From: YANJUNA@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu
Subject: Re: ANIME VS. DISNEY was Re: Cheap animation
Organization: Yale University
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 02:58:36 EST

In article <1gm8e2INN8gq@uwm.edu>
manga@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Peter Michael Betz) writes:
 
>
>In article <n11aat@ofa123.fidonet.org> Kevin.Kline@ofa123.fidonet.org writes:
>
>>You may have a point there.  I was angry when a reviewer out here for the LA
>>TIMES was really down on Laputa because he said "it wasn't DISNEY".  But I
>>think what has happened is that Disney (at least their last 3 films) has
>>SPOILED us with their awesome animation an character designs, and anything
>>that looks a notch or two below is considred "totally inferior" to Disney.
>
>I have the sneaking suspicion that you missed the point I was trying to make
>here. The point I was trying to make was that by doing what they have been
>doing (Giving the public exactly what they want, but convincing the public
>that exactly what they want is exactly what they've got to sell first) they
>have fostered the formula that different=bad. ROCK & RULE (Nelvana, 1982?)
>could stack up against several of Disney's (Again, note the big "D") more
>recent films, in terms of character design and animation, and blow them out
>of the water in terms of storyline, but because it isn't done by disney and
>in the disney style, it isn't any good.
>
>  This is a big problem when I try to introduce anime to people. I haul out
>my alltime favorate anime film (WINGS OF HONEAMISE, if you're curious) to
>show them. When it's done, I ask them what they thought.  The words "It's
>different" will be the first things out of their mouth. In one instance, one
>person said "I didn't like it." When I asked why, she said "It didn't have
>any songs, cartoon movies always have songs."
>
>It isn't a matter of us being 'spoiled' by disney product, it's just that
>(IMNSHO) da big D has cornered the market for so long that if something
>different (as anime most definately IS) comes along we make the sign of the
>cross at it. Kinda like (I belive it was) Socrates' story about the cave: If
>we have been trained from birth to belive that something is true, even when
>it isn't, we will reject other truths, even if they are just as valid.....
>
>
>
 
   Hmmm... I didn't see Disney acting as a predatory competitor, consciously
driving all other animation firms out of business, so your remark about
how people have gotten too used to Disney should be qualified IMO.
People *chose* to watch Disney or Disney-style cartoons/animation and other
American firms tried to emulate their success.  So I think putting the blame
on Disney which just gave the people what they wanted is a bit unfair.
   However, The comment about how Americans are addicted to Disney-style "cute"
animation (in terms of both content and characters) is more valid.  In Paris
and Tokyo, I've seen theatres which play Disney animation features all summer
long (for all I know, it's run the whole year.  It's just that I've only
been to those cities during summer vacation, and I saw the same theatres
playing Disney features... 101 Dalmations in Japanese;  Robin des bois in
French... Black Cauldron in Japanese...
    and yet both of these countries have a fairly healthy "alternative"
(for a lack of a better word) animation scene.
 
 
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          Junsok Yang (YANJUNA@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu)
Xref: sparky rec.arts.animation:6999 rec.arts.anime:27442