Nausicaa.Net	  FAQ by Ryoko Toyama. Flyer by Michael S. Johnson. Last Updated by Chris Wallace on 6/28/00
http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/disney/dtdeal.html	

The Disney-Tokuma Deal FAQ
This FAQ was put together by Ryoko Toyama of Team Ghiblink from the official announcements, newspaper articles, and information posted on the Miyazaki Mailing List. Many thanks also go to our contacts in Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) and Miramax Films (a subsidiary of Disney), who provided valuable information to the Miyazaki Mailing List.
Disclaimer: Not all of this information is official. Disney may change the final details without notice.
What’s the deal?
In 1996, the Walt Disney Co. purchased the worldwide distribution rights to ten Japanese animated (anime) feature films by Studio Ghibli directors Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Yoshifumi Kondo, as well as future productions by them.
What does this deal include? 
The global video distribution of the following films:
Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind	Kiki’s Delivery Service	Raccoon War Pompoko	
Laputa–Castle in the Sky	Only Yesterday	Whisper of the Heart	
My Neighbor Totoro	Porco Rosso	Princess Mononoke	
My Neighbors the Yamadas	Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi	
Exceptions:
1.	This deal excludes Asia, but includes Japan.
2.	"Grave of the Fireflies" is not included for US release because Tokuma does not hold the rights to it. The film was produced by Shinchosha and an English-subtitled version of "Grave" is currently available from Central Park Media. 
3.	"I Can Hear the Sea/Ocean Waves" was not included either, probably because it was made for TV.
The global theatrical distribution of “Princess Mononoke”
Miramax Films distributed this film in theaters for within the United States starting in October of 1999. The film has also been released in Europe.
The global distribution of several live action movies produced by Tokuma:
This includes "Opium Wars" and "Gamera 2."
Japanese television distribution of Studio Ghibli films:
In addition to Japanese theatrical and video rights, Disney will acquire the rights to show the films on Japanese television.
When will these movies be available? 
1998 – “Kiki’s Delivery Service” – MPAA rating: G
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” was released, dubbed, on VHS in the US in September, 1998 by BVHE. Kirsten Dunst provided Kiki’s voice, Phil Hartman played Jiji, and other A-class voice talents include Debbie Reynolds, Jeneane Garofalo and Mathew Lawrence. The letterboxed, subtitled release became available later the same month. A laserdisc version was also released, but is not in print anymore and is very difficult to find in stores. The film has also been shown on both The Disney Channel and Toon Disney. Disney hasn't released official sales figures, but sources state that sales exceeded one million units. 
1999 – “Princess Mononoke” – MPAA rating: PG-13
North America – ”Princess Mononoke” debuted in October of 1999 and will be shown at Anime Expo 2000. The voice cast featured Billy Crudup as Ashitaka, Claire Danes as San, Gillian Anderson as Moro the Wolf God, Minnie Driver as Lady Eboshi, and Billy Bob Thornton as Jiko Bou. Based on a literal translation, Neil Gaiman, the author of the popular comic The Sandman, worked on the English script with some research assistance from the Miyazaki Mailing List.
Europe – “Princess Mononoke” was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 11, 1998. It has also been shown in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Belgium.
Asia – "Princess Mononoke” was shown in theaters in Hong Kong and Taiwan in August 1997, distributed by Tokuma. Elsewhere – It has been reported, but not confirmed, that “Princess Mononoke” will be released in theaters in Brazil and Australia.
2000 – "Castle in the Sky" – MPAA rating not available at this time
The film's original title is "Tenkuu no Shiro Rapyuta" (Laputa–Castle in the Sky), but the English release will not have the word "Laputa" in the title in order to avoid its offensive connotation in Spanish. This film had its theatrical debut at the New York International Children’s Film Festival on February 4th, 2000. At this time, we do not know if it will be released theatrically, or will go direct to video. Joe HISAISHI, composer of the original soundtrack, composed a new soundtrack with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra last May to make the film more suitable for American theatrical release. The voice talent featured Anna Paquin as Sheeta, James van der Beek as Pazu, Mark Hamill as Muska, and Cloris Leachman as the pirate Dola.
Japanese Video Release Information 
BVHV has re-released all the films in Japan in the VHS format. Each tape costs ¥4,500 (excluding tax), and is letterboxed, Hi-Fi stereo (except “Nausicaä,” which was not recorded in stereo) and digitally mastered. These tapes are in Japanese. Inside information from Disney suggests that they will eventually be released in Japanese, English, and a Japanese/English hybrid for those who want to learn English. However, we do not know when the English versions will be available. The original laserdisc releases are still in circulation, as BVHV did not pick up the rights for that format. At this time, they also do not have DVD release rights, but sources claim that negotiations are in progress.
Will they be available on LaserDisc and DVD?
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” was released in North America on both VHS tape and LaserDisc. With the demise of the LaserDisc format, it is not expected that the remaining films will be released in this format. While DVD was not part of the original plan, we do know that the rights for “Princess Mononoke” have been obtained and the film will be released in DVD on August 29th. The DVD will be released in anamorphic (enhanced for 16:9 TVs) and will feature the English and French dubs only. BVHV-Japan has requested that the original Japanese language track (with or without English subtitles) not be included on the U.S. DVD. So far, the “Mononoke” VHS tape will be also released in dub format only, at rental pricing, also on the 29th. However, if customer demand warrants, an English-subtitled edition (similar to “Kiki’s”) could be released. 
Will the films be released dubbed or subtitled? 
In North America, “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, “Princess Mononoke”, and “Castle in the Sky” were theatrically released dubbed in English. In Europe, a French-language dub was produced, with the other presentations having the film subtitled into the local language.
Will they be letterboxed? 
The Japanese VHS releases are letterboxed, but the US dubbed VHS release of "Kiki" was pan-and-scan. However, the US subtitled VHS and the laserdisc versions were letterboxed. For other markets, no release format has been decided yet. The “Princess Mononoke” DVD will be letterboxed, as well as anamorphic (for playback on 16:9 television sets).
Will Disney change these films in any way?
Not without Studio Ghibli’s consent. Disney cannot cut even one second from the films, according to the contract. In the English dubbed Kiki, the opening and ending songs were changed to appeal to a young, English-speaking audience, and there were some other changes in music, but nothing was cut or drastically changed from the original. As mentioned above, the soundtrack to "Castle in the Sky" was completely re-scored by the original composer for greater appeal to a US audience. Changes have been made to the dialogue of the films so far released, but they are minor in scope and were done to adapt the film to the intended audience.
Will Disney make animated films with Ghibli?
Disney has invested 10% of the production cost of Ghibli’s tenth movie, “Tonari no Yamada-kun (My Neighbors the Yamadas)” as well as an undisclosed amount in Hayao Miyazaki’s next film, “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (A Thousand and Chihiro’s Spirited Away)”.
Can the deal expand to other products?
Yes. Mr. Tokuma has stated, "Eventually, we will cooperate in such fields as magazines, CDs, and game software." 
I thought Miyazaki didn't like Disney. Did he sell his soul?
No, but Miyazaki has stated that he also doesn’t like movies by Toho or Toei, either (the Japanese movie distributors of Ghibli films); he makes a distinction between film production and film distribution. He agreed to the deal mainly to help Mr. Tokuma, who had backed him when he was starting out. At this point, Miyazaki has earned enough money to last him a lifetime.
Where can I find more information?
The Hayao Miyazaki Web	http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/	
The full Disney-Tokuma FAQ	http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/disney/dtdeal.html	
The Miyazaki Mailing List	http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mailing-list/	
Team Ghiblink	ghiblink@nausicaa.net