Your thoughts on HOWL, TOTORO, & WHISPER!!!!!

[Mr. Toad]

Hard to answer one answer to the poll for all of the movies. I thought Totoro and Howl were excellent and Whisper of the Heart was good, but probably unnecessarily long.

[castleinthesky]

By thw way, do you think Disney will ever buy the rights if MONONOKE from Miramax (or that they would sell them)?

After all, this is one of the best and recent from Miyazaki.

Well actually I think Disney owns right to Princess Mononoke as Mirmax used to team with Disney before they went their seperate ways.

I don't get why couldn't Disney lable 'Mononoke' as a Touchstone film. Either way, I think Disney has the right, as far as I know.

Yes, Mononoke is owned by Disney, just released by the Miramax branch because of its PG-13 rating. Also, Mononoke has been added to the Disney Ghibli site.

[Luke]

Well actually I think Disney owns right to Princess Mononoke as Mirmax used to team with Disney before they went their seperate ways.

I don't get why couldn't Disney lable 'Mononoke' as a Touchstone film. Either way, I think Disney has the right, as far as I know.

Disney still owns Miramax; they haven't gone separate ways. The Weinstein Brothers, who were long the bigwigs of the Miramax division and given quite a bit of independence, did leave, but I don't think they had anything to do with <i>Mononoke</i> anyway. <i>Mononoke</i> was probably issued under the Miramax banner because Disney gave it limited theatrical release like the typical arthouse Miramax picture. As far as I know, Touchstone doesn't typically release acquisitions, so the reason for the Miramax label was probably the easiest way to deal with its performance (rather than upping the # of Touchstone pictures with little effect on intake and a pull on the average gross; perhaps concerning shareholders).

Like castleinthesky says, the PG-13 reason helps explain why the Disney name didn't go on it. Also, Disney was understandably concerned by backlash of having a somewhat violent animated movie being associated with them. The rest of the Ghibli films have been "tamer" as far as violence goes, but even so it's not like the "Disney DVD" logo goes on them or that Disney necessarily expects parents to buy them for kids. It's also important to remember that <i>Mononoke</i> was the first Ghibli film Disney released following the Tokuma deal, which stipulated no editing would be done (a stipulation that many probably feel the Weinsteins should have heeded more in their treatment of foreign purchases).

[Evil Genie Jafar]

Well, today I finally go to watch the great variety of bonus material Howl's has ....

Come on.... almost the same treatment like the first wave. Why would anyone want to have the entire movie on storyboards?

I don't only feel upset by this but also by the complete waste of a second DVD.

They do better off by releasing the movie as a single disc and selling them for $15 at least.



This IS an edition:



PS

I can't believe I let pass a used copy of Porco Rosso that was sold at $12 in a Blockbuster once. Now I have to buy it new!

[littlefuzzy]

Oddly, when I went in to Best Buy on Saturday, all 9 of the copies of My Neighbor Totoro were missing the slipcover... I had to go to Wal-Mart to buy a copy...

I am pretty sure that when I was in Best Buy on the Tuesday of release, MNT had slipcovers... I don't know if they just sold that many, and the new shipments don't have slipcovers, or if someone removed them all for some reason.

[umbreongirl]

I'd LOVE to see Howl's Moving Castle, but we never rent/buy DVD very often and if we do, my mom always gets to choose. My Neighbor Totoro is something I'd love to add to my small DVD collection, I loved the movie. My friend said that the little girl's voices sound different, though. Whisper of the Heart? I'd also love to see that. As said with HMC, I don't think I'll get/rent them anytime soon.

Nya, I wish I had some money myself.

[skyler888]

wisper of the heart is a tad boring and the story doesnt really kick of until pretty late in the film. I mean its a cute lighthearted film but not as good as say kikis delivery service or totoro

[Prince Eric]

My appreciation for Howl's Moving Castle continues to grow. It really is a beautiful mess of narrative and color, which is a good thing. The background designs are just breathtaking and Miyazaki's character designs match their personalities perfectly. Howl and Sophie are just so cool to watch. My favorite scene is when Sophie firsts sets eyes on Howl's childhood home - the flowers and the grass blowing in the wind sends chills up my spine. Of course, I don't even need to talk about Joe Hisaishi's score. Everyone who hears it knows it's great.

My Neighbor Totoro is also a charming little movie. I like the fact that Miyazaki doesn't feel the need to create epic movies each and every time. This was definately more intimate and character driven. It's amazing to me how Studio Ghibli makes their movies so emotionally resonant, almost to the point that you that characters feel so organic.

