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Disney Aquires Sen to Chihiro, Lasseter to Dub

peter_gzowski writes "Disney has finally announced that it will be bringing Miyazaki's anime masterpiece Sen to Chihiro (Spirited Away) over to North American theaters. Sen to Chihiro is the most successful non-U.S. produced movie in the world. It has grossed about 30 billion yen ($226 million U.S.), which is more than Titanic (the previous record holder). We can expect it to be here around July." John Lasseter of Pixar fame is lined up to consult on the dub. No voices yet confirmed, but John: I'm available and willing.

261 comments

  1. Change the title, it's confusing by Chris+Pimlott · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought the article was about Disney acquiring another senator... Hollings is annoying enough already.

    1. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      disney + aguirre + senator chihiro == wrath of god

    2. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by tswinzig · · Score: 5, Funny

      I thought the article was about Disney acquiring another senator... Hollings is annoying enough already.

      Worse than that, I thought they were trading Lasseter to George W. in exchange for a senator.

      --

      "And like that ... he's gone."
    3. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      You know, you have a point--ever consider going legit?

      ~~~

    4. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by diggem · · Score: 1

      And *I* thought it said Lasseter to pub.. odd. Mebbe I've been thinkin about drinkin for a wee bit too long. Must be all that 'free as in beer talk'

    5. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      yeah, well i power sink your wrath of god.

    6. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      True dat. Glad to hear you've other accounts.

      ~~~

    7. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, all the truly l33t anime fans butcher the Japanese name rather than using the simple and well-recognized English translation. It's like who's "more punk." Ridiculous.

    8. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by AndyChrist · · Score: 1

      All the truly |33+ anime fans saw it in Japan and can properly say it's full title. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi.

      And they know that the title will never make any sense to American audiences, because it is a major plot point, AND a play on words which is untranslatable.

      Too bad.

    9. Re:Change the title, it's confusing by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

      I had no idea what the title meant, but I thought maybe they'd picked up a couple of volumes of some strange encyclopedia.

  2. Anime in theatres? by noone42 · · Score: 0

    There has definitely been a shortage of good anime in theatres. Aside from Princess Mononoke (sp?), I really haven't seen anything in theatres over the past couple years. From those readers that happen to be informed, what are some anime releases that actually made it to theatres in the US?

    1. Re:Anime in theatres? by cliche · · Score: 1

      i think (meaning im not sure) that metropolis is going to be in the theaters in the us.

    2. Re:Anime in theatres? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      metropolis was okay... not great, but watchable. I saw it when it was out in the corner house (www.cornerhouse.org) a couple of weeks ago. I thought, compared to something like "blood the last vampire" the computer graphics was kind of intrusive. I mean, you watch "blood" and you go... is this REALLY photoshop or 3DS??? oops, you don't even ask yourself that, because you don't see it... which is the whole point. In metropolis, I was always going... nice effect, but the speckle's a bit high or, is this really meant to look so shite?

      Anyway, bear this is mind when you watch metropolis...

      As for studio ghibli, the most recent movie I've seen is princess mononoke. no issue about the CGI; the rare moments in the movie where it's used, it's 100% non intrusive... the way it should be.

      As for the dubbing? who cares about Anderson, you don't even see her tits (oh... THAT anderson). Is she even qualified for the job?
      Okay, watching a dubbed movie helps concentrating on the visuals. Listen to it in the original language and you won't understand dick about the details but unless you really close yourself to the feelings conveyed in the movie, you'd understand details don't really matter... especially in Myazaki's movies (nausicaa, laputa, mononoke...)

      what was I sayin? oh yeah... metropolis is good, but not too much to be expected of.
      Sen to Chihiro with subtitles? I'd buy that for a dollar! (to paraphrase... well, you know the movie)

    3. Re:Anime in theatres? by nomadic · · Score: 2

      It's been out for 5 weeks already.

    4. Re:Anime in theatres? by Lemmy+Caution · · Score: 3, Interesting
      It looks to me like it was substantially scaled back as a release (in terms of promotion and distribution.) I think I understand why: it is incongruous and awkward, now, for American audiences, to watch a film which celebrates, as a climax, the destruction of the Tallest Building, Symbol of Hegemony, of an American city. Of course the film was made before 9/11, which only makes the effect eerier.

      The entire audience I saw it with squirmed uncomfortably when they saw what was going on.

    5. Re:Anime in theatres? by nomadic · · Score: 2

      The entire audience I saw it with squirmed uncomfortably when they saw what was going on.

      Really? I didn't notice that in the audience I saw it with, and the theater was quite literally a few blocks away from where the WTC used to stand. In fact the theater itself was most likely closed for a while after 9/11...

  3. A brief review by stph · · Score: 4, Informative

    This review contains some spoilers, don't read it if you like your movie surprises.

    1. Re:A brief review by ll1234 · · Score: 2, Informative
      There's a ton of impressions on the aptly named "Spirited Away" Impressions page:

      Impressions page

      Lots of translated German articles from the recently concluded Berlin International Film Festival.

    2. Re:A brief review by yota · · Score: 1
      here is another review, comes from the Economist. Pretty insightful.

      Andrea

  4. I want to know... by JonWan · · Score: 1

    When we will get all of the other Miyazaki anime that Uncle Walt bought the rights to.

    1. Re:I want to know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm glad to hear this. I used to think Disney Co. was very lame after the Kimba-Simba embroglio. Like it's written, there's more joy for a repenting one than for 99 justs.

      Disney also does some useful work -- it seems they simplify things, converting complex plots into "icecream" level best-sellers. (Hey, maybe I was cloned from Jon Katz -- eeeewk!)

      Now, how would Totoro be, if simplified?

  5. Out of luck Taco by danimal · · Score: 2

    Sorry CmdrTaco, unless you have a SAG card you won't be dubbing anything :P

    1. Re:Out of luck Taco by tb3 · · Score: 2

      Lots of dubbing is done outside of SAG control. The actors use aliases to get around the SAG.

      That said, I think there's a little weasel that Taco would be perfect for.

      --

      www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance

    2. Re:Out of luck Taco by jin-roh_wolf · · Score: 1

      It doesn't really matter anyway; at the rate they put out Geeks in Space, they'd never finish the dubs. ^_^

    3. Re:Out of luck Taco by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rob does have a cute squeaky little voice in those 'Geeks In Outer Space' programs, doesn't he?

    4. Re:Out of luck Taco by Harlockjds · · Score: 1

      But Disney will be using SAG actors for the dubbing (we are talking about a real studio nor one of the usual anime dubbing studios)

  6. Not more than Titanic by tetrad · · Score: 3, Informative

    Actually, Titanic had a worldwide gross of nearly $2 billion. Sen to Chihiro still has some catching up to do.

    1. Re:Not more than Titanic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it is more than Titanic in Japan, sheesh.

    2. Re:Not more than Titanic by Chasuk · · Score: 5, Informative

      The article wasn't referring to worldwide gross, but to the gross in Japan. No, this wasn't made crystal clear, but I think that most otaku (the hardcore anime fans/nerds to whom the article was directed) probably surmised it.

      Otaku would find this statistic significant without requiring further elaboration because they already know that Princess Mononoke, also a Miyazaki creation, was the biggest grossing film in Japanese history until being supplanted by the inferior Titanic. That Miyazaki is champion again is gratifying. :-)

    3. Re:Not more than Titanic by Galvatron · · Score: 2

      He was talking about gross in Japan. As you may or may not know, prior to Titanic, the recordholder in Japan was another Miyazaki anime, Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke). Disney also imported that film, with Neil Gaiman rewriting the dialoge.

      --
      "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
    4. Re:Not more than Titanic by CaseStudy · · Score: 2

      The article wasn't referring to worldwide gross, but to the gross in Japan.

      From the summary:
      Sen to Chihiro is the most successful non-U.S. produced movie in the world. It has grossed about 30 billion yen ($226 million U.S.), which is more than Titanic (the previous record holder). (emphasis added)

      That's an awfully deceptive context switch.

    5. Re:Not more than Titanic by Stormie · · Score: 2

      The article wasn't referring to worldwide gross, but to the gross in Japan.

      If you want a bit more trivia, it seems that Sen to Chihiro has the highest worldwide gross of any film that has not been released in the USA (I found it here, it's at #162)

  7. Re:Nooooooo! by danimal · · Score: 2

    unfortunatly Disney locked up all the Ghibli rights a while back. They control the distribution in the US. This the sucky dubs of stuff like Mononoke.

  8. So do we hate them or not? by netsharc · · Score: 5, Insightful
    So, is Disney good or bad? Yesterday we were mad about SSSCA and the fact that Disney is one of the few who are going to fuck the country with their bought Senator(s), and now we're cheering about them. In the words of an AC, 'This is Slashdot, home of the "Evil company X is threatening to restrict our rights! Let's all get together to stop--OOOH! SHINEY!!!"'

    Well call me crazy because I'm becoming too passionate about something offtopic to this discussion, but if we're just going to forget it after one day, no wonder they're going to get away with it.

    --
    What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
    1. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yesterday we were mad about SSSCA [slashdot.org] and the fact that Disney is one of the few who are going to fuck the country with their bought Senator(s), and now we're cheering about them.

      Maybe "we" should think for ourselves, and not give in to "group think" (on either side of the issue).

      Just a thought.

      --
      Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
    2. Re:So do we hate them or not? by nomadic · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just because you hate the chef doesn't mean you can't enjoy the food...

    3. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Disney sucks soooo bad that they need Pixar and Miyazaki to keep them alive.

      Walt is dead and so is Disney

    4. Re:So do we hate them or not? by FredGray · · Score: 1
      Just because you hate the chef doesn't mean you can't enjoy the food...

      True. But imagine that the reason you hate the chef is that he won't let black people into his restaurant. Is it right for you (assuming in this analogy that you're white) to eat there?

    5. Re:So do we hate them or not? by smilinggoat · · Score: 1

      >So, is Disney good or bad?

      If Disney ceased doing anything cool at all, their revenues would plunge (probably not, but humor me here,) and they would no longer have power to influence legislation like the SSSCA. The point is that Slashdot is merely a discussion location. Yes, Disney is fscked for support and sponsorship of the SSSCA. Yet they are "porting" a great film to the english speaking audiences, but only because they can make a buck (or yen) off of it.

