Editor's Note

Several weeks ago, an announcement was made that sent shockwaves through the anime world. Disney and Tokuma Shoten announced a joint deal in which Disney would be responsible for worldwide (including within Japan) distribution of Tokuma films, including the complete works of the incomparable Miyazaki Hayao and Studio Ghibli.

I had heard rumors of this at Comic Con International, but since they were just rumors, I decided to wait and see what came of this little tidbit. Sure enough, when I was away in Japan, the news broke.

Although I have long-since given up on rec.arts.anime.whatever, I am sure that there was a collective gasp as this news was read. And although my opinion is probably in the minority, I'm going to give it anyway.

So many anime fans seem to be anti-Disney "just because." There is the whole LION KING controversy, which aroused the ire of fans several years ago. But then again, there also seems to be a dislike for Disney just because "it isn't anime." Well, as a long-time anime fan, I can honestly say that just because it's anime doesn't meant that it's good.

Looking at this in a more objective light, the Disney/Tokuma deal could be a Good Thing. After all, Disney has the distributing mechanism to ensure great coverage, which is something that was sorely lacking when TOTORO was released in the States. It was not given a large-scale release, which of course, hurts box office returns. This has often been the case with anime releases; even the recent GHOST IN THE SHELL release did not get a mainstream theatrical release. Disney has the ability to ensure that widespread theatrical distribution is not a problem. Disney also has a powerful video distribution system, as evidenced by the ever-increasing sales of Disney titles. What's more, Disney has the capability to make these titles affordable. Who wouldn't be tempted to buy a Miyazaki film if it were available for $14.95? In short, from a business standpoint alone, Disney has the power to make these films available to many more people than previous efforts by others.

The second--and more controversial-- aspect is that of dubbing. Disney has stated that they will be dubbing the films into various languages to be shown worldwide. However, English dubs of most (if not all) of the Miyazaki films already exist. The question that is on everyone's mind is: what is Disney going to do with these already-existing dubs?

My hope is that they will throw them out and start over. Disney is known for employing top-quality voice actors in their films in recent years; it doesn't make sense for them to go with a lackluster dub that isn't comparable to previous Disney efforts. Should they realize this, and hire competent voice actors, than the Miyazaki films have a chance at being a real success, even with die-hard anime fans. Of course, if they try to take the cheap way out and just use what's already been done, it will wind up costing them in the long run. Since Disney isn't known for skimping on theatrical releases, though, I would hope that they would continue their current level of quality voice acting in the dubs of the Ghibli films. If they do, they will set a new standard in dubbed anime.

Ex animo,

Charles McCarter
Publisher/Editor in Chief

PS: By press time, I was not able to contact Disney for a response. Further developments will be posted as they arise. All of the articles related to this deal have been archived by TEAM GHIBLINK.

Charles McCarter

Keith Rhee

Chad Kime

Peter Cahill
Roderick Lee
Charles McCarter

Peter Cahill
Eugene Cheng
Ken Cho
Eri Izawa
Mark Johnson
Roderick Lee
Egan Loo
Charles McCarter
Maria Muñoz
Taku Otsuka
Keith Rhee
Orin Starchaser

Chris Kohler
Tom Larson
Mark Simmons

David Ho
Christopher S. Rider

Eric "Scanner" Luce

The SPJA (Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation) and OBJECTIVE CONSULTING INC. for donating server space and making this magazine possible.

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