I still haven't watched Whisper of the Heart but from the screencaps I've seen, that art direction is to die for!

[goofystitch]

I love this wave! This is by far my favorite wave of Ghibli films Disney has done so far. I saw Howl's Moving Castle in theaters and loved it. It was even better the second time around. It's such a beautifully animated film. I was very familiar with My Neighbor Totoro, seeing as it's the first Mayazaki film I ever saw. I like Disney's dub better than Fox's and the clean up looks great! I had seen half of Whisper of the Heart subtitled a few years back and was dissapointed when it turned out my bootlegged dvd was disfunctional and couldn't play the last half of the film. I love this one. I can see where some people would see it as boring. It's one of the more simplistic Ghibli films right up there with Only Yesterday and Grave of the Fireflies. I can see it putting kids to sleep and boring adults seeing as the central characters are kids, but I thuroughly enjoyed it. I'm bummed that this will probably be the last wave for a while. Disney has no plans to release Only Yesterday, even though they have the rights, and the next Ghibli film is released in Japan this year. We probably won't see it for at least a year.

[littlefuzzy]

I just watched My Neighbor Totoro last night for the first time, and I noticed something that irked me...

There were NO subtitles for the songs in the film... You are limited to either the inferior English version of the songs, or the beautiful Japanese versions, without any subtitles.

Oddly, the songs don't even have lyrics on the Hard of Hearing Subtitles...

[Karushifa]

Timon/PumbaFan wrote:

No they aren't, becuase "The Wild" isn't even a Disney film. It's made by a new company in San Francisco called, "Complete Pandemonium". Disney is simply distributing it like Valiant, but it isn't really made or owned by them.

Can't the same be said of Japanese Anime'.........it isn't made by Disney it only distributed by them?

I don't see depth in animation from the Japanese Anime', there is no background motion, and everything is in the foreground. There isn't much fluidity in their walking and running. As far as story goes, they take so long to get to the story that I get totally bored with it. I guess I am just spoiled by the Walt Disney Classics, and Warner Brothers cartoons. To me, these Japanese 'toons are just like Saturday morning cartoons, lots of action and no substance. When I read that Japanese Anime' uses the same amount of gels for a 30-minute Saturday morning 'toon that Disney used for its 7-minute cartoon shorts, that tells me where the quality lies.

I think I give the Japanese Anime' films a fare shake, because I do try to watch them, I rent them whenever I can, but I just can't get into them. I think I would rather watch a terrible B-movie before I sit through an Anime' film.

Maybe it is just the age thing again. I was raised and cut my teeth on Disney and Warner Brothers, so all of the others are just pretenders to the throne.

As people have mentioned before in this thread, Studio Ghibli at least is several cuts above the sort of stuff that gives anime such a bad rap, i.e. Pokemon, DragonballZ, Sailor Moon, etc, etc. I know that Hayao Miyazaki, in particular, has been known to look over every cel of his films and make changes if necessatry - that's how much he cares about what he is crafting. His films have a level od detail and subtlety not seen much in American animation, including Disney.

Let me caution you, though, that animation is not seen in quite the same light in Japan as it is in the US, in that while the common public perception in the US is that animation is only fit for family or kid stories, in Japan ANY story is seen to be a candidate for animation. Grave of the Fireflies is a prime example: an extremely intense, heart-breaking war story that makes Bambi look like an episode of Care Bears. And while quality stories often get animated across the pond, a lot of cheaply done stuff gets made too. Admittedly, I'm not fond of a lot of series and films animated in Japan, but that hardly affects my perception of Japanese animation as a whole.

Soooo...if you are looking for more movement, mroe color, and exciting stories, may I suggest the following by Studio Ghibli:
- My Neighbor Totoro: two sisters meet a family of forest spirits who, in turn, help them thorugh a troubled time. One of the best movies about children and for children out there.
- Porco Rosso: a great, action-packed story about sea plane pilots of the Adriatic Sea. The title character gave up on being human due to his disgust in humanity, and became a pig.
- Kiki's Delivery Service: a young witch leaves home to train and find out what her "special ability" is, which is different for every witch.
- The Cat Returns: a teenage girl helps out a cat one day, and the entire cat kingdom decides to reward her in strange and humorous ways.

Beyond these, my absolute favorite is Princess Mononoke. It's a gorgeous, powerful film which easily stands right up there with the best live-action films I've seen. But, it is slow-going in parts, just to warn you.