    6. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Jay+Mirioashi · · Score: 1
      If they didn't like the content, why would they bother wasting their time opposing legislation that they see as preventing their enjoyment of the content?

      Now I personally am offended if not repulsed my the mere suggestion that I should find it enjoyable to give anyone my money in exchange for 85minutes of shiny things, but to each his own.

      The people opposing this legislation are, as you should expect, people that LIKE the content that these companies produce. They do NOT want the companies to be unable to produce future content.

    7. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Super_Frosty · · Score: 1

      How is the parent post insightful?

      In you're analogy, we're paying the "chef" to poison our food!

      The movie and recording industries are using their power (paying customers like you) to corrupt our political system and pass insidious laws.

      To the /. staff: If you support the RIAA or MPAA members through free advertising like this one more time, I'm through with you forever. I want a site with a consistent, sensible value system.

      --
      No comment at this time
    8. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Billly+Gates · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Just because you hate the chef doesn't mean you can't enjoy the food..."



      ..and as long as you keep paying the chef, he will still be there and keep doing the things you hate.

    9. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Billly+Gates · · Score: 3, Insightful
      DISNEY DOES NOT PAY SENATORS HOLLINGS SSSCA BILL. You, Cmd Taco and the rest of slashdot readers do!

      If this sssca passes then you all have yourselves to thank!

      Sorry if I blow up here but this attitude of supporting them one minute and blasting them the next really pisses me off. If you don't care about the SSSCA and love their movies then fine. But please and I mean please don't whine hear about the sssca one minute and happily fund it the next by purchasing there cd's and telling Disney you approve there actions by your money. Believe it or not Disney does not think there are screweing consumers. After all you keep paying them don't you? Pick a side and stick with it.

      IF you and the rest of the consumers pay, then tell the marketing department that the companies actions are perfectly exceptable and supported. Remember that if your not part of the solution then your part of the problem!

    10. Re:So do we hate them or not? by fenix+down · · Score: 1

      Anybody else have nightmares about a Zombie Walt as a kid? All those creepy introductions he did on the old specials and stuff... *shudder*

    11. Re:So do we hate them or not? by FarHat · · Score: 1

      Do you possess more than a single bit in your brain? A company, especially one as large as Disney, can do really good things and pursue totally evil objectives simultaneously. What I believe one should do is encourage the good side while trying to contain the bad side. Yes, encouraging the good side might mean that the bad side will be encouraged too and vice versa. There are no easy solutions to the dilemma but looking at everything in a black/white fashion isn't the right approach either.

      --
      At the intersection of computation and biology.
    12. Re:So do we hate them or not? by deblau · · Score: 1
      Yes and no. As a whole, I'd say I like Disney when they do something good, and dislike them when they do something bad. Most often, it's bad, but every once in awhile they suprise you. If this turns out OK, I'll go see it. Maybe multiple times. There's no contradiction here.

      For all of you conspiracy theorists out there, Disney is a company just like any other. If they see that their "foreign animation" department is doing good business, they'll shift more resources over that way (and maybe away from the "let's buy politicians" department, because the returns aren't as good there (we can hope!)).

      --
      This post expresses my opinion, not that of my employer. And yes, IAAL.
    13. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oddly enough, when I opened this topic to read it I expected a lot of flames on Disney. Their track record on Studio Ghibli films has been very poor. They've alienated and angered the majority of the US anime fanbase.

      I figured this was posted so people could complain about Disney beating out Dreamworks for the distribution rights. I, personally, am not at all pleased that Disney got it, since it means we'll probably see another Mononoke Hime level theatrical release, after which Disney will blame the movie instead of their handling of it. Again.
      They will continue to ignore the per-screen revenue numbers, which will most like be as good or better than any Disney movie (just like Mononoke Hime), to focus on total revenue, and ignore that they only showed it in a couple dozen theaters. This will probably never be released on DVD here, and will likely also kill the R1 DVD releases of every other Miyazaki film Disney is sitting on.

      In any case, I will continue to snub Disney, and will import this movie from Japan. Studio Ghibli usually puts english subtitles (or dubtitles, but I can live with that for these) on their R2 releases.

      So, in the end, who cares about Disney any more? It just means this movie will probably get another mediocre dub cast chosen for their star power rather than voice acting abilities, along with a truly halfhearted, and probably contractual obligation, theatrical release.

    14. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Clearly bullshit. While a cartoon may be a nice diversion, the SSSCA is a clear attempt to solidify a monopoly on expression in the hands of those with the means to purchase lawmakers.

      In the normal scheme of things, companies should be a benefit to society, so their default behavior should be beneficial, nothing to cheer about, we should rather expect good behavior. The time for noise is when companies like Disney do something to the detriment of society, as in the SSSCA. The argument that "companies have good and bad sides" should be moot, they by default should benefit society (which shouldn't cause any noise), and the exceptional case should be when the company harms society (which should cause lots of protest).

      I'm sure enron did some spiffy stuff, it doesn't change the need to focus on enron's detriment to society caused by their actions.

      Disney can provide all the cartoons that Cmndrtaco's heart desires, this doesn't change the companies detrimental effect on my rights one bit. All this article does is show the SSSCA'ers that maybe the techies don't mind Disney's behavior as much as they thought. Bad! So to heck with your "good side/bad side" crap, I'll not buy into it, therefore slashdot wins no points with me on this one. Couldn't taco perhaps do without a cartoon for once, in the interest of preserving some individual rights in the digital domain? Couldn't he have watched a scooby-doo rerun or something instead? Sheesh! Lousy article/bad slashdot!

    15. Re:So do we hate them or not? by xenocide2 · · Score: 2

      Can't we promote things we like while chastening things we dislike? Its not like if Disney makes 100% of its revenue from imported anime they'd dump it into senator's pockets. They'd procure MORE.

      --
      I Browse at +4 Flamebait

      Open Source Sysadmin

    16. Re:So do we hate them or not? by nomadic · · Score: 2

      How is the parent post insightful?

      If it makes you feel better, I'm at the karma cap so I didn't gain anything...

      Honestly, I don't understand all these emotional reactions to mods.

    17. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Batlord · · Score: 1

      You may hate them, I may not. There is no "we" here. This isn't (or shouldn't be) groupthink.

      So, go hate them all you want, but don't expect that you'll get everyone to agree with you.

    18. Re:So do we hate them or not? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I hate the chef then I don't want to give him
      my money. There are other chefs.

  9. Not even close to Titanic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I'm sure it's a better movie, but the statement that $226mil is a bigger gross than Titanic is ridiculous. Here's some actual numbers. Note that Titanic grossed close to $2BILLION worldwide. Almost an order of magnitude more!

    Perhaps what the poster meant to say is that it has grossed more in Japan. And as usual, the rest of the world scratches its head in puzzlement over Japan's antics.

    1. Re:Not even close to Titanic by The+Cat · · Score: 3, Funny

      And as usual, the rest of the world scratches its head in puzzlement over Japan's antics.

      Well, we really should cut 'em some slack. They're just in a hurry trying to figure out where to put all that anime licensing money.

    2. Re:Not even close to Titanic by Pxtl · · Score: 2

      Whilst I scratch my head and try and figure out how that POS brought to us by Celine (I'm a Canadian, we hate her too) and Leo made so much cash - even in Japan.

  10. Misleading submission . . . by OverlordQ · · Score: 1

    . . . I'm pretty sure that Titanic Grossed $601 million in the US.

    --
    Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
    1. Re:Misleading submission . . . by dimator · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You appear to be correct. And I don't think that even includes rentals ($324m US). I really don't think Titanic's global performance will be beaten for a long, long time.

      --
      python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
  11. Requirements for English Dubbing by pryan · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. You must not speak English better than a native speaker who is 5 years old.

    2. The dubbing must be out of sync from the movie by at least 1 second.

    3. At least one out every ten words must be a gross mis-translation to add to the humor.

    4. Whenever there is a plot-clarification dialog, it must be mangled beyond the point of sanity and include a chicken-crossing-the-road joke.

    5. The dubber must drink a shot of vodka for every time the end of the world is threatened. Or, one shot every five minutes, whichever is greater.

    6. If there is no humor is in the translation, it must be substituted with a 'momma' joke.

    1. Re:Requirements for English Dubbing by Issue9mm · · Score: 2

      Mononoke wasn't that bad a dub, and it was Disney. I don't know who did the dubbing, but overall it was pretty good.

      I didn't much care for the usage of star actors and actresses doing the voices, really, but I guess it was warranted.

      -9mm-

    2. Re:Requirements for English Dubbing by Galvatron · · Score: 2, Informative

      Neil Gaiman, author of The Sandman comics, wrote the english dialog. Apparently, he had to spend a LOT of time making sure that the mouths matched up with the words he was writing in, so it's understandable that most low budget dubs don't bother.

      --
      "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
    3. Re:Requirements for English Dubbing by ActMatrix · · Score: 4, Funny

      I believe you're mistaken, those are the requirements for posting a Slashdot story.

    4. Re:Requirements for English Dubbing by dimator · · Score: 2

      You raise an interesting point: why not skip the dubbing altogether. I'd really like to learn Japanese, not just for anime, but so I could live there too, and who wouldn't want to live in Japan? I assume it's damn hard to learn though, has anyone tried it?

      --
      python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
    5. Re:Requirements for English Dubbing by rgmoore · · Score: 2

      Personally, I'd rather have a translation that's as accurate as possible, rather than one that matches the mouth movements as closely as possible. I think that Gaiman did a pretty good job with Mononoke, but there were definitely some places where I felt that the subtitled version got some nuances better than the dub did. The best example I can think of was when Ashitaka's arm tried to draw his sword on Eboshi:

      Eboshi: Does your right arm wish to kill me?

      Ashitaka (dub): If it would lift the curse, I'd let it tear you apart.
      Ashitaka (sub): If it would lift the curse, the left would too.

      That's not a huge difference in meaning, but it's important enough that I'd prefer to have the second over the first. Of course I generally prefer to watch movies subtitled rather than dubbed because the original voices are almost always better, but the more literal translations are an important point too.

