Disney looks to Japan for 'anime' tie-up
Saturday, March 8, 2008
WALT DISNEY said on Thursday it would produce cartoons in Japan in tie-ups with the country's famed animation industry in a rare bid to adapt to regional tastes.
The company that turned Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck into global icons has traditionally distributed the same US-made films around the world.
Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd said it would start by making a short children's animation series in Japan using three-dimensional computer graphics.
The series, entitled Fireball, will feature robots in the distant future and start airing in April, company officials said.
"We aim to provide products that match the taste of the local market," said Mariko Hisamitsu, a Disney Japan official in charge of the television business.
"We have few precedents for localisation," she said.
"Disney characters are well recognised in Japan and we believe providing contents catering to consumers is necessary to expand the market."
Joining hands with mid-sized studio Madhouse Ltd, Disney will also launch a Japanese version of the popular Lilo and Stitch series in October, Disney said.
The original American series tells the story of the bonding between the orphan girl Lilo and a little blue alien named Stitch on the lush Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The adaptation will feature a Japanese girl and be set on a fictional island in Japan's subtropical southern chain of Okinawa. AFP
The company that turned Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck into global icons has traditionally distributed the same US-made films around the world.
Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd said it would start by making a short children's animation series in Japan using three-dimensional computer graphics.
The series, entitled Fireball, will feature robots in the distant future and start airing in April, company officials said.
"We aim to provide products that match the taste of the local market," said Mariko Hisamitsu, a Disney Japan official in charge of the television business.
"We have few precedents for localisation," she said.
"Disney characters are well recognised in Japan and we believe providing contents catering to consumers is necessary to expand the market."
Joining hands with mid-sized studio Madhouse Ltd, Disney will also launch a Japanese version of the popular Lilo and Stitch series in October, Disney said.
The original American series tells the story of the bonding between the orphan girl Lilo and a little blue alien named Stitch on the lush Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The adaptation will feature a Japanese girl and be set on a fictional island in Japan's subtropical southern chain of Okinawa. AFP
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