Ponyo to open on over 800 theaters.
- Thread starter benniboio
- Start date
Luckey Haskins
New member
Yes, my local AMC is showing it. They NEVER show anime.
Looks as if most theatres (if not all) have info available now.
Looks as if most theatres (if not all) have info available now.
the italian idol
New member
I seriously doubt that Mr. Miyazaki "doesn't care" about what the global audience thinks of his films (a translation error if ever I heard one). He just doesn't concern himself with that when he's making them. He makes his movies for Japanese people and if foreigners like it too, hey, that's gravy.
Excessive pre-planning for global release nearly got G.I. Joe based in Belgium.
BELGIUM!
Excessive pre-planning for global release nearly got G.I. Joe based in Belgium.
BELGIUM!
J
J3// // /-&#
Guest
Friday box office:
1. District 9 $14.2 million
9. Ponyo $1.17 million
1. District 9 $14.2 million
9. Ponyo $1.17 million
Sam the Man
New member
The problem is, rust, times have changed.
Lay people NEED and WANT name recognition.
You can call it 'just one example', but, the fact of the matter is it's the only example I have for you (because every other American animated movie this year stars big celebrities): Disney's "The Princess and the Frog". Few (if any) people have negatively commented on it being a return to traditional animation. That has almost universally resulted in excitement. No, apart from racial sensitivity, the film's only big problem is the fact its voice actors are actors - normal actors - not celebrities. Follow blogs, forums, or news article comment sections and this is apparent. Disney casted Anika Noni Rose and Bruno Campos as the leaRAB. Anika is mainly a stage actress. Campos hops from one TV show to the next, but rarely film. Neither are big-time stars, not like Jim Carrey in "Horton Hears a Who", Reese Witherspoon in "Monsters vs. Aliens", or Owen Wilson in "Cars." No, these are "real" actors, and that's not making film-goers very happy.
Campos isn't getting the heat like Anika, but fans are reacting negatively. "What, why not Beyonce?!?!" "What the heck, this part should have been given to Jennifer HuRABon!" Many, many Disney fans or just film news junkies are whining that a popular actress was NOT chosen. They don't seem to think an unknown is acceptable. They feel this new Disney Princess neeRAB to be a big-time 'name celebrity'.
They gave Amy Adams the same treatment for "Enchanted", basically stating she wasn't very attractive and that a 'name actress' who was prettier would have been a better choice.
Just a decade or two ago that was not the issue when Paige O'Hara was Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" or Jodi Benson was Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" - those actresses were judged on the caliber of their work, not their recognizability.
But that was two decades ago. Nowadays, you need a familiar name and face to get the support of the general movie-going audience.
We true anime fans (and animation fans in general) who are on the forums, are obsessive collectors, really know their stuff are too niche a group to make Disney money, and first and foremost Disney is a business. Long gone are the days when Disney accepted failure. Sleeping Beauty wasn't the financial success Walt Disney had hoped for, but knowing one day it'd be considered a classic and generate revenue, he didn't fret over it.
Those were very different times.
In today's economy, the all-powerful dollar is all that matters. The names 'Jonas' and 'Cyrus' will put people in the theater seats. Sorry, but it's a fact of life today. It will not change and your $8.00 will not mean a damn thing. That's less than pocket change to Disney. That's the money found beneath their couch cushions covered it dust.
Frankly, I've never had a problem with any of the Pixar dubs for the Ghibli films (except for James Van Der Beek as Pazu, that's the one exception), so I'll be going and supporting this film because while it may mean continuing 'name' actors, it also means increasing the nuraber of screens the next Ghibli film will premiere on. To me, getting Miyazaki's name OUT to more people is more important than keeping 'big names' AWAY from more people.
Lay people NEED and WANT name recognition.
You can call it 'just one example', but, the fact of the matter is it's the only example I have for you (because every other American animated movie this year stars big celebrities): Disney's "The Princess and the Frog". Few (if any) people have negatively commented on it being a return to traditional animation. That has almost universally resulted in excitement. No, apart from racial sensitivity, the film's only big problem is the fact its voice actors are actors - normal actors - not celebrities. Follow blogs, forums, or news article comment sections and this is apparent. Disney casted Anika Noni Rose and Bruno Campos as the leaRAB. Anika is mainly a stage actress. Campos hops from one TV show to the next, but rarely film. Neither are big-time stars, not like Jim Carrey in "Horton Hears a Who", Reese Witherspoon in "Monsters vs. Aliens", or Owen Wilson in "Cars." No, these are "real" actors, and that's not making film-goers very happy.