      --

      There's no point in questioning authority if you aren't going to listen to the answers.

    6. Re:Requirements for English Dubbing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is called "lip-flap" (for hopefully obvious reasons). The odd thing is, the Japanese themselves don't really care much about matching the lip-flap to the dialogue. They get it close, but don't care about trying to make it "perfect". It's only US companies that are slaves to this, and it leads to absolutely horrendous dubs, likes the ones Ocean is notorious for with their "Word Fit" system.

      This sort of thing has a tendancy to make the dub actors sound like they're all disciples of the William Shatner School of Acting, only they never have the flair he did.

      It's really quite annoying, and is party of why I don't watch many dubs.

    7. Re:Requirements for English Dubbing by lifftchi · · Score: 1

      disney should definitely bring back gaiman for sen to chihiro. his work on the dub script for mononoke hime was amazing. he did a great job with some difficult constraints. (poetic dialogue? in english? keeping close to a literal translation?)

      the example you give is good in that each line is well-suited to its medium. the literal translation is just that, but would sound dreadful spoken. (i think it's pronouncing the vowels in 'would' that breaks the sentence's momentum.) by contrast, the dub version has meter. it flows. there are many similar examples, which i would quote if i hadn't lent out my copy of the movie. ;;^_^

      i think that people frequently understate the difficulty of writing a good dub script. it's not just a literal translation. i agree, though, that english dubs tend to place way too much importance on matching the mouth movements. (often far more than their japanese counterparts.)

  12. Voiceovers? by GMontag · · Score: 2

    Are Bob Goldweight and Gilbert Godfried going to be the voices for the english release ;-)

    1. Re:Voiceovers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's Goldthwait you ignorant retard.

  13. Could I be . . . by Anonynnous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    . . . the only one to have read that at first as "Disney acquires Senator Tochihiro . . ."?

    1. Re:Could I be . . . by Tom7 · · Score: 1

      Same here. =)

  14. Change the title, it's blatantly embarrassing by J23SE · · Score: 2, Offtopic

    Ga'h! It's aCquires! a**C**quires! ! ! !

    Heh, how does the Linux/Geek world look when one of its largest internet hubs misspells something incredibly simple like acquires? Grarr!

    :*(

    1. Re:Change the title, it's blatantly embarrassing by Sc00ter · · Score: 1, Troll

      And to think, they want you to pay for this dribble. They can't even run spell check.

    2. Re:Change the title, it's blatantly embarrassing by goldid · · Score: 1

      I concur. It's pretty bad. Maybe I'll start subscribing to Slashdot when they build a spellchecker into slashcode :)

    3. Re:Change the title, it's blatantly embarrassing by smilinggoat · · Score: 1

      clearly they're not using OS X's cocoa-wide spell checking. The posh geek of today knows how to stay well edited.

    4. Re:Change the title, it's blatantly embarrassing by Scoria · · Score: 2

      Thank you for having the balls to point that out. Had this been a week ago, your post would most likely be at -1, Flamebait.

      However, since Slashdot is beginning to charge for access, the community's view on the editors' inability to employ proper grammar/spelling may very well be changing.

      --
      Do you like German cars?
  15. Someone needs to proof read. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Okay, so Sen to Chihiro is the highest grossing non-U.S. movie ever made. However, I am confused as to why Titanic is listed as the previous record holder. As Titanic is the highest grossing U.S. produced movie.Perhaps the author intended to say that Sen to Chihiro is the highest grossing Japanese film?

  16. Of course by The+Cat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Another purely defensive license, before anime washes over the decks and the S.S. Wish Upon a Star founders.

    So, how many theaters will this one appear in? Eight? Whaddya say guys? How about we go all out and book 100 theaters this time? Maybe a TV commercial or two?

    While you're throwing money around, how about hiring some writers? You know, like the anime companies do? They've got television series for nine-year-olds with better dramatic structure and story quality than some Hollywood theater dramas.

    Meanwhile, in other news, plans were just announced for (dalmatians, dalmatians<105, dalmatians++), Cinderella 3: I Just Want my Pumpkin Back, Your Honor, and Tron: The Musical.

    ..and that Suncoast anime DVD rack just keeps growing...

    1. Re:Of course by b0r0din · · Score: 1
      Tron: The musical. Now, if someone could do that, I think I might pay to see it.

      Disney should just start pumping out pornographic cartoons, with the way they cater to the lowest common denominator. Other possible titles:
      - The Little Spermaid, starring Ariola. Ursula's back, and it's all about tentacle pr0n.
      - Snow, White Girl, and Seven Dwarves. "Coke will make you do crazy things."
      - Mulan Rouge. 'Nuff said.
      - The Jungle Book II: Caged and in Heat.
      - Beauty and the Beast. Does this title really need to change?

    2. Re:Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm waiting for "Disneys Legend of the Overfiend".

    3. Re:Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Very funny. I give you +5, funny.
      Unfortunately your joke is not "chic"; it has no reference to any pop group or scifi-writer.
      Me, I gave up posting jokes long ago.

      But, on a second thought, everytime I see such a good joke get a low score, I get a warm reassurance: it's not just me, it's not me at all! Maybe out overthere, life is so different... our jokes are not enough... maybe....

    4. Re:Of course by Watts+Martin · · Score: 2

      Not to rain on your otaku parade, but movies whose box-office takes are considered "disappointing" by Disney tend to blow the revenues of American theatrical releases of anime out of the water. In fact, even Disney's less fortunate American rivals like Fox and Warner Brothers do better.

      Reality check: anime isn't new, even over here. I saw the American theatrical premiere of Akira in fall 1988. It's nearly 14 years later. Stop waiting for anime to make American animation irrelevant. It hasn't happened. It isn't happening. It isn't going to happen.

      Reality check part two: by and large anime isn't groundbreaking, cutting edge stuff any more than American animation is. It isn't less formulaic, either. They're just using different formulas. You may like the anime formulas better than the Disney formulas. More power to you. That doesn't make the Disney formulas less successful, or more likely to go away.

      There are a lot of reasons to be disappointed with Disney, but the quality of their feature animation group's work (as distinct from the TV group, which is the one responsible for such wonders as Cinderella II and other OAVs) usually isn't one of them. And in Hollywood, "daring" is relative. Out of major American animation studios, they were the first to embrace computers, the first to make a PG cartoon (Black Cauldron) and possibly the first to make a movie without a happily ever after ending (Pocahontas). And as much as I liked Shrek and Monsters, Inc., they were arguably closer to the Canonical Disney Formula (tm) than Disney's own Atlantis was. (With the notable exception of Prince of Egypt, all of Dreamworks' animations are more Disney than Disney, and I suspect Prince only escaped because Katzenberg thought he'd be struck by lightning if he gave Moses a jive-talking camel sidekick.)

    5. Re:Of course by The+Cat · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Not to rain on your otaku parade

      "..but let's start off by trivializing everything you've written."

      movies whose box-office takes are considered "disappointing" by Disney tend to blow the revenues of American theatrical releases of anime out of the water.

      Oh, please. What theatrical releases of anime? Princess Mononoke? Where did it premiere again, a converted gymnasium in eastern Wisconsin? Where was it advertised? Besides, Disney probably considered the Pokemon movies "disappointing." Must be why 12 of them were made.

      Stop waiting for anime to make American animation irrelevant. It hasn't happened. It isn't happening. It isn't going to happen.

      Uh huh. American animation *is* irrelevant, because there *isn't any.* Anime didn't have to do a thing. Except for the Pixar pixel-fests, and the occasional non-Disney film, any American animation is either cancelled or is itself a near-tribute to anime.

      It also depends where you look. Fox just dumped Saturday morning cartoons. Nickelodeon and WB are frantically trying to find a reliable way to compete with Cartoon Network, which practically makes it's living on anime, achieves ratings that routinely smash the rest of cable television, and is now available in over 80 million households; so much so that WB actually pulled Toonami over to *network* television (and proceeded to try to out-Toonami Toonami, and failed, of course, because they don't get it either).

      The only company that is still producing animated films in any appreciable quantity is Disney, and their recent efforts include a recycled version of Snow White (home video only) and sequels to Peter Pan and Cinderella. Sounds like they're doing just great.

      by and large anime isn't groundbreaking, cutting edge stuff

      That's one opinion.

      It isn't less formulaic, either. They're just using different formulas. You may like the anime formulas better than the Disney formulas.

      Then again, I might not. I'll say this: Anime, formulas or not, is written with more skill and attention to dramatic form than most current television shows or films.

      Whatever they are using, it works, obviously.

      but the quality of their feature animation group's work (as distinct from the TV group, which is the one responsible for such wonders as Cinderella II and other OAVs) usually isn't one of them.

      It's not the animation, it's the writing. Interesting example, by the way. With all their millions, could they hire ONE WRITER, ONE??? ANYONE to come up with something better than trying to squeeze a sequel out of "happily ever after?" It doesn't matter if it's the "TV group" or not.

      And in Hollywood, "daring" is relative.

      So is "cutting edge."

      Disney has made it very clear that they would rather do pixels and re-releases, and that they are not fans of anime in any form. Taking Princess Mononoke, and practically guaranteeing it's failure, THEN *COMPLAINING* that it was a disappointment, *THEN LICENSING A SECOND MOVIE FROM THE SAME DIRECTOR* is what causes the question marks.

      The fact is, anime is cool, other (drawn) animation isn't. The reasons for this apparently cannot be grasped by animation/television/film company executives, and until it is, they will continue to have trouble competing.

    6. Re:Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There haven't been all that many US theatrical anime releases yet. Currently running are Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaia, and Metropolis. The former is not in very many theaters, but the latter is doing well enough that the DVD release has been pushed back.
      As far as Princess Mononoke went, the per-screen revenues were up there with the best (as in revenue-producing) of the Disney films. The problem was that it only showed in a couple dozen theaters, which is more Disney's fault than anyone elses.

      And Akira? That's one of the movies that started opening up the anime market in the US, along with Ghost in the Shell.

      Now, I never expect anime to be a major mainstream thing here. There's too many cultural differences, and there are too many little-minded people who can't get past them. There's just as many people who see them as "just cartoons" and refuse to even consider the possibility there might be a deep, complex plot or interesting story there.

