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Why do some feel the need for cartoon characters who have worked well when silent, such as The Pink Panther and Tom & Jerry, to begin speaking? In the early days they did try to give a voice to The Pink Panther in two shorts but it was unsuccessful, so they left him silent. In fact, leaving The Pink Panther silent was a factor in making him an international success since it avoided the language barrier.
It's the same with Tom & Jerry. Although both have spoken (with Tom sometimes making vocal sounds in some shorts), for the most part the two work best when silent. Modern attempts to give them voice haven't been too successful (as it has unsuccessful with The Pink Panther).
There have been some characters that are able to straddle the line between being silent and having a voice. One example of this is Wile E. Coyote. Although he's usually silent when teamed with The Road Runner (except for a few vocal sounds such as when he's been hurt), when teamed with other characters (such as Bugs Bunny) he does have a voice (usually a very high-class accent).
There have been some recent attempts to introduce "silent" animated characters. One example of this is "Pucca," where the two lead characters (Pucca and Garu) don't speak words (just vocal sounds). The other characters do speak, and it appears that Pucca and Garu do speak words but we never hear them speak them (other characters mention what they said).
But to me its best that silent characters should remain silent. That they don't have a voice hasn't hindered them from being enjoyed by so many.
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