Hayao Miyazaki's animated features make scads of money worldwide, but never set American turnstiles whirling. Maybe that's about to change.
... Kennedy-Marshall set about bringing both A-list acting and writing talent to the English-language version of "Ponyo," including Oscar-nominated "E.T." screenwriter Melissa Mathison. "We felt a responsibility to subtly reinterpret Miyazaki's storytelling," Kennedy recalls. "Miyazaki-san was quite intrigued with Melissa getting involved, and she found a subtle adjustment to the language so that you understand you're watching a Japanese movie but, at the same time, you're not getting confused by a literal translation."
No cuts were made to Miyazaki's animation, so the challenge in directing the voice actors was to make their English dialogue fit the existing picture. "It's different than the way we usually work, where we animate after recording the voices," explains Brad Lewis, who, like fellow Pixar directors Lasseter and Peter Sohn, helmed individual recording sessions for "Ponyo." "With this, the actors watched the animation, and then we'd record several versions and see what worked. The only liberties we could take were a few words of pre-lapping dialogue." ...
The eighteen-year-old Hulett has always been keen on Japanese animation. Since he's dead-center in the target demographic, I've always been a little mystified why Japanese features haven't performed more robustly in the States, instead of being just a niche sideshow.
I mean, live-action and animated features from the U.S. perform like gangbusters in Japan. For some reason (maybe cultural, maybe promotional) the reverse has never been true.
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Miyazaki (mostly) aside, the reason Japanese cartoons haven't done as well here is that MOST of them are purile, juvenile crap--lacking strong characters, strong stories, and mature writing. There are many, however, that are wonderful eye candy--but we all know how long that lasts (not very long).
Commenter, Please educate yourself before commenting on this subject ever again.
No--I'm pretty dead on. A vast majority of Japanese cartoons are crap.
I think it's a matter of different sensibilities. American audiences used to the slapsticky never-a-dull-moment type of toon might have trouble adjusting to the more thoughtful approach evident in many Japanese toons. "My Neighbor Totoro" is a wonderful Japanese film, the equal of "Lilo and Stitch", yet they are not alike in tone, in animation, in the way they handle humor, in pacing, etc. Yet both are excellent. I may be remiss in even comparing American and Japanese toons, because there is nothing in American toons that is the equivalent of "Spirited Away" or "Full Metal Alchemist". I'm grateful that a friend turned me on to Japanese animation. It has its share of "crap", but there are gems hidden within the dross.
Responding to the first commenter, using your rational, that must meant that most American made cartoons, Pixar aside, are NOT "purile, juvenile crap--lacking strong characters, strong stories, and mature writing". I'm thinking you haven't seen any animation lately.
For me Anime is just too much work to decipher. With good western cartoons, I can tell what the characters are thinking and doing from the acting. There is no tradition of even mediocre character animation in Anime, even in Miyazaki's films. Great layouts, no animation (except for effects animation). For me, that kills the pleasure. Watching Anime takes too much effort.
It's my belief that japanese simply wanted to create a style that was their own, different from the US. Last I heard ,that's not a crime.
and, as with anything, there is a lot of substandard production going on.Yu-gi-oh comes to mind.
But Miyazaki and Otomo are undeniable in their excellence.
r.
It's not a crime to make animated films with stiff, unnuanced character animation. It's also not a crime for the mass western audience to chose not to make the effort to decipher films in which the actors don't act.
"No--I'm pretty dead on. A vast majority of Japanese cartoons are crap."
No actually you aren't. something as seemingly simple as 'Gungrave' has unbelievable levels of maturity, acting, character and strong story.
pound for pound (Or foot of film for foot?) there is much more real filmmaking and nuanced storytelling going on in anime then there has ever been in american 'On the nose' animation.
"No--I'm pretty dead on. A vast majority of Japanese cartoons are crap."
Given that, then what does that makes most of the 3D/CGI toons produced here, by those who did nothing more than jump on the Pixar bandwagon, thinking, "Hey... this 3D thing... people seem to go for it... We can do it too!", knowing full well they see it as nothing more than a gimmick, instead of a legitimate storytelling tool?
If you're going to comment on it, at least be honest enough to see the flip side - that being, a lot of crap has come out of the U.S., as well.
I feel the only reason Studio Ghibli films haven't done well in the states is due to them always being released in limited markets, and marketed as art house films rather than big budget movies that can bring in the masses.
I think if a studio put some money behind a studio ghibli film, it would definitely find a wide audience here.
And I think the argument about Japanese animation being bad is really irrelevant. As others said before me, we are just as guilty as Japan for making bad films too.
I think if a studio put some money behind a studio ghibli film, it would definitely find a wide audience here.
For years I gave Miyazaki films on vhs and dvd as gifts to friends and family. I've given it up. The feedback I got is that they couldn't relate, or got bored. I've gotten a similar response from at least some of the non-animation friends I've dragged to see the films in theaters.
Let's face it -- we admire Miyazaki, as do film critics, but the films so far have failed to appeal to the mass western audience. More money behind the releases wouldn't have changed a thing.
That simply attests to their very narrow views when confronted by art from other cultures. My mom doesn't wanna eat sushi(from fear of raw fish), does that mean sushi is bad, in general? No. Does that answer preclude from some sushi ( the kind you find at supermarkets) from being substandard? no.
I'm also getting a everything-american-is-awesome-everything-else-sucks kinda vibe....tipical.
r
No, r., you're completely misreading my last post (just above yours). There's no "America-is-awesome-everything-else-sucks" at play. You can look down on the general population for liking certain things and not liking other things, but the fact is that not everything beloved by one culture will be beloved by another.
The people I exposed to Miyazaki films weren't afraid of them (like your mother's fear of getting sick from sushi), and they were willing to try to share my enthusiasm. But the films didn't click with them. They either didn't get it or were bored. Their views were no more or less narrow than the general views of people from most any culture. They just didn't dig Anime, while they love much western animation. Make it a value judgment all you want, but that just you fooling yourself so you can feel superior.
You know, it IS possible to discuss whether or not japanese animated features are appealing without it having ANYTHING TO DO with american films-or french, or british, or spanish ones.
Whether various animated films from the US suck is a totally separate matter, and to change the subject to "Oh, sure-and I suppose NO American films suck, huh?" when someone says they think a japanese animated film isn't any good is the dumbest and most irrelevant response imaginable. That applies even, yes, to Miyazaki.
For the record I love almost all of Miyazaki's output and would put some of them far above most of the latter day american stuff. But I can easily understand how they could just not appeal to some people. It doesn't make them morons.
Well, yes, would'nt it be nice if we could disscuss, except when people blurt out things like-"It's not a crime to make animated films with stiff, unnuanced character animation"- it clearly shows a very closed minded state of mind, unwilling to see the other aspects of storytelling. Which makes it impossible to really have a converstation about how other cultures aproach film making. And hominem attacks such as "but that just you fooling yourself so you can feel superior"- really add nothing to discourse.
r.
Hahaha, 'r.' criticizing people for ad hominem attacks and blurting out closed-minded opinions. Will wonders never cease.
Simply: American audience (not including various filmmmakers, animators and other artist working in the movie industry) are just too damn racists. If characters aren't white/set in NY/LA/the rest of the states/in some fantasy-esque Western fairy tale world nobody wants to see it.
heeee-haw! culture is overrated!
Thinking is too hard, an them fancy books are too boring...gonna get me another ticket to go see transformers again...
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