      All that said, ADV is now the second largest animation company in the US. Second, of course, only to Disney. That says something...

      As far as formulaic goes, yes there are a lot of formulaic animes. Yes, the formulas are different, but this isn't a bad thing. Anime formulas tend to be more complex and flexible than Hollywood formulas, where the good guys are always good, and the bad guys are always really bad, and there's always the comic relief, and you know who's going to win in the end, etc.
      And in this case we're talking about a Miyazaki film. He's about the least formulaic director in either the US or Japanese mainstream.

      You make a distinction between Disney's theater and TV group, which is fine. The latter is quite obviously worse than the former, but I can't say I've seen anything particularly interesting from either in a long time. You mention Black Cauldron, but that came out a long time ago. Mulan was one of their more recent efforts, and it's pretty Disney-formulaic.

      And you probably don't want to bring up Disney's Nadia, er, I mean Atlantis in an anime discussion...
      Someone might counter with the interesting story about the Disney lawyer who tried to sue the makers of Kimba the White Lion for copyright violation, and had to have a little thing called a calendar explained to him...

  17. Re:Nooooooo! by red5 · · Score: 1

    Not just that.
    Disney isa driving force behind the MPAA's etempts to turn the pc into content players and the internet into a content streem at the cost of owr freedom.

    I know a few people who work there and they make you sign a contract that says every thing you create while you are employed at disney is property of disney. It dosn't matter if you do it at home affter work. So for example you can't work on GPL software on your free time

    --
    I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
  18. Loser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    "Aside from Princess Mononoke (sp?), I really haven't seen anything in theatres over the past couple years."

    You know, this may come as a shock to you, but there are many movies out there that are not anime. You might actually have some friends if you went to see something that isn't a crappy tentacle-rape cartoon once in a while.

  19. Does anyone really want a dub?? by thesolo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Does anyone really want a dub of this?? I would rather have it properly subtitled, and shown with the original voices & music. Dubs almost never capture the mood of the scene, or the subtleties of the dialogue correctly.

    Then again, perhaps I'm just bitter because of the horrible dubs made my companies like Funimation to some of my favorite pieces of Anime. Bad translations, awful voice work, and horrible replacement music. Let's hope the same doesn't happen with Sen to Chihiro.

    1. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by TiggerStripe · · Score: 1

      I hope and pray that there won't be a dub of this.. have you seen Princess Mononoke?? They butchered it.
      OTOH Ninja Scroll was primo; was that a dub, or was it animated for the English market to begin with?

      --
      --you have been trolled--
    2. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by snol · · Score: 1

      Ninja scroll was indeed a dub that somehow (one in a million!) came out watchable. For Mononoke they at least put the Japanese track/English subs on the DVD (after a good amount of pressure and a couple delays.) Though actually I thought the Mononoke dub was more passable than most. I assume when/if they release this it'll be a dub; I just hope they make the subtitled version available eventually, to appease the literate portion of their viewership. (If you were Disney, would you put a subtitled film in theaters? hah...)

    3. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by Chasuk · · Score: 2

      Yes, I've seen Princess Mononoke, and yes, the dubbed version is not as enjoyable as the subtitled version, but it was hardly "butchered." The two versions are almost identical, and I recommned watching them both, as the dubbed version doesn't provide a little extra meaning to non-Japanese viewers. In other words, the subtitled version, while providing the superior viewing experience, was a literal translation, and didn't convey some of the ambiguities that Neil Gaiman's "dubbing script" managed.

    4. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by nomadic · · Score: 2

      Yes, I prefer a good dub to subtitles. That way my eyes don't have to flicker constantly to the bottom of the screen to follow the story; I miss too much of the visuals, which is in my opinion the best part of anime.

      I saw Metropolis a few weeks ago, and a lot of stunning, panoramic shots of the city were diminished for me because the characters kept speaking.

      Of course, when watching live-action foreign films I find dubbing grotesque.

    5. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by red5 · · Score: 1

      Does anyone really want a dub of this?? I would rather have it properly subtitled, and shown with the original voices & music. Dubs almost never capture the mood of the scene, or the subtleties of the dialogue correctly.

      I do. I like subtitles on forgin movies but like Amelie. However anime is not realy up to my standards of a great movie and the Japanies tend to speek in tones that do not coraspond to there emotions like they do in western cultures.
      Anime is all about the visual and not so much the dilog anyhow I find it much easier to get the mood by looking at the expresions on there faces then lisning to there voices.

      --
      I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
    6. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by demaria · · Score: 2

      How do you catch the 'subtleties of the dialogue correctly' with no knowledge of the language and a translation that doesn't completely correspond to the exact text in Japanese and no indication of which parts of English correspond to which parts of Japanese?

      What if you take the subtitled version, dubbed it exactly, and use actors that can give a bit of reflection and emotion? Personally, I find a lot of japanese girl voices to be too high pitched (annoying), and male voices not strong or deep enough (like Vegeta on DBZ).

    7. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, it's Japanese animation. It's dubbed to begin with. If you're so hardcore, then friggin' learn Japanese.

    8. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by isaac_akira · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I find a lot of japanese girl voices to be too high pitched

      But that's part of the character. When I watch anime I'm watching *japanese* animation. The characters are japanese people and the story usually takes place in japan. They shouldn't sound like american valley girls and surfers. Part of what I like about anime is seeing (and hearing) a different culture.

      But this is an arguement about translation that has been going on much longer than anime has existed, with both sides having good points. When translating Tolstoy's novels to English, there was a debate about translating the russian street names into common american street names (Main, Lincoln, etc). One said claimed that the novels take place in russia, so the names shouldn't be changed. The other side said that the russian names would detract from the story because they would be unfamiliar and exotic sounding, and when *russian people* read Tolstoy they don't hear that in the names. So by changing the street names you would allow the english readers to have the same *experience* reading the book as do russian readers. I'd agree with the first arguement, but I can understand why someone might agree with the second.

      One anime that I do prefer dubbed is Nadesico. There are just too many characters speaking over eachother to make the subtitles work well -- you can't tell which text goes with which character. And they did a pretty good job with the voice acting in english.

    9. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by alcmena · · Score: 2

      I disagree with you about Mononoke. I thought the dub for that was fine. There were some rough spots, but there were some rough spots in Final Fantasy too, and it was made for English.

    10. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by zmooc · · Score: 1

      You just need to practice more. Seriously. I live in the Netherlands and we have a lot of english programs on tv - all of which (apart from cartoons for _small_ children) are subtitled. By the time we are 10 yo or so, nobody has to actively watch the subtitles anymore. In Germany otoh, EVERYTHING is dubbed. By monkeys that don't care about timing. This is so annoying...ARGH. I'm just not ready to talk about that yet. Sorry.

      --
      0x or or snor perron?!
    11. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by David+Jao · · Score: 1
      it's Japanese animation. It's dubbed to begin with.

      There is a big difference between the original soundtrack and a replacement soundtrack. As I'm sure you know, all animated movies in the world (in any language) are created by first recording the soundtrack and then going back and drawing the animations to match the already recorded soundtrack.

      The replacement soundtrack is created under a very different set of circumstances. All soundtracks after the original one have to be made to match an existing animation. The original soundtrack is the only one that has the benefit of having the animation drawn to fit it, rather than the other way around.

    12. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Er... no, it isn't. The animation is done first, then the lines are recorded.

      There is a difference between the way US and Japanese studios do this, however. Japanese studios tend to do it ensemble, getting the cast together in a sound room and recording them all. US studios bring people in one at a time to record their lines, then mix them together.

      Part of this is simply due to the difference in how the proffession is seen in each country. It's not really "respectable" in the US, so for this and several other reasons, it's much harder to schedule the kind of ensemble recording sessions than it is in Japan.

    13. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by lifftchi · · Score: 1

      actually, this isn't the case. the animation is completed, then dubbed. (the sync between speech and mouth movements is often quite far off, actually.)

      anime nonetheless generally has better japanese dubbing. voice actors in the u.s. act in isolation, recording their parts one at a time. japanese voice actors dub ensemble, with the actors dubbing each scene together. this allows for genuine interaction and enough background noise to take off the annoying crispness found in many american dubs. also, the scripts are usually better.

    14. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by LeftOfCentre · · Score: 1

      Same in Scandinavia (always subtitled as opposed to dubbed). I absolutely can not stand dubbing.

    15. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by scrain · · Score: 2

      Not really true. A large portion of anime has the audio recorded while the animation is not yet complete. More often than not, voice actors are following cue scripts or incomplete, unpainted animation while doing the audio. This is the main reason that in a lot of anime, lip sync isn't even attempted. After the animation is complete, the audio director may call back some of the actors to do some retakes in important scenes where it's thought that the sunc might be important, but this is an expensive and uncommon thing to see happen.

      In the US, dubbing occurs after the animation is complete (in the case of anime, at least) so the actors have the opportunity to sync more closely to the animation. American consumers seem more concerned with the sync quality than Japanese consumers, as well.

    16. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by nomadic · · Score: 2

      Practice more?

      The breaks in the visuals can't be eliminated through just seeing them a lot. I could get used to it, maybe, but I don't WANT to get used to it; I like soaking in the panoramic shots.

      And like I said, I prefer subtitling on live-action anything. But on anime where the character's mouths don't correspond with the sounds exactly anyway, it's not so much an issue.

    17. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by Triones · · Score: 1

      You're mistaken. Anime is much more than 'just visuals'. Have you ever watched any serious anime like any of the Miyazaki films or Gainax series (e.g. Evangelion)? IMO, they are deeper than almost everything produced by Hollywood (including those with 'human actors').

    18. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by red5 · · Score: 1

      they are deeper than almost everything produced by Hollywood

      I've steped into puddels deeper then most of the Hollywood movies granted.
      But the Anime I've seen (NinjaScroll, Ghost in the shell, etc) Dose not compaire to the GOOD movies with human actors.
      I'm not saying that anime is terible.
      It's just that an animated character has two actors playing it.
      The animater and the voice actor. In my experiance the animater tends to do a better job then voice actor.