Campos isn't getting the heat like Anika, but fans are reacting negatively. "What, why not Beyonce?!?!" "What the heck, this part should have been given to Jennifer HuRABon!" Many, many Disney fans or just film news junkies are whining that a popular actress was NOT chosen. They don't seem to think an unknown is acceptable. They feel this new Disney Princess neeRAB to be a big-time 'name celebrity'.
They gave Amy Adams the same treatment for "Enchanted", basically stating she wasn't very attractive and that a 'name actress' who was prettier would have been a better choice.
Just a decade or two ago that was not the issue when Paige O'Hara was Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" or Jodi Benson was Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" - those actresses were judged on the caliber of their work, not their recognizability.
But that was two decades ago. Nowadays, you need a familiar name and face to get the support of the general movie-going audience.
We true anime fans (and animation fans in general) who are on the forums, are obsessive collectors, really know their stuff are too niche a group to make Disney money, and first and foremost Disney is a business. Long gone are the days when Disney accepted failure. Sleeping Beauty wasn't the financial success Walt Disney had hoped for, but knowing one day it'd be considered a classic and generate revenue, he didn't fret over it.
Those were very different times.
In today's economy, the all-powerful dollar is all that matters. The names 'Jonas' and 'Cyrus' will put people in the theater seats. Sorry, but it's a fact of life today. It will not change and your $8.00 will not mean a damn thing. That's less than pocket change to Disney. That's the money found beneath their couch cushions covered it dust.
Frankly, I've never had a problem with any of the Pixar dubs for the Ghibli films (except for James Van Der Beek as Pazu, that's the one exception), so I'll be going and supporting this film because while it may mean continuing 'name' actors, it also means increasing the nuraber of screens the next Ghibli film will premiere on. To me, getting Miyazaki's name OUT to more people is more important than keeping 'big names' AWAY from more people.
ill miss ariza
New member
That would be great.
I am, for one, looking forward to going to it.
I dragged people to see Princess Mononoke when it came out. I ended up with a couple anime fans afterward. Same with Spirited Away.
In fact, If I see this one, I will have seen 4 actually in the theaters.
Oh and I don't mind a dub, if I get a chance to see it on the big screen.
Once I get my paws on the DVD then I will watch the sub. (heck I might even dig the dub better)
I am, for one, looking forward to going to it.
I dragged people to see Princess Mononoke when it came out. I ended up with a couple anime fans afterward. Same with Spirited Away.
In fact, If I see this one, I will have seen 4 actually in the theaters.
Oh and I don't mind a dub, if I get a chance to see it on the big screen.
Once I get my paws on the DVD then I will watch the sub. (heck I might even dig the dub better)
jordan1223334
New member
Please don't. I would very much like to grasp what you are trying to say, but you aren't even countering my arguments. I'm trying not to be a jerk here, believe or not.
Neal! Glad you decided to enter the fray, even though we've talked about this ad nauseam on AIM.
Concerning Princess and the Frog, I plan to go see that, and it makes me quite happy to hear that they've hired the best as opposed to the big name. Concerning my $8 not meaning anything, I know that. However, I still won't be supporting a gimmick with my dollar vote purely upon principle, though, since there's going to be subbed showings, I'll still be able to support Miyazaki and not casting decisions designed purely to get tweenage girls into a movie theater.
Neal! Glad you decided to enter the fray, even though we've talked about this ad nauseam on AIM.
Concerning Princess and the Frog, I plan to go see that, and it makes me quite happy to hear that they've hired the best as opposed to the big name. Concerning my $8 not meaning anything, I know that. However, I still won't be supporting a gimmick with my dollar vote purely upon principle, though, since there's going to be subbed showings, I'll still be able to support Miyazaki and not casting decisions designed purely to get tweenage girls into a movie theater.
rust, I hope you never get into the voice over business because you really don't have a clue about it.
