Voice acting need to be recorded BEFORE animation starts because the voice will give the animators the timing and emotion and expression they need to animate with. So if holding up animation is out of the question due to deadline commitments, then I’d negotiate for vocal recording dates that won’t delay production, or else consider casting new vocal actors.

As the founder of an animation company, resolving timeline clashes with voice actors requires a balance of flexibility and efficiency. First, we prioritize pre-recording key dialogue early, allowing animators to work with placeholder audio. Next, we optimize the production schedule by focusing on scenes that don’t require synced dialogue. Clear communication is vital—keeping voice actors updated on deadlines helps align expectations. If delays are unavoidable, we fast-track post-production processes like syncing and final edits. Ultimately, a collaborative mindset and contingency planning ensure smooth delivery without compromising quality.

On a feature film, for the most part, you can't begin animating without the recordings. The voice recording is used to make a cut of the film with story boards. A story reel. The timing of every shot is driven by the story reel. However an animated series has a more difficult issue with scheduling. Yet, a show like south park could actually begin animating every shot and simply tweak the timing when the voice recordings arrive. Or even create mouth positions with an expression to move the moth based on the volume of the voice? And it can be added and timed to the animation any time. Variations of these.