I'm sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you about some great movies that you might not otherwise see. There are other good directors and studios out there (I also adore the movies of Satoshi Kon, for example), and this is by no means all that even Ghibli has to offer. Even I used to not care for anime much, until I saw just what the very best of Japanese studios had to offer. It's by no means a one-dimensional field.

[MichaeLeah]

I agree with dvdjunkie. Honestly, I don't mean any disrespect, I don't understand how fans of Disney animation can like Japanese anime. The animation doesn't even compare. Japanese anime is about as animated as the books they used to read on Reading Rainbow. They don't use 24 pictures per second like Disney. (I think I have that right.)

Anyway, I just won't buy the Japanese anime. The United States has always created much better animation than Japan.

[Karushifa]

I agree with dvdjunkie. Honestly, I don't mean any disrespect, I don't understand how fans of Disney animation can like Japanese anime. The animation doesn't even compare. Japanese anime is about as animated as the books they used to read on Reading Rainbow. They don't use 24 pictures per second like Disney. (I think I have that right.)

Anyway, I just won't buy the Japanese anime. The United States has always created much better animation than Japan.

I couldn't disagree more. But first, a word from Steve Alpert, Senior VP of Studio Ghbli, Japan:
"Miyazaki's two-hour feature films involve thousands of hand-drawn frames -24 per second. This is a skill that has been lost by the big studios, according to Mr Alpert, which prefer to put money into such computer-generated crowd-pullers as Shrek.

"'Disney, which used to be the premier studio for 2-D hand-drawn animation has shut that part down, dismissing all the animators,' Mr Alpert said. 'It's astonishing, as they're the founders of hand-drawn animation, but now they don't do it themselves.'"

So, as you can see, the FPS number is by no mean consistent across-the-board in Japan. At Studio Ghibli, at least, the 24 FPS standard is held, and as I mentioned above, their films are obviously several cuts above cheaper-made anime fare - just compare a Ghibli film to any of the Pokemon films, for example. Ghibli films are clearly better made, at least visually.

Personally, I can't see how any Disney fan can lump Studio Ghibli's works in with the cheaper, and perhaps more sterotypical anime. It's like lumping in Beauty and the Beast with the likes of Ed, Edd and Eddy. Seriously, at least give Ghibli a fair shot; you may be surprised with what you see.

[2099net]

Who cares if its 24 frames or not? It's not important. It's the ideas which are important.

[Prince Eric]

Who cares if its 24 frames or not? It's not important. It's the ideas which are important.

Exactly, and the Miyazaki films are chalk-full of sophisticated ideas.

[Lord Yupa]

I agree with dvdjunkie. Honestly, I don't mean any disrespect, I don't understand how fans of Disney animation can like Japanese anime. The animation doesn't even compare. Japanese anime is about as animated as the books they used to read on Reading Rainbow. They don't use 24 pictures per second like Disney. (I think I have that right.)

Anyway, I just won't buy the Japanese anime. The United States has always created much better animation than Japan.

If all you care about is how many images they use per second, then you're pretty shallow. The quality of the animation has little to do with how many drawings are used.

Anyway, as a student of animation, this is what I can tell you:
DIsney films are done on 1s (24 drawings per second) much of the time because they use rotoscope, which is tracing over live-action footage frame-by-frame. Hand-drawn animated films from Studio Ghibli (which never use rotoscope), in comparison, are done on 2s (12 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), 3s (8 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), and even occasionally 4s (6 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), going to the 1s only during action scenes or scenes with really subtle and detailed movement because that's their style, and each different motion rate has its own unique and wonderful feel. It's a more abstract, impressionistic approach to movement compared to the realism of Disney, Don Bluth, or Ralph Bakshi, and is extremely similar to the work of the Fleischer Bros., Warner Bros., and UPA in their stylization of the medium.

[Karushifa]

Anyway, as a student of animation, this is what I can tell you:
DIsney films are done on 1s (24 drawings per second) much of the time because they use rotoscope, which is tracing over live-action footage frame-by-frame. Hand-drawn animated films from Studio Ghibli (which never use rotoscope), in comparison, are done on 2s (12 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), 3s (8 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), and even occasionally 4s (6 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), going to the 1s only during action scenes or scenes with really subtle and detailed movement because that's their style, and each different motion rate has its own unique and wonderful feel. It's a more abstract, impressionistic approach to movement compared to the realism of Disney, Don Bluth, or Ralph Bakshi, and is extremely similar to the work of the Fleischer Bros., Warner Bros., and UPA in their stylization of the medium.

I think this is how stop-motion studios (such as Aardman) shoot their material, i.e. 12 or 8 different poses/shots for every second of film, but projected to run at 24 fps. As far as I know, no one accuses Wallace and Gromit of looking cheap and/or uninspired.

