Once a script is in place and everyone has a general idea of the direction in which they are heading the next stage is to start researching things. Naturally in the sound production side of it, people are going to start looking into the noises they're going to need, the items that are capable of producing those, the equipment and software needed to record those noises voice actors suitable for the roles etc... There are numerous areas that have to be carefully looked into before production can even be considered. Looking into voice actors is a hugely important part of the process, if you have the wrong person for the job, the script can go from being a masterpiece to becoming a mumbled mess. The link below gives a great example of how the use of Ashley Burch in Borderlands 2 took what may have been a slightly odd choice of words and made them into something believable that really worked in the context of the game. http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2012/09/23/getting-voice-actors-right-in-borderlands-2/ The video below is a great example of some of the most iconic voice acting used in animation, the cast of Toy Story is made up of iconic and renowned actors however they really take on the characters they're playing, if you close your eyes it isn't Tom Hanks that you picture stood there saying the lines, it's Woody acting out the scene.
It isn't just the actors that need to be searched for, it's trying to find the right set of noises that will slot hand in hand with the aesthetic of the animation. Disney animations for example wouldn't be the same without the grand orchestral pieces playing throughout, where as more modern animations usually prefer realistic sounds to match with the animation. It's vital to experiment and play around with sound at this stage to get exactly what you need at later ones.
The first and often most important part of any piece of media is laying down a script, a rough idea of what's going to happen, when it'll occur, how it'll fit into a scene. A good script should cover all of these basis, it can be edited or added to at a later date, but it's vital that it exists in one form or another. Naturally a script will include various characters, providing artists with ideas of what they should look like, ideas about what the settings will look like, allowing concept artists to begin creating an aesthetic for the piece and it can even provide ideas as to who can voice the characters involve, all this and much more comes from the script, it is a hugely important and necessary starting point. It's very important that whilst writing a script for an animation, one must remember that animation is visual, whilst the spoken words are important, they aesthetic of the piece is equally important, the goal is to show the audience what is happening, not simply describing every little detail, it's the audiences job to explore the finer details and to figure out what's occurring for themselves. There are often animations with no vocals at all, so it's important to remember where the emphasis and priority should lie, therefore the visuals must always be held in mind. Having said that, strong visuals and a poor script will result in equally bad results, as stated in this article. http://feldmanfile.blogspot.co.uk/2005/12/animation-its-script-that-counts.html
