It all started in September 2007, when I received a call from Richard Walker of Fabulous Films explaining to me that they have the exclusive rights to distribute the official DVD set. I told him I would stop and I put up a notification immediately that my fan based DVD sets were being stopped to prepare for the official DVD release.

A little while later I received emails from Richard thanking me for pulling down the notice about getting the DVD set, and I announced this to the gold list. Richard informed me that some of the rumors were true. Indeed there was some missing footage and he needed my help. At this point I provided him scans of my cells and the cities of gold font. Two of the scanned cells are used in the booket!

Being a huge fan of the series I was more than happy to help out. Richard and I communicated several times and I sent him all the documentaries that I acquired from the past few years. They later obtained the original english audio on 16mm tape, and used the documentaries I had sent for reference in order to synch up with the German video footage. The number one requested feature of the official DVD set was the documentaries. The second most requested feature was interviews with the voice dubbing cast.

I had been asked by Richard, if we were to interview four of the voice cast, who would I get? I suggested Howard Ryshpan, Janice Chaikelson, Shiraz Adam, and Adrian Knight. Mendoza, Zia, Esteban, and Tao. Richard also asked me if I were to pick a scene to redub, featuring the four characters, what scene would I suggest. Richard had also asked Jason Jaynes of http://www.themysteriouscitiesofgold.com for suggestions as well.

Jason had been helping out as well, he even sold Richard several cells from his collection that are being used for promotional giveaways, and also gave him the scans used for the signed posters.

I made two suggestions of scenes. The discovery of the Solaris from the end of Episode 6, or when Mendoza catches Tao as he falls from the condor getting the quipu in Episode 18. I couldn't believe what came next.

Richard invited Jason and me to Montréal to help out with interviewing the voice cast. Money was a little low, Christmas was coming up, and I wasn't sure if I could make it. Both of us talked for a while and felt it would be best that we both go. I cleared it with my work, my wife, and booked the flight to Montréal. I live in Michigan and oddly it was my first time ever going to Canada. I was so excited and unable to sleep I arrived at the airport at 4am to make the journey.

I arrived in Montréal to be delayed a bit by extra security. Jason and I had been communicating via text messages and he waited for me. I met him on the other side of customs and we got in a taxi to go toward the hotel. Richard called us and met us a little later in the lobby.

Jason was the first fan to contact Howard about his involvement with the series. It was a pleasant surprise to Howard to have finally met Jason. As he spoke, there was no doubting his voice as Mendoza. He also is fluent in both French and English! Howard was with his son Daniel. As we went into the recording studio I took his picture. During Howard's interview I mentioned a few things, and learned that he would often fill in his voice for characters even though he wasn't supposed to. I told him I noticed it during a flashback scene with Pizarro, and that is when Howard told us that Pizarro was voiced by a South African theatre actor, Maurice Podbrey.

Howard said he was not sure who did Pedro, people think he is Pedro and he could have done Pedro. I told him that I was responsible for the credit as him being Pedro. I told him that Anick Faris who gave the Ulysses 31 fans a list of the voices gave the list of Nono the robot as him, and that voice is clearly Pedro. Howard confirmed he is Nono, so therefore I believe Howard did the voice of Pedro. Howard did confirm voices of Terrence Labrosse as Sancho, and confirmed Walter Massey (The Doctor), A.J. Henderson (Gaspard), Richard Dumont (Menator), Dean Hagopian (Kalmec), Vlasta Vrana (Kokapetl and Documentary Narrator) and Arthur Grosser (Misc Olmec voices) as other voices who worked on the series.

Janice was standing outside in the booth while Howard was being interviewed. She didn't sound all too much like Zia, until during the interview she said her audition line "It was Viracocha. For us he's the god of the sun, and the moon, and the stars at the beginning of time. Then he left."

Shiraz was very happy to finally meet me, as he got one of my fan based DVD sets to show his fiance the cartoon he worked on when he was a kid. During the interview there was a bit of banter between Janice and Shiraz. After the interview I had to ask Shiraz what kind of name Shiraz was since I had only heard it used to describe wine. He said it is a muslim name, he is not muslim, but his dad wanted to use a name that was.

The last to arrive was Adrian. I was surprised at how he sounded. He sounded like a typical Canadian accent would sound, or similar to those that live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My thoughts were there was no way that he could be Tao.

Prior to re-creating the scene after nearly 25 years, the voice actors got to listen to part of an episode to hear themselves again. The dubbing of the scene was done on computer rather than having to use celluloid film. In fact the software was designed by Howard Ryshpan!

The new dubbing software loaded up on the console. Notice the voice tracks above.

Once the dubbing session was done, both Jason and I were interviewed by Janice. It's only fair that since we created a lot of questions for them, that they ask the fans questions too!

It also became clear to me, why Adrian when he contacted the fans originally said he did the voice of Esteban. Looking at the voice actors, Adrian actually resembles Esteban, and Shiraz resembles Tao.

Leaving Montréal

Jason and I had breakfast and he had to go to the airport as his flight was earlier than mine. He took a picture of Richard Walker and myself prior to leaving.

I joined Richard and Howard prior to leaving. I told Howard my plane is going to Chicago, and he asked me to say Chicago again. I say it the way it is pronounced, but "Shi Cah go" was different than he had heard.

Montréal

Audio Post Production SPR

Howard Ryshpan

Janice Chaikelson

Shiraz Adam

Adrian Knight

The Dubbing Session

Leaving Montréal