      --
      I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
    19. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by David+Jao · · Score: 1
      The animation is done first, then the lines are recorded.

      Not true. The sound is recorded before the video is drawn. I do not know of any instance where it is done backwards (except, of course, dubs). Especially when music is involved, it would be stupid to first draw all the frames and then try to get the orchestra to synch perfectly to the video.

      Online sources that discuss this subject are hard to find, but for example this page seems to back me up, at least as far as Disney animation:

      While the music department carefully "times out" the action and a dialogue track is recorded, an animator studies the development of each character in the film and then produces model sheets with drawings of just how the character should look in different attitudes. Once approved, these model sheets are used as reference by all the artists involved in the animation process to insure that characters are drawn consistently.
    20. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by David+Jao · · Score: 1
      the animation is completed, then dubbed

      I still think you are wrong, and I am right. See my other post for more.

    21. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by TiggerStripe · · Score: 1

      Fair enough, you liked the dub.. Claire Danes sexy voice started rubbing on your ears, got a little fiesty, gnawed a little, and then all of a sudden.... uhh. I hated the dub. Watch it sub-titled and I think you'll agree: it was butchered.

      --
      --you have been trolled--
    22. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by TiggerStripe · · Score: 1

      (If you were Disney, would you put a subtitled film in theaters? hah...) The obvious answer is NO, but think carefully about this one.. the audience for PM isn't really little kids. "Daddy what are the toadstools doing? Why is the moose head in a jar? Why this, that and the rest????? Why Why why!!!" So in this case I'd say a subtitled version is OK from Disney point of view. THen again, look at Crouching Tiger... it did quite well, and I'm sure glad THAT one wasn't dubbed! i've left out a bunch.. who cares. peace out

      --
      --you have been trolled--
    23. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IF NS and gitS are the climax of your anuime viewing experiance you need to go out and see WAY more. they are middle of the barrel IMO.

    24. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only Anime film where your method was done, was Akira. It is an exception not the rule. Most other animation is done before the dialog is recorded.

    25. Re:Does anyone really want a dub?? by red5 · · Score: 1

      I still don't see the point of subs over dubs for an anime flick.
      The other thing about it is that in Japanese they tend to speak in a tone that dose not coraspond to there emotions the same way as we westerns do. Just watch the seven samori and you'll see what I mean.

      Disney has a LOT of experiance with animation and they will probly redo the lip animations to mach every thing up just right.
      In closing if the dub is done right I'll like it better then the subed version.

      --
      I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
  20. Re:Nooooooo! by The+Cat · · Score: 2

    I know a few people who work there and they make you sign a contract that says every thing you create while you are employed at disney is property of disney. It dosn't matter if you do it at home affter work. So for example you can't work on GPL software on your free time

    Void and unenforceable in California. "Against the public policy of this State" I believe appears in the text of the statute. No amount of Tinkerbell fairy dust is going to make it any different.

    Now, if it's related to Disney's business, and done on their time, then it should belong to Disney.

  21. I prefer "live action" pornography by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...not that it is any more realistic

  22. Tentacle pr0n by baywulf · · Score: 2, Funny

    So are they going to bring in the tentacle pr0n stuff also?

  23. Disney acquires Senator Chihiro by Ilan+Volow · · Score: 3, Funny

    When I first read the title of the article, my mind misread it as "Disney acquires Sen. Chihiro".

    It sounds crazy, but Disney buying out a member of Congress seems somehow plausible.

    --
    Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
  24. Arghhh... why? by f00zbll · · Score: 2

    Why in the world is miyazaki going with disney again. Disney has absolutely no understanding of japanese anime and only wants to do crappy releases to discredit it. IMNSHO, disney needs to get out of the animation business. Pixar doesn't need disney. Everything from disney the last 10 years has sucked (I don't consider pixar's movie disney produced). Here's to hoping michael isner is fired and some one with an understanding of movies takes his place.

  25. Hahaha. by Scoria · · Score: 2

    When it's released in the States, the film will invariably have been Disneyfied beyond recognition. Maybe they'll even hire Pixar to add a few cute, computer generated creatures to it. :)

    And Slashdot, should we or should we not support Disney? After all, they are the primary advocates of The Root of All Evil (tm), the SSSCA. (I loathe the SSSCA, for your information.)

    --
    Do you like German cars?
    1. Re:Hahaha. by ywwg · · Score: 1

      if you didn't notice, they imported princess mononoke and changed nothing, save the dub.

    2. Re:Hahaha. by Danse · · Score: 2

      You're right of course. Slashdot is notoriously hypocritical regarding Disney.

      --
      It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
    3. Re:Hahaha. by snol · · Score: 1

      hmmm.... how can we enjoy the good imported anime without supporting Disney?

      I know --- PIRACY! There's a perfect answer for everything.

    4. Re:Hahaha. by ll1234 · · Score: 1

      No, the Tokuma/Disney contract(1) forbits any cuts in the films. Note that "Princess Mononoke" didn't lose a frame from Japan => US.

      But the facts just get in the way, right?

      (1): http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/disney/

    5. Re:Hahaha. by Scoria · · Score: 2

      Princess Mononoke was released by Disney's mature entertainment division, Miramax. You're correct, its dub was excellent; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

      I've been anticipating Disney's entry into anime (using their original name, of course). After all, they're an American Entertainment Conglomerate (tm). And what is the most common philosophy adopted by American Entertainment Conglomerates? If you can't reproduce its quality, buy it out. Disney's formula is obsolete, it's that simple. They must take action to ensure that they maintain their grasp on the market.

      --
      Do you like German cars?
    6. Re:Hahaha. by Pxtl · · Score: 2

      Actually, I was somewhat dissapointed in the dub. For one thing, I'd heard that Gillian Anderson's voice for Moro was going to be incredibly distorted to be appropriate to the wolf god, but instead it was Gillian Anderson, with a rumbling background, sounding bored. Not the Moro I heard in Japanese. The monk (whose name I've fogotten) had a terrible voice, didnt' fit his apperiance at all. Plus, I like Gaiman, but his script was overtranslated and clumsy. A fansub I saw just called many of the gods by their japanese names "the shishigiri" for the forest god, "the tatagami" for the "demons" because they realised that translations would cause confusion, better to just learn new words. The tatagami wasn't any sort of demon - demon implies evil, while the tatagami was just consumed by hatred, which is different. When I showed the DVD version to some friends, they found it often confusing, and bits like this were the reason. Calling it a Tatagami lets the audience learn what it is by observing. Calling it a Demon God forces an inaccurate idea of what the artists behind the movie were trying to portray.

      Same with calling Jigen a "monk" - which might be the literal translation, but monk carries different connotations for westerners. By using poor approximations of Japanese words, the movie very often causes confusion. Really, it made much more sense in a badly done, blurry sub that left a few untranslatable words in then it did after Miramax and Gaiman got through with it.

    7. Re:Hahaha. by binarybum · · Score: 1


      actually, this is a good point. The label "Piracy" has such negative connotation for two reasons. The first being that corporate America wants it to. The other reason is that many of us associate it with stealing from programmers and artists that are undercompensated for their work, and who may therefore not continue to improve or produce quality products/media. It would be helpful to discern what we now call media piracy in cases like this. Piracy of this film wouldn't hurt anyone and would serve as a political protest against companies like Disney/miramax.

      of course this argument doesn't work if you happen to put law before morals, but IMHO, that's just nuts.

      --
      ôó
  26. Dear Mr. Lasseter - subtitles by uberstool · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Please suggest that digital projection theatres have midnight showings with subtitles and the original Japanese voice tracks instead of the celebrity flavor of the month voices (like that X-files chick or the guy from slingblade). I already sat through a Miyazaki film with tacky Hollywood dub.

  27. Re:Nooooooo! by HalfFlat · · Score: 2

    Now, if it's related to Disney's business, and done on their time, then it should belong to Disney.
    Why even this? The whole work-for-hire thing is crazy. Did Disney create that character design? Only legally. At the end of the day, some individual or a small group did so. Yet they don't even have moral rights to their work!

    When one works in a creative capacity for someone else, clearly they should be granted the right to copy and make derivative works and so on. But they should not be granted THE Copyright.

    I'm not holding my breath though.

  28. Disney still doesn't "get it" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    While I want to see all of Miyazaki/Ghibli's movies released theatrically in North America, I can't help but wonder about the order they are choosing.

    Sen deals with Japanese Mythology (which many North Americans won't know/care anything about), and of course, there's the ghost/spirit angle which will drive the biblethumpers down south crazy...

    Nevertheless, they perhaps should've stuck to some more genuine "crowd pleasers" to get the ball rolling. Frankly I'm amazed that they didn't already do a full theatrical release of Laputa (or Castle in the Sky as they're calling it). It always generates the biggest and best reaction amongst first-time Ghibli viewers IMHO.

    1. Re:Disney still doesn't "get it" by sunhou · · Score: 2

      I agree. I am squirming in my seat waiting for Laputa (a decent fan's page here) to get wide release in the US. Apparently, Disney was going to release it in 1999, then in 2000, now I have no idea if/when they will do it.

      They do also have to deal with the small problem that "laputa" is a very obscene word in Spanish, hence them just calling it "Castle in the Sky".

      I also read that they re-did the music for the American version, because the original Japanese version only had about 1 hour of music in the 2-hour movie, but they feel American audiences can't go more than a few minutes without hearing music in a movie. They were saying how e.g. when an army appears, you have to hear army music, etc. Yeah, makes Americans sound like real idiots. (Ok, you know you wanna respond to that last bit.) The music in the original version is great; it's one of only two anime soundtracks that I just had to buy (the other was Windaria).

  29. Disney sequels? What about Pinocchio II? by yerricde · · Score: 2

    Meanwhile, in other news, plans were just announced for(dalmatians; dalmatians<105; dalmatians++), Cinderella 3: I Just Want my Pumpkin Back, Your Honor, and Tron: The Musical.

    Notably absent is Pinocchio II, possibly because another studio got there first and f*cked it up.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
  30. Disney voices for anime. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    Yeah, I can see it now. They'll get John Goodman, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg...maybe
    James Earl Jones for any authority figures.

