do on it.  4Kids Entertainment has gathered an ensemble cast whose love and life for the characters shines through in the hearts of fans of all ages and genders. Pokémon USA has an opportunity to support this unique treasure or to destroy it through an inept action disguised through mystifying terminology of "bottom lines" that couldn't be farther from the truth of the matter.

I can't picture the Pokémon characters sounding any other way nor would I want them to.

Plus, public documents reveal that the majority of the cast members now play multiple parts, further lessening the amount of money their salaries cost your company. So not only is this change unfair and insulting to the fans, but also disrespectful of the voice actors, screen writers, directors, and musicians your intended change would put out of work.  These are the people responsible for making Pokémon a hit in the USA, and I predict that if you replace them your company will suffer a financial decline.

By replacing the cast and the other hard working individuals involved in the past 8 years of production on Pokémon, you will be alienating a large audience that has been with the show since the beginning. This will have a negative impact on your company as those fans will be highly unlikely to want to continue to watch the series, buy the DVDs, or anything else associated, even going out of our way to buy these items that have become difficult to obtain in the USA.

If Pokémon USA has been experiencing difficulties financially in the USA, perhaps it is because certain products which would have done well in sales, such as Pokémon Chronicles, have not been made available to us, whereas one can buy them in the UK.

We, the fans, will not accept substitute voice actors.

You must understand that the main dub cast has a large and loyal fan-base, not only across the USA but in other English speaking countries such as the UK, Canada, and Australia. I can vouch for this as founder and president of fan clubs for Rachael Lillis and Eric Stuart that have drawn active members from all these countries. We were outraged to hear that there is a possibility that your company was considering replacing after this season the voice actors who made Ash, Misty, Brock, May, Max, Jessie, James, Meowth, and even the minor Pokémon characters, fully developed and believable, the actors who made the characters on Pokémon ones that we care about and have cheered for during the past 8 years. 

Even new fans of the series, young children maybe even of only 6 years old, would be able to tell the difference if you replace this cast, whom older fans like me love. Please reconsider your choice to replace these hard working voice actors for seasons 9, and beyond of Pokémon. With a background in advertising and cultural studies I know that one of the most important factors in good sales figures is brand loyalty, and by replacing the cast you would be shattering this. It is almost always the case that replacing an actor on a TV series of any sort is the ruin of that show in terms of ratings and finances.  I assure you that keeping this cast will prevent financial loss and be most beneficial to the success of Pokémon USA.

Pokémon is one of the few TV shows I consistently rely on for quality entertainment, please don't mess this up.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,
Heidi L. (full last name, university email address, and home address removed for privacy)