Disney to Produce Animation in Japan

[Kazemon15]

http://news.aol.com/entertainment/story/_a/disney-to-produce-animation-in-japan/n20080306015809990019

TOKYO (AP) - Entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. will team up with several Japanese companies to produce animated features in Japan, a leading market for such films, a Disney official said Thursday.

Disney will work with Toei Animation Co., Madhouse Co. and Jinni's Animation Studios, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to talk to the media.

The Nikkei, Japan's leading business daily, reported the move was aimed at bolstering Disney's efforts to gain wider acceptance of its animated programming in Asia. The company official declined to provide details.

With Madhouse, Disney will produce a TV program "Stitch!," an offspring of the Lilo & Stitch series, to be aired in Japan, the official said. With Jinni, Disney will make a short animation film "Fireball," she said.

The official could not provide further details on programming, referring queries to a public relations official who was not immediately available.

The Nikkei said the partnerships would allow Disney to tap local talent and computer graphics technology to produce programs targeting audiences in Japan and elsewhere in Asia.

These programs will be broadcast via satellite and terrestrial channels, but Disney will also look into delivering content to mobile phones, the report said.

Disney has its own animation and movie channels in more than 100 countries, including Japan, where it launched Disney Channel in 2003. The company also started offering a cellular phone service here this month.

The Nikkei said Toei Animation will tap Disney's distribution network to expand its overseas reach.

Disney, based in Burbank, Calif., will continue to look for partners, but it doesn't have plans for any acquisitions or capital tie-ups for now, the Nikkei said.

For Disney, a longtime producer of hit shows in the U.S., this will mark the first time that it has gone offshore with the core production processes for major programs, the report said.

The studio has tried to penetrate the global animation market by exporting programs, but has concluded that production should be localized from scratch so that its shows will be widely accepted in different countries and cultures, according to the Nikkei.

Good or bad?  ........An anime Lilo and Stitch doesnt sound that bad considering they're already doing an anime of Batman.

[Arcademan]

Disney + Madhouse = A very GOOD thing!!!

[Konata Izumi]

I wouldn't be surprised. Too bad I dont watch the disney channel

however, at least disney should slip away from its tradition of those pure "good" shows and start out with something darker yet realistic in tune. something that could be equated with the gundam metaseries or even better with dare I say it, Evangelion. Then and only then I'll come back watching disney stuff.

[Ando]

Well, if they were to do anime it would mean they would have to go back to more traditional animation instead of computer, which would be wonderful. I really don't find computer animation very appealing. However, more exploit of the excellent movie that was Lilo & Stitch is major DO NOT WANT. That was the last good thing Disney managed to do, with its much more realistic approach of what losing your family is like (not to mention it had the first transvestive character in Disney history ).

I agree with Konata Izumi about wanting darker!Disney.

they're already doing an anime of Batman.

That scares me so much. The old animated series was such a dark thing it's hardly possible to darken it up even more and still be able to target it at children (at least here in West), which would logically mean it can only be more light-hearted. Which makes me weep. Farewell, precious childhood memories!

[Arcademan]

Disney has been known to do dark things with their past animation, especially their movies from the 40's and 50's. There were some scary scenes (for its time) in Sleepng Beauty and Fantasia and of course, the poisoning of Snow White via an apple...controversy abound.

As far as the 'darkening' of Batman, news flash...THAT'S the way it should be!!! Batman started out a a creature of the night, a vigilante obsessed with justice to a point where if became necessary, he KILLED! Even carried a gun. Check out those old stories back in the late 1903's and early 40's.

[Kazemon15]

^ But what I'm worried about is...in America, Disney tends to sugar coat things now.... but then again, if the animation is gonna be done by the Japanese, there's alot of hope there.

[Ando]

As far as the 'darkening' of Batman, news flash...THAT'S the way it should be!!! Batman started out a a creature of the night, a vigilante obsessed with justice to a point where if became necessary, he KILLED! Even carried a gun. Check out those old stories back in the late 1903's and early 40's.

Yes? That's exactly what I was saying. Those old stories were the ones I used to watch. What I was saying was that the prospect of a more light-hearted anime Batman scared me.

[Kazemon15]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acbRWvuB_Cw

And if people dont wanna watch the long boring commetary, here's all the animated segments set to music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyp-jqjgoL4

They're making anything anime now. I think it's the same animation as Vampire Hunter D... (and no, I wasnt saying Disney had Batman, I was just using it as an example that now English made shows are becoming anime) XD

[Møon Li]

 Don't, please! XD I don't like the idea... I wouldn't like that silly Disney things kill the specialty anime has... Disney is Disney and Japan is Japan hoho. That doesn't mean I don't like Disney, I do but I can't just imagine them "blended" anime has its particular originality does Disney... I don't knoe, let's see what will happen but still don't agree T_T hehe.

[Smile_For_Me]

Hey, I think this is cool. As I recall, not all Disney is sugar coated. Like in Lion King 2, they killed off a few Lion's, one even comitted suiside.

Even if its not an animated movie, Apocalypto was made by Disney company.

So I wonder what they will do with this, but still "Stich" isn't my fav. show. I hope they have other plans then just that.

[Takeru]

Emo lions ftw. Disney sure knows his stuff.

I don't think the Disney company's motion feature departments are associated with the Disney Channel's work, so I wouldn't take what you see on the Disney Channel as a proper example...

With that in mind, however, only good can come from several masterful studios partnering together to create wonderful works of art.

Even if its not an animated movie, Apocalypto was made by Disney company.

That dims in comparison to the fact that all major film studios--Disney included--have pornography departments.

I'm not kidding.

[monkey]

Disney + Madhouse = A very GOOD thing!!!

madhouse = teh suxxors.

get a good company to do the animating.
SHAFT are the best animators around at the moment.
pure genius.

also since they are teaming with japan, will they be confessing to copying kimba the white lion with the lion king finally or not?

[Ashlee]

also since they are teaming with japan, will they be confessing to copying kimba the white lion with the lion king finally or not?

We may never know :O

[Konata Izumi]

madhouse = teh suxxors.

get a good company to do the animating.
SHAFT are the best animators around at the moment.
pure genius.

in b4 Gainax. also, i think what Madhouse did with Death Note and Claymore was quite good. As well as CCS, of course.

Also, welcome back Ashlee, been quite a long while since I last saw you here... ^_^

[monkey]

in b4 Gainax. also, i think what Madhouse did with Death Note and Claymore was quite good. As well as CCS, of course.

Also, welcome back Ashlee, been quite a long while since I last saw you here... ^_^

GAINAX are not even that good.
only -good- work by them (animation wise) would be FLCL.
altho I did quite like the smoothness of Diebuster, Gurren Lagann and This Ugly Yet Beautiful World. GAINAX still has a time to go in the animation department quality wise.

so dissapointed with Death Note animation, not only was the animé terrible but the scenes were just ugly.