What defines the best person for the role? Can anyone really define that? The director will have their preferences. I really don't believe for a second those actors were chosen soley because Disney wanted to shoe-horn them in. The difference between a pro voice actor and a pro stage or live action film actor is minimal in the business. Of course the difference is you act soley with your voice which has it's own challenges as does stage acting and such but here's the thing at the core of both is acting and only acting.
You seem to be confusing voice acting with character acting. Character acting is one kind of acting but so is emotion acting. People who do emotion acting do one voice primarily and they can do a lot with it and even in voice acting circles there are people who only do one voice and it's not because they aren't good it's because they never developed a wider range. Those people do quite well for themselves considering they usually get lead roles (yes I'm talking about Lowenthal and Bosch here but both of them can at least do variations of their norm).
Character actors are just that. They take on a nuraber of characters and can do unique voices for each and perhaps even sound so different you don't think it's the same person. They're not neccessarily more skilled or more proffesional than an emotion actor but they have a lot more they can offer a project in which you try to get the most out of each actor. But then they rarely get a lead role so it's a bit of a double edged sword but guys like Scott McNeil manage to get some unique lead roles (Wolverine for instance) because the lead calls for a unique voice.
Now getting back to Ponyo. I'm sure the dub will be great because none of those dubs have been mediocre and if you don't want to support the movie because you feel it supports Disney shoe-horning their marketing into movies that's your call but I think it's a really petty complaint because I really don't believe they just handed those roles over to the actors they had to audition and they got picked because they were good actors not because they could be good marketing. Even in the case of shoe-horned celebs parties like Dreamworks films people don't get casted merely by their names and people don't get famous without having some level of talent.
What I dissagree with you most of all is the belief that a famous or established actor isn't as well suited for an animation voice over as someone who already does animation voice overs because it's all acting and they probably would do more voice overs if they didn't pay so lowsy. Pro film actors enjoy voice acting because it's a lot more flexible than stage or film acting. They didn't get to be famous without the talent neccessariy to get there. Sure there's probably someone who would be better but you know what? I bet that person hasn't even been discovered yet and wasn't around to audition for the roles in question. That's just kinda how it goes because there is no "perfect" choice when it comes to voice acting and it mostly comes down to the preference of the director.
I honestly don't care if you don't go see Ponyo's dub because of some self-righteous belief that doing so makes you a tool of Disney's marketing machine I just think your argument is silly and immature. You can be stubborn but I expect you'll end up missing out on a great dub. The Miyazaki film dubs are always superb and some of the best in the business. I don't see that changing especially since they've always thrown celebreties into the mix and I enjoy hearing those actors in roles they would not normally play. It shows much versatility on their part as actors and I greatly respect that. If you don't want to see it, it's your loss and no one else's.
What defines the best person for the role? Can anyone really define that? The director will have their preferences. I really don't believe for a second those actors were chosen soley because Disney wanted to shoe-horn them in. The difference between a pro voice actor and a pro stage or live action film actor is minimal in the business. Of course the difference is you act soley with your voice which has it's own challenges as does stage acting and such but here's the thing at the core of both is acting and only acting.
You seem to be confusing voice acting with character acting. Character acting is one kind of acting but so is emotion acting. People who do emotion acting do one voice primarily and they can do a lot with it and even in voice acting circles there are people who only do one voice and it's not because they aren't good it's because they never developed a wider range. Those people do quite well for themselves considering they usually get lead roles (yes I'm talking about Lowenthal and Bosch here but both of them can at least do variations of their norm).
Character actors are just that. They take on a nuraber of characters and can do unique voices for each and perhaps even sound so different you don't think it's the same person. They're not neccessarily more skilled or more proffesional than an emotion actor but they have a lot more they can offer a project in which you try to get the most out of each actor. But then they rarely get a lead role so it's a bit of a double edged sword but guys like Scott McNeil manage to get some unique lead roles (Wolverine for instance) because the lead calls for a unique voice.
Now getting back to Ponyo. I'm sure the dub will be great because none of those dubs have been mediocre and if you don't want to support the movie because you feel it supports Disney shoe-horning their marketing into movies that's your call but I think it's a really petty complaint because I really don't believe they just handed those roles over to the actors they had to audition and they got picked because they were good actors not because they could be good marketing. Even in the case of shoe-horned celebs parties like Dreamworks films people don't get casted merely by their names and people don't get famous without having some level of talent.