    Working with Pixar, eh? "hey can you digitally
    add in some wisecracking animal companions"

    ...maybe toss in a gut-wrenching Elton John torch song or something.

  31. John Lasseter is jesus by vmalloc_ · · Score: 1

    John Lasseter is also a big UNIX buy, BTW.

    He drew the BSD Daemon on the cover of my "design and implementation of the BSD OS" book.

  32. Re:Nooooooo! by The+Cat · · Score: 2

    Why even this? The whole work-for-hire thing is crazy.

    Well, technically it isn't Work for Hire either. Work for Hire is someone independently producing something (not as an employee) for the specific purpose of being purchased by someone else. With the work of an employee, this is assumed, since the employee is paid for their time already.

    Did Disney create that character design? Only legally. At the end of the day, some individual or a small group did so. Yet they don't even have moral rights to their work!

    Unless they negotiated them in advance, then that is correct.

    When one works in a creative capacity for someone else, clearly they should be granted the right to copy and make derivative works and so on. But they should not be granted THE Copyright.

    Agreed, under a couple of conditions: Any derivative works should not be commercially competitive with the original, and copies should obviously be limited in that they cannot be sublicensed elsewhere.

    Most companies that hire creative works are *very* heavy-handed about this stuff so they can "maximize their potential upside" and all that. I really don't think it's necessary.

  33. Yeeeeees. by Robotech_Master · · Score: 2

    Not only in the US--they control the distribution world-wide, including in Japan. That was what they really wanted when they went after the Ghibli library a few years back--the lucrative Japanese market. America was just an afterthought, and we can see the results of that now.

    That was why the Mononoke DVD almost didn't have Japanese audio--Buena Vista Japan objected, fearing that the Japanese would import the DVD back into Japan, and DVD pirates would make cheap knockoffs, and it would hurt their bottom line.

    The thought over on the Miyazaki Mailing List is, in part, that Spirited Away might just be Miyazaki's second chance in the USA. If it turns out to be a big hit, then that might kick Disney into gear cranking out the DVDs, if they can put "From the director of Spirited Away" on the cover in big letters. See this message from Marc Hairston for the reasoning.

    --
    Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
  34. No the most successful non-US movie by RedWizzard · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Sen to Chihiro is the most successful non-U.S. produced movie in the world. It has grossed about 30 billion yen ($226 million U.S.)
    According to IMDB $226 million would not make it the most successul non-U.S movie. More successful movies include:
    • Crocodile Dundee (Australia), US$328M,
    • The Full Monty (UK), US$257M,
    • La Vita è Bella (Italy), US$229M.

    I'm sure Sen to Chichiro is very good but let's not get too fan-boyish about it, eh?

    1. Re:No the most successful non-US movie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering it has done no business in the US or Europe yet that's a sizable number. Still yup you make a great point.

  35. More then the titanic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please. A half second of fact checking over at IMDB http://us.imdb.com/Business?0120338 puts the lie into yet another fanboys submission. At least $1.2 BILLION non US. $600 million us ALONE.

    Thank god slashdot ain't a newspaper, or corrections would be a section of its own, the editors fired, and the writers looking for work at some place that likes creative fiction.

    Anime is cool, but making up BS about just iritates me.

  36. Uh Oh by krmt · · Score: 4, Funny
    John: I'm available and willing.

    Rob buddy, you'd just better pray that Kathleen didn't read this one.
    --

    "I may not have morals, but I have standards."

    1. Re:Uh Oh by akruppa · · Score: 1
      > John: I'm available and willing.

      >Rob buddy, you'd just better pray that Kathleen didn't read this one.

      Read the quote at the bottom of the page:

      "It is better to have loved and lost -- much better."

      Alex

      (does the better refer to just the lost, or both?)

      --
      Heisenberg may have been here
  37. Re:Nooooooo! by red5 · · Score: 1

    Most companies that hire creative works are *very* heavy-handed about this stuff so they can "maximize their potential upside" and all that. I really don't think it's necessary.

    Agreed all this realy dose is make people not whant to work for you. A happy employee (especialy in creative work), is a productive employee

    --
    I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
  38. Re:Dear Mr. Lasseter - subtitles by smilinggoat · · Score: 1

    >I already sat through a Miyazaki film with tacky Hollywood dub.

    while i wholeheartedly agree that subtitles are way better than dubbing (i don't mind having to do a little work to experience the film in its most genuine form while still understanding it), perhaps it's not just "tacky Hollywood dub" but tacky Japanese dialogue. be it a poorly written script or maybe literal translations of Japanese sound "tacky" to American english ears.

    either way subtitles are preferred. hell, kids or adults may even learn something from being forced to read for a change.

  39. Re:Nooooooo! by red5 · · Score: 1

    Void and unenforceable in California.

    Good to know I'll still never work for them though.

    --
    I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
  40. Is this the same Disney... by Skapare · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is this the same Disney that wants to destroy your right to enjoy your computer hardware and software technology just so they can methods to prevent you from accessing the content you have already bought and paid for? Is this the same Disney that so many people are now telling friends and family to boycott? Is this the same Disney that has bought and paid for Senator Hollings, D-SC?

    --
    now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
  41. Bwaa ha ha ha ha by DavidBrown · · Score: 2

    Lassiter lives in Sonoma, where I live. Maybe I can get a job.

    Oooh, oooh, Mr. Kotter, I can do voice overs!

    --
    144l. ph34r my 133t l3g4l 5k1lz!
  42. Disney is the creator of the SSSCA by burtonator · · Score: 2

    So... doesn't this put this in a bad position.

    From one perspective we have a great movie translated and dubbed into English.

    On the other hand, profits from this movie will go right to back the SSSCA.

    The SSSCA will basically mean the destruction of the Open Source community. Microsoft has a patent on DRM based Operating Systems and even if Linux, at some point, does become compliant with the SSSCA, I am sure MS will not license the patent to the OSS community.

    What am I going to do? I am not going to be watching or buying any more Disney movies.

    I don't think I could look at myself in the mirror.

    I don't know what you guys are going to do but I think you should think long and hard about the situation.

    1. Re:Disney is the creator of the SSSCA by Shade,+The · · Score: 1

      Well, the destruction of Open Source software in /America/ maybe. Not all around the world.

      Still, that isn't exactly good either (just not as bad as your scenario).

  43. I hope the eventual DVD version is good! by MtViewGuy · · Score: 2

    Just as long as the dub is reasonably well-done, I think the movie will do well here in the USA. I thought the dub of Mononoke Hime actually quite good considering the translation from the original Japanese.

    However, given the finicky demands of DVD owners, I expect the DVD version of Spirited Away to have both the English-dubbed version and the Japanese language original complete with literal English translation subtitles of the original Japanese. That's why I really liked the DVD version of Princess Mononoke. :-)

  44. Gross by Plutor · · Score: 2, Informative

    Although this movie has made more than Titanic In Japan, Titanic has grossed 1.8 trillion dollars worldwide. That's a lot. Cartoons do not have the same wide appeal in the United States (or the rest of the world) as they do in Japan. The highest grossing cartoon ever, The Lion King, made less than half of Titanic worldwide.

    1. Re:Gross by The+Cat · · Score: 2

      Billion. $1000 million is one billion.

      $1.8 trillion would be about a third of the Gross Domestic Product. *That's* a lot. :)

    2. Re:Gross by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone loves a correction that's incorrect! Billion not trillion.
      Just messin' with ya. ;-)

  45. Mis-use of 'Otaku' by xylix · · Score: 5, Informative
    I think that most otaku (the hardcore anime fans/nerds to whom the article was directed) probably surmised it

    "Otaku" does not mean hard-core anime fan. This is a mis-use common amongst American / western anime fans. Otaku is a word used to refer to someone who is REALLY into something, a fanatic, someone obsessed with something.

    I have lived in Japan for the last 5 years. I have met people who take pictures of trains. They are otaku. My friend jokes that I was an origami otaku when I spent a few weeks making origami during all my free time at work. My (Japanese) wife says her boss is a computer otaku. This is a lighter joking way to use otaku, but it can be applied to any kind of hobby. The word in no way carries any connotations that are exclusive to manga or anime. An 'otaku' is someone who is a little strange.

    Most of the perfectly normal Japanese kids I have known who enjoy reading manga and watching anime are NOT otaku. I have heard of a guy who had finished high school and hadn't looked for a job - he stayed in his room all day with the door closed reading manga, only leaving the house to buy more manga. That WOULD be a manga otaku.

    Now about this story... I am really excited to hear that Sen to Chihiro will be available in English. I recal seeing the trailers for this movie for months while in the theatre to see other movies. It looked wierd but wonderful and the author is legendary.

    1. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by timster · · Score: 2

      I would say that "otaku" the Japanese word means exactly what you say, while "otaku" in the anime-fan dialect of English means "person obsessed with anime"

      Don't go to Japan and try to use "otaku" that way, but don't try to use it when you talk to your grandmother, either.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
    2. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Give it up. People that actually know the language are probably using it correctly. Fanboys don't really seem to care and are probably never going to change.

    3. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Everyone knows otaku just means "house" :)

    4. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by Frizzle+Fry · · Score: 1

      That's great, but the word was being used here in English, so it makes sense to use it in its English sense rather than accord to its meaning in a foreign language. I would hardly cause using a word as it has come to be defined in your language "misuse".

      --
      I'd rather be lucky than good.
    5. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by AndyChrist · · Score: 1

      The difference, and what makes it annoying, is that the anime fan-dorks mostly seem to THINK THAT THEY ARE USING IT CORRECTLY.

      And they think that anime is a good window on Japanese culture, some of them can't see anything without comparing it to an anime, they bitch at disney for ripping off anime which was a rip-off of a rip-off, they obsess over fictional characters who don't even have the benefit of existing in form, let alone person.

      Anime fans are like star trek fans, really, I think. I mean, they think the object of their fandom is waaaaay more important and significant than it is. But they're worse because they end up idealizing a real place (for totally the wrong reasons), and they pepper their speech with language from the shows they watch...which would be like a trekkie speaking phrases in Klingon...except that instead of a tiny fraction of them, MOST of them do it.

