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Miyazaki's Future w/ Disney
An anonymous reader sent us an interesting little article about
Miyazaki and Disney. Disney of course owns the rights to distribute his films (like to pick a gigantic example Princess Mononoke) to worldwide audiences. Apparently lackluster profits from Mononoke may jeopradize future Miyazaki titles release in the US, which would be terribly unfortunate considering that in the end, the DVD release of Mononoke was absolutely wonderful (although its a somewhat dark film for Mouse) This is all
tied to Spirited Away, his latest film which is apparently doing great things at the Japanese Box Office.
I've never seen an ad for Mononoke (though, of course, I own the DVD). It's interesting that Disney's compaining about sales but has never really pushed the film....
Part of the problem with Disney's handling of Princess Mononoke was that they distributed it like they would an arthouse movie (i.e. relatively limited release, not much promotion), so that it was virtually guaranteed to not make money. Where I live, only the little hole-in-the-wall arthouse theaters showed it -- the big cineplexes didn't.
What happens is that the corps have multiple tiers of products, and they really only put their energy into promoting their top-tier stuff in terms of expected ROI. This is kinda circular -- most times something won't become really popular unless it's promoted, but it won't be promoted unless the corps think it'll be really popular... This also shows up in the music biz -- take a look at how Hollywood Records (the Mouse again) promoted Queen's last album before Freddie Mercury died (read: they didn't), or how Elektra promotes 2nd-tier but solid-selling bands like Dream Theater (read: they don't). In DT's case, they've actually had trouble convincing Elektra to let them make new records because they don't go gold in the US right away, even though they do huge business in Europe and Japan.
"My life's work has been to prompt others... and be forgotten." --Cyrano de Bergerac
...if all you've seen is Mononoke, you'd do well to see Miyazaki's other films as well. I call them films because to call them simply anime or (even worse) "cartoons" is like spitting on a Picasso by calling it a "drawing".
- A.P.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
I first saw a fansub of Nausicaa in the eighties at GenCon, and though already a fan of anime, had never seen something so beautiful. Like many others, I fell in love with it, and wanted more.
Thus the problem. How do you get a copy of a film that no one will distribute here? I'd be thrilled to pay just about any amount of money if someone would just sell the thing. Instead, we're forced to sneak around just to enjoy the art. I wrote Disney a letter thanking them for releasing Mononoke and Kiki (charming movie, even with Phil Hartman's Gigi), and telling them I hoped they would do the same high-quality releases for Miyazaki's other films.
But nothing. We still have their wonderful Mononoke DVD release, and the so-so pan and scan of Kiki, of which every copy I've seen is too bright. They also distributed a widescreen Japanese-language Kiki with English subtitles -- but on VHS only. When I want to see any other Miyazaki films, I have no choice but to view pirated versions.
I know my complaints are old, but they're also current. I am going to watch the movies, even if it means breaking the law. Isn't that a hoot? Having to break the law to watch a family-friendly animated movie. Of course Disney would throw a fit, and Studio Ghibli sure doesn't like it either, but I'm ready, willing, and able to give them money -- even if they want to overcharge -- but they won't sell them!
So is it any wonder that fans of these movies pirate them when there's no legal option for obtaining them? Even Miyazaki fan sites, like http://www.nausicaa.net denounce piracy. But it's sort of two-faced, because that's the only option THEY have for watching the films too. It's very frustrating.
Actually, I've taken quite the opposite view of yours alot. Not that current generation of movies are great, but that critics generally aren't worth a damn. If I wanted somebodies opinion of a movie, I'd ask my cousin, who has very similar taste in movies to me. Critics are paid to give an opinion on an almost entirely subjective matter. Everyone's likes and dislikes are different. Critics seem altogether pointless to me.
American productions tend to be un-funny "comedies" targetted at teen audiences, action flicks that can be enjoyed while intoxicated, and slasher/horror flicks that seem tame compared to the news.
Canadian productions tend to be heavy dramas and histo-dramas that may educate, but rarely entertain.
So-called "underground" productions seem to be stuck with studying street life, prostitution, and the war on drugs. Sometimes they have good characterization, but often a weak plot.
As to "critic proof" movies, I never pay attention to what the critics say anyhow. I find I usually disagree with critics, not because they've done a bad review, but because we just don't have similar tastes. I kind of pity the critics -- do you enjoy a drama if you're in the mood for a comedy, action, or something else? Could you give a fair review of such a movie if you're forced to watch it in order to write a review for Friday?
Lately at least 2/3 of my DVD purchases have been anime, whether traditional hand-drawn or CGI-enhanced. Even though the translations and voice tracks are often poorly done, the plot lines and characters are often interesting enough that I find them far better movies than what is produced locally.
Unfortunately I don't think there is much we can do as long as North American companies focus on blockbuster hits instead of just making a reasonable profit. There are plenty of no-name talented actors and actresses that could carry a character through a well-written movie, but the investors insist on blowing millions on big-names and then whine when they don't make a few million profit back.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
"Princess Mononoke" _was_ released under Miramax in theaters. Then Buena Vista handled the VHS/DVD.