Joe Tully
01-18-2002, 01:05 AM
Read this.
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/38825.htm
January 13, 2002 -- Anime - minus the graphic sex and violence its known for in its native Japan - is suddenly Hollywood's favorite genre.
A new generation of blockbuster anime imports has captured the imagination of American studios, prompting speculation that what has worked so well in Tokyo might finally metamorphose into Hollywood gold.
Despite financial flops like "Princess Mononoke," optimism for anime is sky high. Two new films, "Metropolis" and "Spirited Away," are already sparking great expectations.
Disney and DreamWorks, in fact, have locked horns over the rights to "Spirited Away," Japan's all-time No. 1 box-office champ.
The film, with a modest budget of $19.2 million, steamrolled even "Titanic" at the Japanese box office, earning $205 million. Some industry insiders have speculated that the film could do another $250 million in the States.
Created by Japan's beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki, best known for "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbor Totoro," the movie tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who tries to save her parents after they are transformed into pigs.
DreamWorks and Disney are negotiating with Miyazaki's production company, Studio Ghibli, for distribution rights to the picture.
But there's no guarantee "Spirited Away" will fare well in the United States. "Princess Mononoke," Miyazaki's other hit movie, grossed $150 million in Japan but earned less than $3 million in the United States, after Disney spent close to $2.1 million to hire A-list stars to dub the movie.
"I don't think Disney really knew what they were buying until it was too late," said Jonathan Clements, co-author of "The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917."
"Mononoke," he added, was never going to fit into the traditional American idea of what a cartoon ought to be because it's a two-hour epic unsuitable for children.
"Spirited Away" stands a better chance because it can appeal to a wider audience, said John O'Donnell, member of the business advisory board at the Big Apple Anime Fest.
"It's a very clean-cut fantasy story that has a happy ending, which Americans like."
Traditional anime is known for its graphic content - both sexually and in terms of violence. The Japanese have even coined the term "erotic grotesque" for the sex-horror genre of anime.
But explicit anime has found its way into American pop culture too. The work of boundary-challenging animator Toshio Maeda popped up in Madonna's "Drowned World Tour" last year.
But the anime coming Stateside is much more mainstream, such as the PG-13-rated "Metropolis," which opens Jan. 25.
"It has beauty, power, mystery and, above all, heart," said "Titanic" director James Cameron, a fan of the film, which was a hit in its native Japan.
"Metropolis," which was selected to open last year's Big Apple Anime Fest, centers on a futuristic world ruled by the power-hunger Duke Red, who is thwarted by his own creation - a female android - and a detective called Shunsaku Ban.
The movie, which is based on a 50-year-old comic, is the product of a collaboration among three of Japan's biggest names in anime: "Astroboy" author Osamu Tezuka, "X" director Rintaro and screenwriter Katsuhiro Otomo ("Akira").
"Director Rintaro had a very clear artistic point of view - in the source of material in bringing it to the screen and in the interest of making it a work of art, and hopefully it will find its audience," said O'Donnell.
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/38825.htm
January 13, 2002 -- Anime - minus the graphic sex and violence its known for in its native Japan - is suddenly Hollywood's favorite genre.
A new generation of blockbuster anime imports has captured the imagination of American studios, prompting speculation that what has worked so well in Tokyo might finally metamorphose into Hollywood gold.
Despite financial flops like "Princess Mononoke," optimism for anime is sky high. Two new films, "Metropolis" and "Spirited Away," are already sparking great expectations.
Disney and DreamWorks, in fact, have locked horns over the rights to "Spirited Away," Japan's all-time No. 1 box-office champ.
The film, with a modest budget of $19.2 million, steamrolled even "Titanic" at the Japanese box office, earning $205 million. Some industry insiders have speculated that the film could do another $250 million in the States.
Created by Japan's beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki, best known for "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbor Totoro," the movie tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who tries to save her parents after they are transformed into pigs.
DreamWorks and Disney are negotiating with Miyazaki's production company, Studio Ghibli, for distribution rights to the picture.
But there's no guarantee "Spirited Away" will fare well in the United States. "Princess Mononoke," Miyazaki's other hit movie, grossed $150 million in Japan but earned less than $3 million in the United States, after Disney spent close to $2.1 million to hire A-list stars to dub the movie.
"I don't think Disney really knew what they were buying until it was too late," said Jonathan Clements, co-author of "The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917."
"Mononoke," he added, was never going to fit into the traditional American idea of what a cartoon ought to be because it's a two-hour epic unsuitable for children.
"Spirited Away" stands a better chance because it can appeal to a wider audience, said John O'Donnell, member of the business advisory board at the Big Apple Anime Fest.
"It's a very clean-cut fantasy story that has a happy ending, which Americans like."
Traditional anime is known for its graphic content - both sexually and in terms of violence. The Japanese have even coined the term "erotic grotesque" for the sex-horror genre of anime.
But explicit anime has found its way into American pop culture too. The work of boundary-challenging animator Toshio Maeda popped up in Madonna's "Drowned World Tour" last year.
But the anime coming Stateside is much more mainstream, such as the PG-13-rated "Metropolis," which opens Jan. 25.
"It has beauty, power, mystery and, above all, heart," said "Titanic" director James Cameron, a fan of the film, which was a hit in its native Japan.
"Metropolis," which was selected to open last year's Big Apple Anime Fest, centers on a futuristic world ruled by the power-hunger Duke Red, who is thwarted by his own creation - a female android - and a detective called Shunsaku Ban.
The movie, which is based on a 50-year-old comic, is the product of a collaboration among three of Japan's biggest names in anime: "Astroboy" author Osamu Tezuka, "X" director Rintaro and screenwriter Katsuhiro Otomo ("Akira").
"Director Rintaro had a very clear artistic point of view - in the source of material in bringing it to the screen and in the interest of making it a work of art, and hopefully it will find its audience," said O'Donnell.