      I would support any law that required you to be able to speak a full sentence of a language in a REAL CONTEXT (nothing about transforming into sailor moon and fighting the forces of darkness) before you are allowed to speak a word of it in public.

      "Jiyuu," if you're reading this, this means you. If I ever meet you in person, you'd better keep that shit under control.

    6. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by David+Jao · · Score: 1
      I agree with the various replies here. Otaku in English means anime fanatic; fIf^fN in Japanese means what you say it means. The Japanese language has thousands of words which originated in English but have changed or evolved in meaning since being incorporated into Japanese. It's not a terrible crime for English to have done the same.

      It's correct to point out that the word "otaku" doesn't mean the same thing in Japanese as it means in English, but labeling it as misuse is, I think, going too far.

    7. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by OMaHTLD · · Score: 1

      Quote "The difference, and what makes it annoying, is that the anime fan-dorks mostly seem to THINK THAT THEY ARE USING IT CORRECTLY."

      Hmmmmm, they are using it correctly as far as most anime fans are concerned.... not as far as the Japanese lang is used in Japanese, but that hardly matters, as it is used in the English Lang.

      Are you not being just a little pedantic?

      I hope most people are able to keep their shit under control, or we will all be slinging shit....

    8. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by AndyChrist · · Score: 1

      No, I mean they think all the broken fragments of japanese with which they pepper their speech are either proper japanese, or close. Or at least I am pretty sure that many of them do. It's just painful. It's about as bad as engrish

    9. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I don't grok this mis-use by the Japanese of their own word either. I grew up in Japan, 17 years attending public school - the only Gaijin in a sea of brown skins. Never had I heard Otaku used in any way except by house-wives when talking about another's.

      Since when did the "eccentric, super-zelous hobbiest" angle get put into play?

    10. Re:Mis-use of 'Otaku' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when some japanese guy who didnt leave hishouse much and who collected a LOT og anime/Manga went kidnapped some kids and cut thier heads off.
      I think thats what catapulted it.

      Go watch Otaku No Video!

  46. Pixar needs disney... by kesuki · · Score: 1

    Pixar needs disney, and It's pretty simple. Think how much money Square dropped into producing Final Fantasy The Spirits within. Now think about how Disney owns all the hardware that pixar is using to make it's movies, and is the one risking that pixar's movies will bomb. Disney is also promoting all the movies that Pixar brings out.
    True, Pixar does have compitition that isn't run by disney. However DreamWorks was started by Steven Spielburg. You know the guy that turned Jaws from a little film about shark attacks into a Blockbuster film. Pixar would have a hard time leaving disney, however the talent that is making pixar so great could easily find a way out of any contracts they have with disney and work for another studio. Perhaps if a studio buys out Square pictures they'll decide to talent farm at pixar to turn it into a profitable picture group.

    1. Re:Pixar needs disney... by donglekey · · Score: 2

      You are wrong in so many ways I don't know where to start. Disney is just marketing for Pixar, nothing more. Pixar is fucking rich, and has enough money to do whatever they want, least of all is buy their own hardware. Disney simply promotes and distributes their films. Pixar has a very long history and Disney is not part of it. Do a little more reading.

      How exactly would someone buying out the horribly unsuccesful square pictures and hiring away animators from Pixar make it a profitable company? Profitability comes from a succesful buisness plan. That would probably mean making an entertaining movie, and that is something that animators are not the main source of. Final Fantasy was a rediculously bad movie sugar coated with beautiful CGI and quirky, unrealistc combonations of motion capture and traditonal animation. Pixar's movies are clever, well thought out, well written, well acted, well animated, and well marketed. Yes they have some of the best in world working for them, but that alone doesn't make good movies, and certainly doesn't make profitability.

      True, Pixar does have compitition that isn't run by disney. However DreamWorks was started by Steven Spielburg.

      This has no relevance to anything in your post.

      however the talent that is making pixar so great could easily find a way out of any contracts they have with disney and work for another studio

      How exactly do you know this? How do you know they have contracts, could go somewhere else, or even want to?

      Please tell you have been drinking, or are just a very skilled troll.

    2. Re:Pixar needs disney... by f00zbll · · Score: 2
      Now think about how Disney owns all the hardware that pixar is using to make it's movies, and is the one risking that pixar's movies will bomb

      Wow, I'm glad that you know so much about pixar. So I guess the guys I know who work for pixar are mis-informed. I don't know where you get your information from, but disney doesn't own all the hardware. On the contrary, pixar acts like a division. Here is an old article in businessweek feb 24, 1997.

      On Monday, Feb. 24, Eisner and Pixar founder Steven Jobs announced a $15 million deal in which Disney bought a 2.5% stake in Pixar Animation Studios, the computer animation shop that made 1995's hit Toy Story. Disney also gets warrants to buy another 2.5% of Pixar if it chooses.

      Pixar doesn't need disney. Pixar had tons of studios wanting to partner with them, so the idea pixar will die without disney is ludicruous.

  47. Anime soundtrack by Cage25 · · Score: 1

    I just hope they keep the original music and soundtrack and not change anything that will make it bad.

  48. Re:Nooooooo! by SWTP · · Score: 1

    But realise they have the distro rights in other places. IE if you like his works try his new DVD colector edition! Yes they are region 2 but man they are outstanding! Two disk and the best extras! The Kiki actualy has the Disney English track not the previous English one.

    Intersting that Disney does not have Totoro and Graveyard.

  49. MOD UP!! by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

    He has a valid point. Especially in a tech oriented website like slahsdot where most of us are IT professionals.

  50. Nausicaa by lamour · · Score: 1

    ...Laputa (or Castle in the Sky as they're calling it). It always generates the biggest and best reaction amongst first-time Ghibli viewers IMHO.

    I've heard that from others too. I was underwhelmed by the ending, but it's been a while since I've seen it. Perhaps I missed something. I found Nausicaa to be a much better movie. That's still my favorite of all the ghibli films I've seen.

    Either way, I'd love to have Nausicaa, Laputa, Porco Rosso, and Kiki's on DVD.

    IMHO,
    Michael

  51. Re:Dear Mr. Lasseter - subtitles by isaac_akira · · Score: 2

    Part of the tackiness comes from having to fit the english dialog to the japanese lip movements. It gets very stilted when you have long pauses and then rushed strings of words to get the lips to match. It sounds like every character is doing a Captain Kirk impression.

    Subtitles all the way for me...

  52. Lasseter by Refrag · · Score: 2

    I really hope Lasseter dubs one of the lines in the movie as "rip, mix, burn."

    --
    I have a website. It's about Macs.
  53. Not going to fly in the U.S. by greggman · · Score: 1

    Living in Tokyo and loving Ghibi movies I've seen "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" 5 times in the theaters. In otherwords, I like it quite a bit.

    On the other hand I suspect it will not do well in the states. Although it is probably more approachable than Mononoke Hime it is never the less not what most Americans are looking for.

    There is no real climax to the movie. A few issues are pulled out of nowhere. So while over all it's great. Interesting characters, interesting situations, interesting settings I suspect most Americans will leave the theater thinking it's lacking something.

    Note: I am in no way suggesting that it's bad or that American taste is good (or bad) just that the movie won't fit the general American audience.

  54. No way by jcsehak · · Score: 1

    Especially with a work as cinematic as Miyazaki's, I want my eyes to be free to wander the screen and enjoy the animation. With subtitles, half the time I miss important graphical elements because i'm too busy reading the text. Personally, I'm hoping they'll hire unfamous voice-actors and use the money they saved to hire talented translators.

    --

    c-hack.com |
    1. Re:No way by alcmena · · Score: 2

      Agreed. Subtitles are fine for the second or third time I see a movie, but I vastly prefer dubs for the first showing. I want to be able to see what is going on, and the subtitles take that away.

  55. Re:first post by hendridm · · Score: 1

    I actually laughed at this one.

  56. Re:You seem tense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > I told him it was a bad idea...

    That didn't stop you from holding the camera.

  57. Re:Nooooooo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, technically it isn't Work for Hire either. Work for Hire is someone independently producing something (not as an employee) for the specific purpose of being purchased by someone else. With the work of an employee, this is assumed, since the employee is paid for their time already.

    You're mistaken. A work for hire is a work prepared by an employee within the course and scope of his employment.

  58. Re:first post by hendridm · · Score: 1

    Actually, I think Twain said, "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Perhaps he said the other one too, but only after quoting Einstein.

    I stand by the origins of my quotation.

  59. Re:Nooooooo! by The+Cat · · Score: 2

    You're mistaken.
    A work for hire is a work prepared by an employee within the course and scope of his employment.


    OR

    "a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work ... if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire." U.S.C. Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 101

    "Work for Hire" is traditionally used to describe cases of independent contribution to a larger work. It is rarely if ever used to describe the work of an employee, where it is presumed as part of employment.

  60. Two Words of Caution by ackthpt · · Score: 1
    Before assuming a foreign title will be a smash hit in the US, two words of caution:

    Young Einstein
    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  61. It is. by Svartalf · · Score: 2

    And, while I would love to see it in the theatres, I'm not going to put money in their pockets by doing it.

    --
    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  62. not quite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Section 2 of the statute is limited to particular classes of works, such as collective works, motion pictures, translations and atlases (among others). A lot of works do not fall under the enumerated categories and are therefore not considered "works for hire". Because of this litigation has concentrated on Section 1 of the statute, which states that a work made for hire is "a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment". It is this statute which explicitly designates the work of an employee as a "work made for hire", and it is this statute which courts have referred to in determining whether works prepared by an employee belong to the employer.

    1. Re:not quite by The+Cat · · Score: 2

      Because of this litigation has concentrated on Section 1 of the statute, which states that a work made for hire is "a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment".

      thus,

      used to describe the work of an employee, where it is presumed as part of employment.

      For the sake of completeness, shall I quote the entire text of the title next time? Once I'm found quoting myself, that would seem to indicate all of the relevant information has been covered adequately.

    2. Re:not quite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The point, dear idiot, is that work prepared by an employee within the scope of his employment does in fact qualify as "work for hire".

  63. Maybe not group think, but I've already decided... by Svartalf · · Score: 2

    Frankly speaking, I do not believe that either Hollings or Disney have anything but the best of their interests in mind.

