Anime Fans Squash Spielberg

[TaranT]

(2002-11-20)
During the St. Louis International Film Festival, a screening of Tempest Productions documentary "Invasion: Anime" snagged higher attendance records than the free sneak preview screening of "Steven Spielberg Presents Taken," which preceded the documentary's world premiere. "Invasion: Anime" brought in an estimated 65% more moviegoers to the Hi Point Theater in St. Louis, MO. That makes us here at Film Threat HQ giggle.

"We couldn't be happier with the turnout," said producer/director Angie Alexander. "We even hung on to most of our audience for the question and answer session after our premiere."

...."Invasion: Anime" is an in-depth look at the influx of Japanese animation (or "anime") and its effect on American culture and entertainment over the last half-century. Interview subjects include names well known to anime fans across the world - Steve Bennett, president and founder of Studio Ironcat; artists and animators Akemi Takada, Senno Knife, Makoto Uno and Nobuyuki Takahashi; North American voice actors and directors Amy Howard Wilson, Tiffany Grant, Scott McNeil and Taliasen Jaffe and international anime experts like author Helen McCarthy and Dr. Susan J. Napier, Associate Director of Asian Studies, University of Texas, are but a few of more than 20 individuals who donated their time to this project....

Original article:
http://www.filmthreat.com/News.asp?Id=1101

[Chaos Angel]

Rock. I hope I can catch that sometime.

[RichLather]

Wow, Steve Bennett does go everywhere.

But rawk to learn that Amy Howard Wilson was involved.

[SSJVegita0609]

I really hate how the mass media refuses to accept anime in any way shape or form...

*Hears voice in back of his head telling him to eliminate Ted Turner

[SarahtheBoring]

I really hate how the mass media refuses to accept anime in any way shape or form...

*Hears voice in back of his head telling him to eliminate Ted Turner

Um... are you on crack? They do accept some forms, unfortunately it's the most crappy forms most of the time (such as DBZ).

But Mononoke and Spirited Away have both gotten stellar reviews in the mainstream newspaper here, even if they were both the same director and each was only in limited theatrical release.

If you're going to bash at least be accurate, please.

[baggies]

yeah, vegita, ASSHOLE. how could you not know something as significant as limited theatrical release of two out of god knows how many animes? god i hate you

[LittleKefalos]

Mainstream media means mainstream success and therefore mainstream noteriety and all that comes with it, so just because Roger Ebert, and every other reviewer gives Spirited Away great reviews it doesn't help when its in your town for a week and then disappears without you ever knowing it was in the theatre until a week later, only here you found out because you were trying to find out.

Furthermore, just because Pokemon and DBZ etc, are "mainstream" they are mainstream for a younger audience and considered only as such, thus these shows are constantly mocked and never taken seriously (not that they should be), so the fact is that real anime movies will not make it to theatres anywhere except for the occaisonal New York show (or I guess some of the other larger cities) and that is hardly mainstream success (even if the reviewers all, and they did for Spirited Away, love your movie)<<-- You know maybe if Disney actually advertised, even if only a quarter of what they do for their films, maybe Spirited Away would have take off and done well (either that or they should have let it in all theatres for a long time)<--- Now we can only hope that Spirited Away wins an award so its released every, other than I guess all we can wait for is the DVD. I feel that a petition or something should be made to Disney (they're taking too long to release stuff, and they damn well better do it in both languages on the DVDs)<<-- I like Disney movies but I'm so angry I'm about to stop watching them, because of their treatment so far of the Studio Ghibli releases.

Sorry, had to get that out.

But anime is really not mainstream yet, it's becoming mainstream very quickly and I hope that in ten or twenty years it will be a true genre or even better become part of all the existing genres (a sign of true acceptance, but this will make it hard to find in stores, unless they do only the A-Z thing, which no one does).

[Beefmaster10000]

So is this Invasion: Animé a documentary movie or what?

If it is a movie, then I'd love to see it.

[SSJVegita0609]

I really hate how the mass media refuses to accept anime in any way shape or form...

*Hears voice in back of his head telling him to eliminate Ted Turner

Um... are you on crack? They do accept some forms, unfortunately it's the most crappy forms most of the time (such as DBZ).

But Mononoke and Spirited Away have both gotten stellar reviews in the mainstream newspaper here, even if they were both the same director and each was only in limited theatrical release.

If you're going to bash at least be accurate, please.

Sorry, I meant to say mass media AUDIENCE. Go through the crowded streets of any city and ask random people if they know what Akira or any other anime is... Alas the problem is that mainstream America (or most other western countries) refuse to accept anime as legitimate art. And the only people that seem to almost always tend to be younger viewers or critics. What we need to do is get the average idiot to think anime is not just children's cartoons.

[Mroni]

Well I HATE modern disney movies thier animation sucks and they are so goddamned pc. As for Miyazaki (or however that is spelled) Hes a freakin hippy so his movies are only going to attract certain types of people. Now if Disney released Something like Slayers the motion picture. That would Really get mainstream americans into it. Why? Because it has babes in it and it is funny!!!!! Also alot of anime series could be shown on prime time unedited but they are continually forced into after school spots. And don't mention Cartoon network believe it or not most people watch regular tv on prime time hours not cable.


Mr Oni