Disney Will No Longer Distribute Future Ghibli Films

[Lnds500]

Well, it doesn't but ever since Spirited Away and Lasseter's involvement, Disney has been distributing all of the following Ghibli films.

true, but let's not rush things. Disney just released 3 titles and they haven't made an announcement or anything regarding the rest. I'd bet that Disney wasn't so crazy about Poppy Hill (being Goro's), hence the GKIDS deal. Plus, I'm sure Ghibli prefers Disney over any other distribution company at the moment

[Little Red Henski]

Where is it said that they won't continue to distribute the rest of the films? Disney has never been distributing all of the Ghibli films, that's nothing new.

Well, it doesn't but ever since Spirited Away and Lasseter's involvement, Disney has been distributing all of the following Ghibli films.

All the films that Studio Ghibli have released since Spirited Away have been very Western friendly. Poppy Hill is a very Japanese movie like Only Yesterday and Ocean Waves.

[Sotiris]

All the films that Studio Ghibli have released since Spirited Away have been very Western friendly. Poppy Hill is a very Japanese movie like Only Yesterday and Ocean Waves.

I wouldn't call them 'Western friendly' per se. Spirited Away, for example, is very Japanese (meaning pertaining more closely to Japanese religion, culture and mythology) while Ocean Waves as a school/teen drama translates easier to Western audiences as it's not very cultural specific.

It just seems that the Ghibli films with more fantasy elements are deemed more marketable in the West while others that are more realistic/slice-of-life type of films are deemed too adult or slow-paced to be marketed. It has to do with the perception of animation as a children's medium in the West.

[MJW]

you know what I really worry for? The continuation of the DVD line. Unless GKids is able to make blu-rays and make them available in every target across the country.

The reason being that so far, the releases of the "new" line have hinged on the latest theatrical release, and are never advertised on their own.

GKIDS has released films on Blu-ray in the past. I have their North American release of The Secret of Kells on Blu-ray and the quality is really good so I am hopeful for their future releases. I sent them an email yesterday asking if they are going to continue to support the format and they responded and said they will continue to release their films on Blu-ray.

[Mr arrow]

Sotiris said

true, but let's not rush things. Disney just released 3 titles and they haven't made an announcement or anything regarding the rest. I'd bet that Disney wasn't so crazy about Poppy Hill (being Goro's), hence the GKIDS deal. Plus, I'm sure Ghibli prefers Disney over any other distribution company at the moment

I think you may be right...Earthsea ran in about 5 theatres across the US and earned less than pocket change.
I havnt seen any mention yet of Disney abandoning Ghibli as yet Home distribution wise and I strongly doubt that will happen if Lasseter is still an executive there. Grave of the Fireflies never made it in the Disney catalog either and that is hands down one of the most moving and powerful films I have ever seen. (I always thought they could release it under Touchstone banner)
There is another Hayao Miyazaki film coming out next year -I cant imagine Disney missing out on that opportunity -I guess we will see then...

[Scamander]

The Studio Ghibli films aren't even distributed by Disney outside of the USA, so I don't know the exact extent this will affect European distribution.

I don't know about other territories but Disney distributes Ghibli films in France (both in theaters and on home video.) Regardless, GKIDS only has distribution rights for North America so it shouldn't affect any other deals overseas.

In Germany, Disney sold the distribution rights of the whole Ghibli cataloque to Universum Anime in 2002. I'm glad they did, because UA released every single Ghibli film (also Only Yesterday and Ocean Waves) with good and true to original dubs.
The only exception is -of course- 'Grave of the Fireflies', which is (as in France) distributed by Kazé. Unfortunately their efforts are inferior.

[dvdjunkie]

I read all of these posts and nowhere does anyone talk about the quality of the original language dub with the english subtitles.

I have always been told that to truly enjoy a foreign film you should watch it in the original language it was released.

So that leaves those of you who don't watch in the original language with English subtitles not the purists you try to tell everyone you are.

I own "Akira", "Spirited Away", and "Kiki's Delivery Service" and have never fired up the dubbed English track. I always watch it with subtitles.

So any criticisms about the English dub are useless. You shouldn't be watching the movie that way.

Quality versus style as far as animation goes is nothing but words to me. I prefer Disney original animation versus the Japanese Anime' that I have seen. Heck, a Bugs Bunny cartoon from the 40's has more style than an Anime' film.

[CampbellzSoup]

I read all of these posts and nowhere does anyone talk about the quality of the original language dub with the english subtitles.

I have always been told that to truly enjoy a foreign film you should watch it in the original language it was released.

So that leaves those of you who don't watch in the original language with English subtitles not the purists you try to tell everyone you are.

I own "Akira", "Spirited Away", and "Kiki's Delivery Service" and have never fired up the dubbed English track. I always watch it with subtitles.