    I do not think that Disney deserves the time or money that they seek to get from me. I do not think that I should be supporting a company that so callously thinks of me and everybody else in this country- that they presume that all of us are thieves and that they need to get the government to make it such that their stuff is protected from us.

    When someone falsely accuses me of something, I generally do not associate or do business with them. And, that's what Disney and all the other businesses and politicians are doing by supporting the SSSCA- they're accusing all of us of being thieves. I'm going to do what I can to not put money in Disney's pockets. I was thinking of going to Disneyworld this summer. Now, I'm not so sure. I don't think I'll be going to their movies at all until they change their tune, and very likely all movies because I suspect the other MPAA members are for this bill as well. I don't think I'll be purchasing anything licensed from their properties either for the same reason. I'll make it a point of mentioning that they were the biggest backer of the SSSCA and what the SSSCA is all about when opportunities present themselves- and I've already done so several times this last week. The results seem favorable as the people that I told didn't know this all was going on and they had issues with the idea and with all of what has gone down about the hearings and all.

    --
    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  64. Perfect use of the term 'Otaku' by anfloga · · Score: 1

    You do realize that once a term is "borrowed" into another toungue (don't ask me why linguists use the term "borrowed" as I've never seen a single word ever returned!) it can and usually does shift in meaning? Much of the English language is "loan words" from other languages and most of those words have different meanings, sometimes strikingly different, than the original term in its native toungue. The situation is the same, for terms borrowed into Japanese from English.
    "Otaku" will probably never become a widely used English term, simply because very few English speakers care much about otaku, but, in the otaku jargon, it means exactly whatever it is they say it means.

    Erik

  65. The trailer can be found... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    here.

  66. Re:Nooooooo! by red5 · · Score: 1

    If only they didn't own ABC I love politicly incorrect with bill maler.

    --
    I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
  67. the fallacy of stereotyping by David+Jao · · Score: 1

    Your argument might hold water if all members of the slashdot community were required to think alike. However (and fortunately), this is not the case. What you call "Slashdot" consists of thousands of different people with a many different opinions. It is not at all incongruous that some would think one way, and others would think the other way.

  68. What "otaku" really means by leighklotz · · Score: 3, Informative

    Literally "otaku" is "[your] house". It's a personal pronoun meaning "you," but quite formal, cold, and distant (see note). People who use "otaku" to mean "you" outside its normal usage pattern (essentially certain types of sales situations) are socially challenged individuals who have difficulty connecting with others. Since this social trait frequently coincides with an intense interest in something other than people (like anime or trainspotting), it's a hallmark of nerdiness, and so "otaku" has come to be the name for such people.

    Note: This shift in meaning from noun (house) to pronoun (you) to noun (nerd) is not unusual in Japanese pronouns. There are about 80 well-known ways of saying "I", about a dozen in common use, and countless more in literary/historical use.

    Let's consider a case in point: young boys refer t themselves as "boku," which originally meant something like "manservent." Since people often refer themselves and others by their roles, "boku" would indeed once have been a word for onesself, in certain circumstances. At some point in the past hundred years or so, it shifted from roughly "squire" to to a general word for the squire-like self, i.e., a young bou. Interestingly enough, the word "boku" can also mean "you," when used by someone else to address a boy; for example, his mother may call him that. (In English, we have the opposite -- parents call themselves what the children call them.)

    Another example is "kimi," which originally something like "prince" (I think), but is now a warm and close "you" for certain social standings, perhaps like the French "tu" but with more restrictions on social use, age of participants, etc.

    A related word for you is "kisama." But don't use it! Even though the "sama" suffix is an honorifi (a step more monorific than the well-known "san") using the resulting "kisama" to an individual is an invitation to a fistfight.

    Japanese is a fascinating language, and has had hundreds of years to evolve nuances of meaning and usage in pronouns, nouns, and verbs expression relationships between people.

  69. Winner of the Golden Berlin Bear by yota · · Score: 2, Informative
    SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI (Spirited Away) won, a few weeks ago, the Golden Berlin Bear (which is the first prize) at the Berlin International Film Festival. You can check the announcement here

    It's a very important fact since it's the first time that an animated movie which, moreover, happens to be a japanes animated movie won such an important prize. I don't know how many of you US based folks (I'm italian and I live in Italy, at the moment) heard of this movie festival but it's a pretty important festival here in Europe and the movies which get the prizes are usually considered to be high quality movies. I hope this will help animated movies to exit from the ghetto where they are (childish movies) and start being considered only movies; moreover I hope the prize will help the anime to be considered normal movies and not porn or low quality movies.

    Ok, enough for the rant now,

    Andrea

    PS some more rant ;) I submitted the Berlin Prize story some weeks ago but it didn't make it to the main page, don't know why though. Sic transit gloria Slashdoti.

    1. Re:Winner of the Golden Berlin Bear by lifftchi · · Score: 1

      yeah, i submitted the story too. *shrug* ah well.

      by the way, like the word 'slashdoti'. it sounds, well, dotty. ish. ^_^

  70. Why is it Otakus always start this debate? by ebbomega · · Score: 3, Informative

    Alright. I don't call Hacker Otakus "Otakus". I call them "l33t Hax0rz". I don't call Otaku Ravers "Otakus". I call them "candyravers". I don't call Renn Faire Otakus "Otakus". I call them "Fucking annoying SCA people".

    Primarily in English-speaking culture, "Otaku" came from and tends to stick in the domain of anime. The only people that tend to use the word, in North America at least, use it in a reference to Anime fanatics. And anybody who overextends the name understands that its bridge into this culture is from the Anime fans. As a result, on the most part, the only people who complain about Otaku only being used with reference to Anime fans are, in fact, anime otakus.

    I'm a Rocky Horror Picture Show Otaku. But I never really refer to myself as that (Usually I stick to "Rocky Horror Freak").

    And yes, I realize how ethnocentric that attitude is, but the fact that this board is in the English Language kinda limits the jargon in this case. In the english language, the jargon term "Otaku" refers to a hardcore Anime fanatic.

    Except to Otakus.

    *runs to see if this is actually in the jargon file anywhere*

    Crap. Someone wanna bug ESR about this?

    --
    Karma: Non-Heinous
  71. Speaking of losers... by EvilFrog · · Score: 1

    People like you give Flamebait a bad name...

  72. Re:THE RETURN OF EGG TROLL!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    great to have you back, egg troll

    slashdot has missed you

    mjl

  73. Learn to read by Jagasian · · Score: 2

    You should learn to read.

  74. Re:Dear Mr. Lasseter - subtitles by canadian_right · · Score: 2
    Baddly sub-titled films can be just as bad/funny as bad dubbing.

    I watched an old Hong Kong Kungfu flick once with sub-titles that went like this:

    Distraught hero is discussing his next course of action after taking a drubbing from the bad guy, he is talking with his teacher
    Student: should I challenge bad guy to a duel and restore my families honour?
    At this point the teacher speaks for about 2 minutes, then the sub-title:
    NO!
    Cracked me up.
    I've also found different sub-titles on the same movie, one was abridged, the other was a fair bit wordier and told the sory much better.

    The point is, bad sub-titles can be just as bad as bad dubbing.

    --
    Anarchists never rule
  75. Kids by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone remember the movie named kids that Disney distributed? It was about a teen girl that gave AIDS to her friends. I thought it was just a fluke that Disney was associated with that trash, but now their distributing Jap porn? I wonder how low they'll go for a buck. I guess we'll see if Hollings keeps getting his way.

    1. Re:Kids by SkywalkerOS8 · · Score: 1

      Oh my gosh, Disney owns Miramax which produces edgy-indie flicks! Therefore Disney is Satan! Oh wait, I forgot, they're a business. It wasn't Walt Disney Pictures Presents Kids, so you can't claim they should be held to a higher standard, but of course a lot of 5 year olds go to R rated movies.

  76. Yes, we hate them, or at least I do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't give a fsck what the rest of you do, but
    I am not going to buy or rent any copy-protected
    movies or music.

  77. Box office comparisons, FWIW by geoswan · · Score: 1
    Sen to Chihiro is the most successful non-U.S. produced movie in the world. It has grossed about 30 billion yen ($226 million U.S.), which is more than Titanic (the previous record holder).

    A quick check of the Titanic's IMDB pages reveals that Titanic grossed on the order of $600 USD.

    Having said that let me suggest that movie grosses are often a poor indicator of movie quality.

  78. Anyone else read this as... by Ben+Hutchings · · Score: 2

    "Disney Acquires Senator Chihiro, ..."?

    1. Re:Anyone else read this as... by Dr.Dubious+DDQ · · Score: 2
      "Disney Acquires Senator Chihiro, ..."?

      It's a sad state of affairs that such a thing is the FIRST interpretation of something like this. (Yes, I thought the same thing, and was wondering who Senator Chihiro was, and who this Lasseter person was who was reporting it to "Dubya"....

      Disney's really making a reputation for themselves, aren't they...

  79. (OT) German cartoons? by Dr.Dubious+DDQ · · Score: 1
    In Germany otoh, EVERYTHING is dubbed.

    Almost totally off-topic question, but I was wondering, does anyone in Germany (or perhaps German-speaking Austria, etc.) produce cartoons of some sort (i.e. a Germanic equivalent to "Anime", rather than dubbed versions of other countries' cartoons)?

    (At the moment, German is the one language, other than English, that I can speak/understand more than a handful of words and phrases of...)

  80. Who cares... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...really?

  81. maybe I'm wrong. Source? by David+Jao · · Score: 1
    I'd be a lot more inclined to believe all you AC's if you'd cite a source (online or paper) backing you up.

    I know that the storyboard is drawn before the sound is recorded, But the prospect of drawing in every frame of the entire animation before recording the sound is so mind-bogglingly ridiculous to me that I would certainly want to see proof if this is the case.

    Moreover, even if the animation is done first, I'd bet my bottom dollar that the animation undergoes editing after the production of the soundtrack, in which case my point remains true, but modified: The original soundtrack is the only one that benefits from post-recording editing of the animation.

    I've cited one source which backs me up in my series of posts here. Is it too much to ask you to do the same?