Spirited Away Set for 800 Theatre Rerelease

Robotech_Master writes "According to the website of Jerry Beck, a 20-year-animation industry veteran and one of the co-founders of Streamline Animation, when Spirited Away won the Oscar, it also "won the right to be re-released to 800 theatres this Friday. Disney will be announcing plans to re-release the Japanese masterpiece in theatres later today." When I emailed Beck to ask him his source, he said it was someone within the Disney publicity department and it would be made public sometime today. According to Spirited Away's numbers page at Rotten Tomatoes, it peaked during its first run at 151 screens. Wonder how it'll do this time around?"

Should be more like 3000

[Kagato]

There's not a whole lot of kids stuff out now. You've got spring break everywhere. They should release it in 3000 theaters.

The mouse has a love hate relationship with the movie. They want the money it will make, but they don't want it to overshadow the in house animation.

Re:Disney

[wumingzi]

Disney is just the distributor. Miyazaki-san is the brains behind this.

While it tickles me pink that this wonderful movie is getting another big-screen release, I doubt it will do any better this time than it did last time.

Spirited Away is just too Japanese/Asian for middle-Americans to get.

I could do three pages of Way Important Stuff which Every Japanese Kid Over Five Already Knows But Gets Glossed Over.

I dragged a bunch of friends to see this during the first release. They left the movie shaking their heads in utter incomprehension. "But don't you see? It all makes sense!" OK. Maybe not.

j.

Re:huh?

[Bonker]

Disney is in the unenviable position of submarining their own works here. In one corner, you have 'Lilo and Stitch', the film, depending on who you beleive, Disney was lobbying to win 'Best Animated Picture' vs. 'Spirited Away'.

Disney has typically treated its Miyazaki/Ghibli licenses just like every other kind non-in-house animation they acquire (Many DIC titles. First season Sailor Moon is a notable example). They'll sell it, but they will not spend adequate resources on it or promote it in any way that will compete with their own films.

They spent considerable effort creating excellent dubbs on Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, but simply will not promote those films in any way like they will their own releases. (I have yet to get a Kiki action figure at Burger King.)

'Spirited Away/Sen to Chihiro' is a true work of art. Disney knows it. Miyazaki knows it. The people who've seen it know it. It *deserved* to win BAP. By winning, however, it takes away from 'Lilo and Stitch'. By rereleasing 'Spirited Away', Disney is effectively submarining a possible 'Lilo and Stitch' rerelease. They're also forced to tacitly admit that Miyazaki and Studio Ghibi produces better stuff than they do.

By not re-releasing 'Spirited Away', Disney is in the even more awkward position of trying to explain why they're submarining a film that's won BAP simply because it's not their own work.

Congratulations Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli! I will be taking everyone I know and can get to go to the rerelease.

Re:If it failed the first time....

[Qzukk]

Failed at the box office? What box office?

You know where I got to watch it? I watched it in a nearby university's 100 seat theater. This is the kind of coverage Disney gave the film: very little advertisement, very few showings. Is there even a "box office" for universities for it to fail at?

Even 800 theatres is nothing compared to what the real box office bombs open at.

Re:huh?

[Mononoke]

They spent considerable effort creating excellent dubbs on Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, but simply will not promote those films in any way like they will their own releases. (I have yet to get a Kiki action figure at Burger King.)

You just answered your own question, oddly enough. Disney stupidly didn't get merchandising rights to the Ghibli films when they got distribution rights. They don't know how to promote an animated feature unless they can tie it in to Happy Meals. Merchandising is where they make most of their money from animation, anyway.

I was lucky enough to get a private showing during the first run. Well, not really private, but there was no one else in the theatre. No one in town knew the movie was there. The print was so clean I think they had not even been turning the projector on. No, it wasn't an 'art house' theatre, but a real multiplex. Off course, there were no lobby cards, newspaper ads, or any other type of promotion.

Re:dub vs. sub

[cens0r]

I agree. You see an animation film is dubbed whether it's in it's japanese or english. Unlike a live action movie where the actor is combining facial expresions, movements, and their voice to convey meaning; in animation the actor only supplies the voice and the rest is already their for them. A japanese voice actor has just as hard of time dubbing their original vocal track as an english voice actor would. As long as they get people of good quality, there's no reason not to watch dubbed animation. Now live action is something entirely different.

Re:If it failed the first time....

[Cranx]

Spirited Away didn't fail, it didn't get a fair run. Look at Treasure Planet...how AWFUL that movie was, and it was a media blitz from Disney. At least "Spirited" got a better shake than Princess Mononoke. We live in Los Angeles for crying out loud, and we had to drive an hour into Pasadena to an obscure arthouse theater and watch it sitting in folding chairs on a screen the size of a medium-sized in-home projection T.V. screen. MEDIUM-sized projection T.V. screen!

Disney really doesn't want the U.S. to suddenly get an uncontrollable craving for non-Disney-produced animation features. The only reason Ghibli has any ties to Disney at all is because Disney doesn't want anime to steamroll over them without them at least having a hand on the pressure-release valve.

No matter how good the anime feature is, if Disney releases it in the U.S., it's popularity will be governed and reduced by the hand of Eisner.

Anyone else not such a fan? (my own repost)

[EvilBuu]

I don't mean to offend anyone's tastes but I really didn't see the big deal with Spirited Away; nor did the two anime fans I saw it in the theater with (some new but empty place near White Plains...). The voice acting was passable and it was a nice little fantasy setting and all but the pacing seemed horribly off. This was one of the few movies I've seen in recent times where I actually checked my watch hoping there wouldn't be much more to go.

First of all, the main character seemed to be a whiny little girl for far too long, and seemed fairly well-adapted to being enslaved as a bath wench. The main goal she had was to free her parents, but she doesn't actually embark on doing so until at least 2/3 of the way through the film. The bulk of the movie seemed to be clever and well-directed bits that didn't really relate to each other or the main storyline enough to warrant their length or involvement.

Admittedly, I'm usually more drawn to the more action-oriented but intelligent anime (Bebop, NGE, etc) or goofy stuff (FLCL, Excel Saga, w00t!), but I dig the brainy bits of Eva too, as well as Lain, Akira, and even Mononoke, although I hated the way that ended. Am I still just too Western? The only people I know that really enjoyed Spirited Away were either the die-hard anime fans that /.ers are warned about, or those that only ever enjoy the really esoteric and sort of isolationist-intellectual-film-nut anime. Anyhow, is there anyone else here that didn't really like it so much?

Re:General Rule of Thumb on Dubbing

[mrklin]

You're right. I also find most paintings hanging musuems can also be improved by adding some birds and meadow in the background. While you are at it, why don't you colorize Citizen Kane as well?