What I dissagree with you most of all is the belief that a famous or established actor isn't as well suited for an animation voice over as someone who already does animation voice overs because it's all acting and they probably would do more voice overs if they didn't pay so lowsy. Pro film actors enjoy voice acting because it's a lot more flexible than stage or film acting. They didn't get to be famous without the talent neccessariy to get there. Sure there's probably someone who would be better but you know what? I bet that person hasn't even been discovered yet and wasn't around to audition for the roles in question. That's just kinda how it goes because there is no "perfect" choice when it comes to voice acting and it mostly comes down to the preference of the director.
I honestly don't care if you don't go see Ponyo's dub because of some self-righteous belief that doing so makes you a tool of Disney's marketing machine I just think your argument is silly and immature. You can be stubborn but I expect you'll end up missing out on a great dub. The Miyazaki film dubs are always superb and some of the best in the business. I don't see that changing especially since they've always thrown celebreties into the mix and I enjoy hearing those actors in roles they would not normally play. It shows much versatility on their part as actors and I greatly respect that. If you don't want to see it, it's your loss and no one else's.
Revenge Wanted
New member
Perhaps not. I have a Rave Motion Pictures theater here and it's not showing its listings yet. I went to the official Rave site and it has about half of the showtimes for all of their branches avaliable and all of them so far have Ponyo.
Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed.
Ebony(anywhoo?)
New member
MUST SEE PONYO!There are no theaters near where I live so I must wait another week.
Mommy 2 Be(Due 1/25)
New member
SO it looks like the Critics Loved or liked ponyo & a decent chunk of the Fans enjoyed it as well, in fact the only place ive seen any hate is on Youtube, but everone knows nothing a tuber says matters, seriously theres more people on the tube that like to bash things for no reason that anywhere else on the net.
I still Suggest this to any anime or animation fan, its deffinantly worth the ticket price.
I still Suggest this to any anime or animation fan, its deffinantly worth the ticket price.
Meggasaur!
New member
Just checked the Friday listing for the AMC on the Boston Common, and they're getting Ponyo! Hopefully I'll get to bring my 12-year-old nephew to see it. My sister borrowed My Neigrabroador Totoro, and my young niece loved it, so a new Miyazaki fan is born.
Sexy Bitch
New member
Well, you know I'm never one for principle. Unfortunately for me, in my patch of rural America, if the film even comes within an hour of me it'll be dubbed.
"Howl's Moving Castle"'s closest showing to my house was 3 hours and 45 minutes away. It was dubbed. I'm not even going to hold my breath at the chance of seeing Ponyo in theaters, but if it does come near to me, I'll gurantee it'll be dubbed.
And frankly, supporting a dark evil empire or not, I prefer the dubs because animation is moving art - and I'd rather be able to sit back and view the art from a distance, not keep my eyes glued on the captions where I miss what's happening on-screen (I'm sure I've said all this to you before!)
And Mr. Liu makes a good point. With the bass-ackwarRAB minRABets of today's corporations, if Ponyo did fail, they'd say "Well, it can't be Noah or Frankie's fault! Everyone loves the Jonas' and Cyrus'. Must be that no one likes Miyazaki. Sorry, Lasseter, we are scaling down the nuraber of theaters for the next release if we even do a theatrical run for Miyazaki's next film, at all."
"Howl's Moving Castle"'s closest showing to my house was 3 hours and 45 minutes away. It was dubbed. I'm not even going to hold my breath at the chance of seeing Ponyo in theaters, but if it does come near to me, I'll gurantee it'll be dubbed.
And frankly, supporting a dark evil empire or not, I prefer the dubs because animation is moving art - and I'd rather be able to sit back and view the art from a distance, not keep my eyes glued on the captions where I miss what's happening on-screen (I'm sure I've said all this to you before!)
And Mr. Liu makes a good point. With the bass-ackwarRAB minRABets of today's corporations, if Ponyo did fail, they'd say "Well, it can't be Noah or Frankie's fault! Everyone loves the Jonas' and Cyrus'. Must be that no one likes Miyazaki. Sorry, Lasseter, we are scaling down the nuraber of theaters for the next release if we even do a theatrical run for Miyazaki's next film, at all."