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Topic: And the Golden Bear goes to "Spirited Away"
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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!
Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 02-18-2002 06:47 PM
For Film-Tech anime fans (I know there's a few of us here  ):
The latest film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli is one of two films accorded the Golden Bear in a split decision at this year's Berlin International Film Festival. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) is the first animated film to win the best-film award in the festival's history (Disney's Cinderella won for best musical at the first festival in 1951), and shares this year's honor with the British-Irish production Bloody Sunday.
Amusingly, many of the German film and culture critics attending the festival decided to skip the screenings of Spirited Away, dismissing it as just a cartoon, even though the film was entered in the competition. Now those same critics are scrambling to write knowledgeable reviews and commentary about a film that they haven't seen. Judging from the tone of some of the English translations, I'd say they were not amused. 
Spirited Away is still playing on 135 screens in Japan after its July 20, 2001 roadshow opening. At over $219 million USD it is Japan's all-time box office champ, having dethroned both Titanic (highest foreign film gross) and 1997 Studio Ghibli stablemate Princess Mononoke (highest domestic film gross) in November 2001. It has also become the world's highest grossing non-English language film of all time.
The film is currently playing in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and will be released in France this April through Canal+ and Wild Bunch. Additional theatrical rights were recently announced for Russia (Central Partnership) and Italy (RAI Cinema), along with Switzerland and the UK (Pathe). No US release has been announced yet, though negotiations are under way with Disney, which had a minority stake in the film's $19.2 million USD production cost. A few weeks ago rumors had been claiming that Disney, stung by the US theatrical failure of Mononoke, had decided to pass on Spirited Away and that Ghibli was negotiating with Dreamworks for handling US distribution. Apparently that rumor was wishful thinking on the part of US anime fans (a.k.a. otaku), many of whom feel that Disney has been deliberately plodding in its handling of Ghibli's titles in the US (Disney bought the US rights to 11 of Ghibli's films in 1996 and so far has released only two--Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) on video and LD, and Mononoke (1997) in a limited theater run and on video and DVD). The only other Ghibli titles available in the US were My Neighbor Totoro (1988) on Fox Video and Grave of the Fireflies (1988) on Central Park Media. Disney now holds the rights to Totoro as well.
Spirited Away will be released on R2 DVD in Japan in July (and will be on my shelf shortly thereafter ). I'd love to see it get at least a subtitled art-house run here; we almost got it for the AFI Los Angeles Film Festival last year. I own a copy of the 5-minute theatrical trailer on R2 DVD along with the soundtrack and image album CDs, the art book, the Japanese theatrical posters, and the roadshow theater program booklet. Take it from me the artwork and music are stunning and I think it would appeal to the art crowd along with the otaku and be relatively cheap to distribute on subtitled prints. If it does well, the expensive big-name English dub for the kids can come later (it is afterall a kids film, but written in a way that adults will appreciate). Anyway, here's hoping we will get to see it here sooner rather than later. I'll happily volunteer to be the projectionist for its North American premiere!
(BTW 1.85 AR, Dolby SR-D EX, DTS ES, 2+05 running time) 
For those who'd like more info about Spirited Away, here's a link to the ultimate English-language Studio Ghibli fan site: Nausicaa.net Sen Page
Paul
Member, SMPTE Hollywood Section
Member, Otakus Over Forty
Unemployed  film/video projectionist/engineer
"Otaku wa tsurai yo" <-- Yeah I know, bad pun. Sue me.
It's tough being a fan!
-30
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John Pytlak
Film God
Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 03-01-2002 06:56 AM
Here's the latest:
http://www.screendaily.com/index.pl?7506 Disney gets Spirited Away for North America
Mark Schilling in Tokyo February 28, 2002
Walt Disney Co. has acquired North American rights to Hayao Miyazaki’s smash animated hit Spirited Away, which has broken all box office records in Japan. Disney also bought rights to the film for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and France in previously concluded deals...(go to link for complete article).
------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion
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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!
Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 03-20-2002 10:07 PM
Spirited Away took Best Picture at the Japanese Academy Awards. And Hayao Miyazaki was given an Outstanding Achievement Award for his contributions to Japanese cinema during his 45-year career. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=1823 Toho Theatres just published their numbers for Spirited Away. As of March 2002: $230,000,000 USD and 23,140,000 admissions in roadshow release. Toho plans to continue screening "Sen" through April. Paul
Chou Sutajio Jiburi otaku
Super Studio Ghibli fan
-0
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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!
Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 04-11-2002 01:24 PM
The English voice cast for Spirited Away was announced by Disney yesterday:Daveigh Chase, as the girl Chihiro [and Sen]
Jason Marsden, as the boy Haku
David Ogden Stiers, as the Boiler Room Man
Suzanne Pleshette, as the Twin Witches
Lauren Holly, as Mom
Michael Chiklis, as Dad
Susan Egan, as Lin
John Ratzenberger, as the Bathhouse Manager John Lasseter is creative consultant on the dub. Don Ernst (Fantasia 2000) will produce and Kirk Wise (Beauty and the Beast, Atlantis) will direct. The dub job is scheduled to wrap in July. It'll be interesting to see how Disney positions the release this fall.
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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!
Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 08-07-2002 01:37 PM
Looks like Spirited Away will get a limited opening (NY/LA) on SEP 20 through Touchstone. The film will get its LA premiere on SEP 10 at the Egyptian in Hollywood, then play just down the street at the El Capitan starting on the 20th. The man himself Hayao Miyazaki will be at the Egyptian to do Q&A after the premiere screening! American Cinematheque event listing I didn't make it to the SFIFF after all (damn broken ankle). But I'm planning on making it to this, financial straits not withstanding. I've offered up my collection of original Studio Ghibli theatre posters for display in the lobby--we'll see if the American Cinematheque takes me up on that. Paul
Mercenary video/16/35/70mm/IMAX projectionist
"When the money runs out, so does I."
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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!
Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 08-16-2002 10:47 PM
Disney/BV/Touchstone is supposed to have subbed or dubbed, print or DLP available. Dolby SR-D EX and DTS-ES. Sept. 20 is the limited open in NY/LA. No word yet on their plans for widening that. Haven't heard of any trailers or posters going out yet either.You're lucky Josh--I haven't seen the whole thing yet, only the Japanese and French trailers. My R2 DVD of it is on hold due to the goofed up transfer BV Japan did (see my FY post "R2 DVD film transfer done wrong"). May end up cancelling the order and waiting for a reissue, or for the R1 release. And I got shutout for the premiere El Cap screening dammit! Oh well, I have all the rest of the stuff to hold me over--soundtrack CD, image album CD, two J-theatrical posters, art books, J-roadshow program booklet... Paul
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handled Princess Mononoke in the States. The Weinstein brothers sat on that picture for over a year, redubbed it with American voices, and opened it opposite Being John Malkovich.
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