Anime on the Silver Screen?
May 13th, 2008 at 4:45 pm (Anime, Articles, Miscellaneous, Take)
Seems like Hollywood isn’t content with “Americanizing” classic Japanese horror movies, i.e. The Ring, The Grudge. Now they seem to focus on another thing that’s making cultural waves: Anime.
Yup, you don’t have to check your ears to see if they’re working properly like they should, and Yep I ain’t kidding. Via a tip from soulassassin547, up coming next is the “Anime Movie” version of that series about a high speed car with top secret weaponry, the Mach 5; yes, boys and girls, it’s the then-popular Speed Racer.
Hollywood ‘Turning Japanese’ With Anime Movies
Give Hollywood credit for really jumping on a cultural phenomenon the moment it arrives.You do have to wonder how this will turn. The original, by the way, is episodic in nature, so turning the entire story up in a movie time limit will either please or displease the fans, to the point of throwing tomatoes and other rotten foodstuff at the producers for making this atrocity.
This time, the perpetually slow-moving movie biz power brokers are looking to adapt a crazy little Japanese thing called anime for the silver screen.
Oh by the way, USA Today has the list of upcoming adaptations by Hollywood of our beloved anime classics, which also include an anime-inspired series (think of Teen Titans on Cartoon Network).
Filmmakers and fans are quick to point out that most of the anime adaptations will be live action — a much easier sell at theaters. And unlike the dark and violent tone of many anime stories, Racer is a family-friendly PG.See? There’s obviously a connection that needs to be made between the fans and the producers that seem to be sorely missing. It must be remedied.
But they also acknowledge that the genre appeals to a select group. “Generation X is very familiar with anime,” says Zac Bertschy, executive editor of the Anime News Network, a website dedicated to the genre. “But if you’re not in that age group, there may be a learning curve.”
Racer won’t suffer from a lack of fan familiarity. The question, says Michael Pinto of anime.com, is whether the Wachowskis have the craftsmanship they demonstrated in 1999’s The Matrix, which was partly inspired by Akira and Shell.
“They won over a lot of anime fans with the first one, and disappointed a lot of them with the sequels,” Pinto says. “They’re obviously fanboys. People want them to regain that touch, because it could open the door for more anime.” (emphases mine)
Zeroblade said,
May 14, 2008 at 12:15 am
Or, you know, Hollywood needs to start putting out movies with actual substance en masse rather than things like this and the Dragonball movie.
lanie-emon said,
May 14, 2008 at 7:02 am
Wonder how it will turn out when Steven Spielberg adapts the GITS to the big screen. I have high hopes for the movie though, as Spielberg is a known anime fan and, well, know the nuance and whatnot that make anime great. Which, I hope, he will adapt to his big screen adaptation.
Ronin AnimeLover said,
May 14, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Zeroblade, I agree with you. Ever since the writer’s strike, or even before it happened, has there actually been actual substance in the movies being churned out?
lanie-emon, Spielberg is a known anime fan? Where did you get this rather intriguing information? I already know the Wachowski brothers are, what with their Matrix trilogy and all (not to mention their hands on the Speed Racer “Anime Movie”).
Well, let’s do hope for the best.
lanie-emon said,
May 15, 2008 at 8:15 am
I read it in a entertaiment mag (I know2, it’s rather flimsy). It says that he like the anime genre since ages ago, with GITS his particular favourite. The GITS project proceed due to Spielberg conviction to one of those major studio’s (cant remember which) that the project was worth it.
Ronin AnimeLover said,
May 15, 2008 at 3:59 pm
lanie-emon said:Ah, an entertainment mag. {raises eyebrow} Now I see.
lanie-emon said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Lol, I deserve that ^^.