Here's a confession: I used to not think very highly of anime at all. Why? Because I thought it was all cheap, realtively poorly-done stuff like Pokemon and the like. But when I scratched the surface just a bit, and started watching films from the better anime artists, I was amazed by what I saw. So I implore all of you out there who have categorically waved off anime to give films like Miyazaki's another chance. If you saw and liked Spirited Away, for example, there's no reason you wouldn't like other films in the Ghibli catalog. Trust me, they're all well worth your precious time.

[Lord Yupa]

Anyway, as a student of animation, this is what I can tell you:
DIsney films are done on 1s (24 drawings per second) much of the time because they use rotoscope, which is tracing over live-action footage frame-by-frame. Hand-drawn animated films from Studio Ghibli (which never use rotoscope), in comparison, are done on 2s (12 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), 3s (8 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), and even occasionally 4s (6 drawings per second at 24 frames per second), going to the 1s only during action scenes or scenes with really subtle and detailed movement because that's their style, and each different motion rate has its own unique and wonderful feel. It's a more abstract, impressionistic approach to movement compared to the realism of Disney, Don Bluth, or Ralph Bakshi, and is extremely similar to the work of the Fleischer Bros., Warner Bros., and UPA in their stylization of the medium.

I think this is how stop-motion studios (such as Aardman) shoot their material, i.e. 12 or 8 different poses/shots for every second of film, but projected to run at 24 fps. As far as I know, no one accuses Wallace and Gromit of looking cheap and/or uninspired.

Exactly. Maybe that's one reason why Nick Park holds Miyazaki in such high regard .

[MichaeLeah]

Hey Guys,

Calm down. I didn't mean that much by saying Disney uses 24 frames/second. I am just very fond of Disney animation. I think of animation as an art that only Disney perfected. In my mind all other animation will always be inferior to Disney animation. Please don't take it personal. I have just never liked Japanese animation and I only ever watch Disney animation. Maybe this has more with taste and preference and lacks an educated perspective. But I think animation is Disney's art. I think that nobody else will ever be able to compare to Disney animation.

Don't take it as such an insult toward anime. Try taking it as a complement toward Disney animation. Whatever you do, don't forget the gigantic contribution Disney has made toward animation.

[Karushifa]

Hey Guys,

Calm down. I didn't mean that much by saying Disney uses 24 frames/second. I am just very fond of Disney animation. I think of animation as an art that only Disney perfected. In my mind all other animation will always be inferior to Disney animation. Please don't take it personal. I have just never liked Japanese animation and I only ever watch Disney animation. Maybe this has more with taste and preference and lacks an educated perspective. But I think animation is Disney's art. I think that nobody else will ever be able to compare to Disney animation.

Don't take it as such an insult toward anime. Try taking it as a complement toward Disney animation. Whatever you do, don't forget the gigantic contribution Disney has made toward animation.

We're not really taking as such an insult as much as trying to say that while Disney may have been a pioneer in animation (after all, Walt produced the very first feature-length animated film), it is far from being Disney's exclusive baby any more and many other studios have taken what Disney started and gone their own direction with it.

I'll be the first to admit that not all Japanese animation is good. I can also say the same for American animation and even Disney animation (i.e., there are, I feel, some Disney films that are inferior to others both in style and story). Why aren't they all good? Because it's much more than nationality that determines whether an animated film is "good" or not. It's fascinating to see the evolution of Disney animation, especially in the period after Walt died, as different animators, writers, and producers came in and out of the picture. Just there you have quite a variety in quality and style, from the somewhat mediocre Robin Hood to the Oscar-nominated Beauty and the Beast.

Now I'm sorry, but I just have to go toe-to-toe with anyone who automaticaly lumps in Studio Ghibli with lesser anime. And I feel that anyone who says something to the effect of, "I just don't like Japanese animation" is doing this. There is a reason why Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata are two of the most respected and revered animation directors in the world: because their works show what painstaking effort they and their staff put into them, and are stylistically and emotionally light-years ahead of the sort of stuff you might see on Toonami. When someone like John Lasseter, who is part of an extremely well-respected American studio, showers Ghibli with praise, you know there must be something there worth seeing. Ghibli isn't trying to be the Japanese Disney, inc. and Miyazaki has hesistated accepting the title of "Walt Disney of the East". Their works don't need to be compared with Disney, because they stand up extremely well on their own.

My point to all of this is, you can like BOTH Disney and anime if you give them a try. But it's rather unfair to dislike the latter because it's not the former.