Miyazaki and Dreamworks?

[pipsorcle]

My friend and I had this discussion earlier after Hayao Miyazaki won the Award for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. I think that if Miyazaki's films were distributed by Dreamworks SKG instead of Disney, they would gain a lot more attention. It also helps that you have an innovative filmmaker like Steven Spielberg running a studio versus an idiot like Michael Eisner having all these sequels being made to classic Disney films.

[oscar jubis]

Miyazaki's latest masterpiece is being rereleased in North America so y'all bozos who passed on it last fall have no excuse. Mr. Oscar is still good for something. Take the whole family this weekend.

[pipsorcle]

Just immediately after I posted my previous message, I then found out that "Spirited Away" was being re-released by Disney. This is exiting news because now more people can see it. This definitely bodes well for Miyazaki's future exposure in the United States.

I am though still concerned with the relationship Miyazaki's Studio Gibli has in the future with Disney. Given that Disney most of the time screws animators over big time (shame on you, Michael Eisner), there's that to worry about with Miyazaki. His audience in America isn't quite as broad as what we would think, even though it's still growing.

I say Dreamworks would be a better bet for Miyazaki because at least more visionaries get their films made at that studio versus any others.

[Ilker81x]

Isn't this one of those rhetorical questions? Hehe... Anyway, here is my opinion on it, and I will say now that it is biased somewhat because I am using myself and my friends as the audience example...I'm aware not everyone will agree with our views, but I'm speaking from our point of view and I invite discussion on it. That said...here we go.

I had seen "Spirited Away" back in November, not knowing anything about it (not because there was no marketing or hype...just because I didn't pay attention). I loved it, and I was happy to hear that it won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. I then remembered that Disney was distributing it, which has been the main impetus for many of my friends to not see it. All of my friends are in their 20's (or older), nurture the child within (we always discuss cartoons we grew up watching and enjoy occasional bouts of public childish behavior), and we all think Disney hasn't produced anything worthwhile since "Aladdin."

That would be the major problem with Disney being the distributor for something by Miyazaki (or any Japanese Anime director). The Disney association is an immediate turnoff for people who have not been satisfied by Disney's track record since 1992. And let's face it, in the world of movies, you're usually only as good as your last movie. And since a great deal of Anime and Manga fans are old enough to appreciate it on the different levels they exist on (great art, great stories, great music, etc...), that also means they're old enough to remember when Disney was once good and cynical enough to realize that Disney has been less than satisfying in the last decade. If Dreamworks was involved in something like "Spirited Away," there would be a great deal more acceptance from people like me and my friends because we have yet to have a major disappointment from Dreamworks the likes of which Disney has been giving.

However, on the other hand, Dreamworks is owned by Spielberg, which brings up the same negative associations. My friends and I have not been forgiving of Spielberg since "Jurassic Park," finding his overbloated sense of self-righteousness to be a deterrant to his abilities as a filmmaker. He sacrifices artistic vision integrity for the sake of making something that will appeal to people. He changed the ending to "Jurassic Park" and "A.I." from the original stories to make them more acceptable to people. In a sense, he is very much in the same vein of Disney in that he creates movies to get people happy and put a smile on their faces. Granted not all of his films are like that...just all of them in the last ten years. If Dreamworks becomes associated with something as unique as "Spirited Away," there is a fear that Spielberg will make changes to make it less confusing and even more appealing to people looking for a straighter story. From this way of thinking, Dreamworks may not be a much better choice than Disney.

Disney also has that added advantage of being a classic name associated with animation. Even the Japanese have adopted several of Disney's techniques of animation and filmmaking to their own. Recent track record aside, Disney does have a reputation for being a good company that has always churned out good movies that can appeal to all ages and audiences. "The Rocketeer" had some violence, but it was an old comic book movie, and it could appeal to kids looking for adventure as well as adults looking for an enjoyable drama. "Spirited Away" can appeal to the intellectual adult looking for more substance of story and technical merits, while it can also appeal to kids looking for that new fantasy that gives them the same feeling "Alice in Wonderland" used to give us when we were kids. If we're thinking on that wavelength, then Disney is the perfect company to distribute "Spirited Away."

Lots of points and counterpoints, huh? Both Dreamworks and Disney have their pros and cons, and no one is really better than the other. I think in the case of "Spirited Away" it's really an open-ended question because it fits in the paradigm of both companies. It's got everything a good Disney film tries to have, and it has the same depth that a Dreamworks film would have. Both Disney and Dreamworks have aspects that one would find unattractive, but at this point the movie is out, it is fantastic, and I don't care who distributed it. I'm glad it's out, I'm glad it's been recognized, and I love it.

[Johann]

Yes, the re-release has hit cowtown, and I'll be going on the weekend. I'll post mho. Looking very forward to it...

[pipsorcle]

I'm sure Disney and Dreamworks have their drawbacks.

However, Michael Eisner is the main reason why I hate Disney. Ever since the guy has been running things, there hasn't been a single Disney cartoon I've liked. Eisner has this odd notion that Disney must make sequels to classic animated films in order to get people to see the originals. Um, nice going Mr. Eisner. You literally made an insult to the originals.

Disney as of more recent years has been notorious for literally screwing animators up the belly. At this film theatre I work at, there used to be this one man who for a while worked as a conceptual artist for Disney's animation team. He was telling me these horrible stories about how Disney scrapped these great ideas and ended up going for the worst.

Keep in mind that Steven Spielberg was directing "Jurassic Park" and "A.I" and he was literally changing the endings simply because he was in charge of handling the projects. I don't think that same ego would occur for distributing a film such as "Spirited Away" because Spielberg would recognize that it is from a great genius. For filmmakers such as Sam Mendes and Cameron Crowe, Spielberg has given enormous support. He isn't stupid. He hasn't demanded sequels to cartoon classics that don't even deserve them. Michael Eisner has and that makes him a big idiot.

Disney does have a history but for crying out loud, it needs to stop releasing an animated film or two each year and actually work on something unique for once.

But going back to Miyazaki, I think Disney would be more likely to cut out some parts of "Spirited Away" than "Dreamworks." Disney isn't about innovative filmmaking anymore these days. It's about Saturday morning cartoons. Then again, we're basically talking about distribution, not financing.

[Johann]

Wow. I just sat in my seat ogling all the astonishing visuals. Story aside, see this great animated feature for the jaw-dropping art. Well worth a repeat view.

[pipsorcle]

I think "Spirited Away" is Miyazaki's best feature. I look forward to his next film (which is in development at the moment).

[oscar jubis]

I probably like Chihiro best also, but so many others come damn close: Totoro, Kiki, Laputa, Porco Rosso, Mononoke...Which ones have you seen?

Miyazaki's new film is HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE based on a book by Brit Fantasy writer Diane Wynne Jones. Disney will distribute in North America. Scheduled to open in Nippon in July 2004.