Buzz Lightyear’s Arabic identity headlines Sharjah’s SACC

When Buzz Lightyear or Buzz Yatir, as he is known in the Arab world, first spoke Arabic, he did not simply acquire a new language. He acquired a new voice, rhythm and performance while remaining unmistakably Buzz.

That process was at the heart of How Buzz Spoke Arabic, an engaging session at the Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference (SACC) 2026, exploring the creative decisions behind adapting Toy Story and other global animated characters for Arabic-speaking audiences.

The panel brought together Oscar-nominated director and animator Doug Sweetland, Professor of Voice at the Higher Institute of Arabic Music at Cairo’s Academy of Arts Jehan Al Nasser, and National Theatre of Egypt’s playwright Essam Al Sayed, with director Adham Sayed moderating.

For Sweetland, who worked on the original Toy Story in 1995, voice performance was part of character creation from the very beginning.

“Voice comes first, then people record a scratch version of the script,” he said, explaining how those early performances helped animators determine how characters should move, react and behave on screen.

That relationship between voice and physical performance was particularly important in establishing Buzz Lightyear. Sweetland recalled a scene in which Buzz and Woody meet on Andy’s bed. Woody carries much of the dialogue, but Buzz’s movements establish his confidence and authority.

“Even though Woody is the one talking, Buzz does the kung fu thing, goes around Woody,” he said, recalling how director John Lasseter wanted the character to come across as “some sort of a space cop”.

Watching part of the Arabic performance during the SACC session, Sweetland said he could still recognise the character even without understanding the language.

“Even when you hear and don’t understand the language, I still understand. That’s incredible. I loved it,” he said.

The moment illustrated one of the session’s central ideas: a successful dub does not simply reproduce dialogue. It preserves the relationship between voice, movement and personality.

FINDING THE VOICE BEFORE TRANSLATING THE CHARACTER: For Al Nasser, who has worked on Disney productions since 1995 and has extensive experience in voice direction and singing for animated films, that process begins long before recording.

“For each movie that comes to us to work in Arabic, I watch it in whole to understand the relationship,” she said.

Only after understanding the characters and how they interact does she begin selecting voices capable of carrying those qualities into Arabic. Casting, she explained, is not simply about choosing a celebrity or recognisable performer. Age, vocal quality and the physical characteristics that shape a person’s voice all matter.

“When I got the two celebrities who did Buzz Lightyear, I didn’t care about their weight. I looked for their voice box, which is what produces the sound,” she said. She also highlighted the technical precision required in lip-syncing, where Arabic dialogue must fit the movement of an animated character’s mouth while still sounding natural rather than mechanically translated.

WHEN DUBBING BECAME CREATIVE WORK: For veteran Egyptian director Essam Al Sayed, dubbing initially carried little creative appeal. He recalled being reluctant when first approached to work in the field, but said that changed when he became involved with Disney’s Arabic-language productions, beginning with The Lion King.

Three voices were initially recorded for each character, with Disney selecting the final performances. Al Sayed recalled being so disappointed when his own voice was not immediately chosen that he considered leaving the project before a producer persuaded him to continue.

The experience ultimately became a turning point.

After the Arabic version of The Lion King was completed, the Egyptian team received letters of appreciation from Disney, helping establish a working relationship with Blake Todd, who supervised the company’s international dubbing operations.

“At the time, he used to supervise all the dubs in different languages — 22 then, now 50 languages,” Al Sayed said.

The discussion offered a rare look at the many creative decisions that sit behind a dubbed performance. From animation and voice direction to casting, lip-syncing, performance and language, each stage contributes to whether a character feels authentic in another language.