Kitchener recording studio pivotal in creation of Oscar-nominated film
Posted Mar 13, 2026 06:39:45 AM.
Last Updated Mar 13, 2026 10:46:42 AM.
A recording studio in Kitchener could get a nod in Hollywood this weekend after playing a role in an Oscar-nominated animated film.
Fred Smith, owner and operator of Fred Smith Studio in Kitchener, hosted a recording session for the voice acting in the film The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
The 17-minute film is about a poor boy who comes into riches and opportunity when he finds a sad, young girl whose tears turn into pearls.
Award-winning Canadian actor Colm Feore features as the voice of most characters in the film, as well as the narrator, and recorded all of his lines at Smith’s studio in a single afternoon.
“Colm does so much homework in preparation,” said Smith. “By the time we get the room comfortable, and everybody feeling good about things and start working to completion, a bit of chit-chat and fun, it might be three or four hours. It’s pretty quick when you have hammers working together.”
Smith has been in the recording business since 1985, and his studio has hosted sessions that contributed to sounds on TV and in the movies. Smith is also a composer and producer, and uses his studio to record everything from rock ‘n roll to classical music, jazz, and more.
The Oscars take place in Hollywood on Sunday, starting at 7 p.m.
“To just be nominated is a really cool thing. It would be really quite mind-blowing if it took it,” said Smith.
You can watch the film for free on YouTube.
