Disney hopes Japanese 'toon casts U.S. spell

By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

Animé is still a foreign word to most U.S. moviegoers, even cartoon-crazy grown-ups who head off to Lilo & Stitch with nary a kid in tow. Not that we haven't been exposed to the style of Japanese animation. The first Pokémon movie collected $43.7 million in 2000, but no one confuses it with art.

The best chance for Japan's thriving cartoon industry to translate into all-ages American success arrives in 10 cities on Friday. Spirited Away, the enchanting tale of a girl who must work in a bathhouse to break a spell that has turned her parents into pigs, has already sunk Titanic to become the most successful film ever in its homeland, with a take of more than $230 million.

Considered the masterwork of Hayao Miyazaki, the bespectacled 61-year-old who is known as the Walt Disney of his country, Spirited Away is nightmarish whimsy gone marvelously mad. The Alice in Wonderland-ish plot with its pinch of pathos and sprinkle of spirituality is populated with bizarre gods and monsters such as bouncing heads, scurrying soot balls, a giant radish man, a mud-oozing stink creature and a wolf dragon. (Related story: Animation virtuoso makes sweet 'toons with Disney)

Disney has distribution rights and has recruited big-name talent to oversee its pet project's English-language adaptation, including Kirk Wise, co-director of Beauty and theBeast, and John Lasseter, Toy Story's digital wiz who has known Miyazaki for 20 years. Says Pam Coats, Disney's head of animation development, "What I am personally hoping for is it will first reach niche markets like college kids and animé fans, then spread through word of mouth."

Still, the failure of Princess Mononoke, a less-accessible and sometimes violent Miyazaki effort that was picked up by Miramax and grossed only $2.4 million in 1999, hangs heavy in the air.

But Lasseter assures that Spirited Away "is more a true Miyazaki film. It has that sense of humor he has."

The Disney crew was respectful about changes, with just a few explanatory lines added. At 2 hours and 5 minutes, it's at least a half-hour longer than most U.S. animated features. "We were nervous about length," Coats says, "but once it starts playing, kids are riveted."

Daveigh Chase, 12, the voice of Lilo who also did the dubbing for Chihiro, Spirited Away's sulky heroine, agrees. "It's so beautiful, the colors they use. It's very pretty when she runs through the flowers. I think kids will get this."

Box office analysts say Disney is playing it smart. "It makes sense to open it in early fall when there aren't many other family films," says Gitesh Pandya of boxofficeguru.com. "It doesn't have a known subject like Pocahontas. You need to give people time to find it."

Still, Robert Bucksbaum of Reel Source says, "This isn't a typical happy-go-lucky Disney movie. The key is to hide the fact that it is a foreign film, like they did with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and slowly broaden its appeal."