So any criticisms about the English dub are useless. You shouldn't be watching the movie that way.

Quality versus style as far as animation goes is nothing but words to me. I prefer Disney original animation versus the Japanese Anime' that I have seen. Heck, a Bugs Bunny cartoon from the 40's has more style than an Anime' film.

I disagree. I like when things are dubbed and I can relate to it more...I just hate people who tear apart the difference from the Japanese watch the original if you want.

[Super Aurora]

I read all of these posts and nowhere does anyone talk about the quality of the original language dub with the english subtitles.

I have always been told that to truly enjoy a foreign film you should watch it in the original language it was released.

So that leaves those of you who don't watch in the original language with English subtitles not the purists you try to tell everyone you are.

AHAHAHAHAHA. Don't put words in people's mouth's. I'm sure many here watched it in both version. And even if they didn't who care's. Coming from a people who knows about about the topic, and watched many anime, I can assure you that there have been some where the English actually surpassed the Japanese. Golden Boy is a prime example.

So any criticisms about the English dub are useless. You shouldn't be watching the movie that way.

Biggest bullshit I've heard.

Quality versus style as far as animation goes is nothing but words to me. I prefer Disney original animation versus the Japanese Anime' that I have seen. Heck, a Bugs Bunny cartoon from the 40's has more style than an Anime' film.

[ohmahaaha]

Hopefully this means we might get to see a release of "Only Yesterday" which Disney did not release, for whatever reason.

[nomad2010]

What I'm confused on is the fact that the article can be read as referring only to Poppy Hill. I could be mistaken, but it almost seems as if GKIDS were only getting the rights to the newer films, while Disney retains rights to the old ones at least in the form of Blu-ray releases. We'd heard rumors of this months ago. Disney wouldn't have released castle in the sky or whisper if they knew that. I'm assuming that we'll see something interesting develop out of this.

[Lnds500]

Hopefully this means we might get to see a release of "Only Yesterday" which Disney did not release, for whatever reason.

references to mensturation

[Little Red Henski]

Heck, a Bugs Bunny cartoon from the 40's has more style than an Anime' film.

Is that supposed to be an insult? Those Bugs Bunny cartoons from the 40's were animated during the golden age of animation. You know back when American cartoons were still made in the USA and had huge budgets. A Bugs Bunny cartoon from the 40's would look better than anything made today. Lol.

[Sotiris]

What I'm confused on is the fact that the article can be read as referring only to Poppy Hill. I could be mistaken, but it almost seems as if GKIDS were only getting the rights to the newer films, while Disney retains rights to the old ones at least in the form of Blu-ray releases. We'd heard rumors of this months ago.

Disney holds the home video rights while GKids holds the theatrical rights to the Ghibli films in North America. Now GKids has acquired both the theatrical and the home video rights for From Up on Poppy Hill and we just assume that this will continue with future Ghibli films.

References to mensturation

Why should this be a problem since it's only for a home video release and not for TV?

[Elladorine]

You shouldn't be watching the movie that way.

That's a rather interesting opinion coming from someone that clearly doesn't like anime anyway. Some dubs are quite good, some subs are completely hideous; you'd know that if you bothered watching anything beyond the handful of titles you own.

Quality versus style as far as animation goes is nothing but words to me.

Yes, we all know you don't care for anime, so I have to wonder why you even wandered into this thread in the first place. I also fail to understand why you continue taking every chance you can to bash it, unless you simply find enjoyment out of pissing people off.

[Lnds500]

Why should this be a problem since it's only for a home video release and not for TV?

You answered this in your previous post. It's Disney and it's western audiences.

[Sotiris]

You answered this in your previous post. It's Disney and it's western audiences.

If the few references to menstruation is indeed the reason (and we're only speculating here), that's quite sexist and offensive to women.

[Elladorine]

You answered this in your previous post. It's Disney and it's western audiences.

If the few references to menstruation is indeed the reason (and we're only speculating here), that's quite sexist and offensive to women.

I agree, but western audiences still see certain bodily processes as being "icky."

And forgive me for getting slightly off-topic, but Disney really should restore and release this one in a rarities/educational collection:

<object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4kWR-rIKRe4?ve ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4kWR-rIKRe4?ve ... n_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

[Sotiris]

I agree, but western audiences still see certain bodily processes as being "icky."

Well, it appears that western audiences have no problem with graphic references to other bodily functions used for cheap laughs in comedies (toilet humor) but a few casual, non-graphic references to menstruation somehow disturbs them and grosses them out. No, that's not hypocritical or sexist at all!

[Little Red Henski]

Funny that Disney doesn't have a problem with airing Only Yesterday on American TV. It has aired on Turner Classic Movies Channel.