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August 1996 Vol. 1 No. 5 Anime Anime

Background Briefings by Jerry Goes For The Mainstream Table of Contents

3 Editor's Notebook 4 Letters to the Editor

5 Anime: Hollywood’s Invisible recounts his fascination with anime and how his frustration with Hollywood’s attitude towards it led him and to do something about it.

8 A Capsule A brief tour by Fred Patten of Japanese animation from its beginnings by hobbyists in 1917 to its current status as of the producing countries in the world.

13 Fredd Ladd: An Interview by Harvey Deneroff In the early of American , anime gained a small foothold. , who played a key role in this effort, recalls what happened.

17 Manga :Taking Anime to the Next Stage Manga, a division of UK’s Records, has become a major powerhouse in international anime. Mark Segall reports on the phenomena in his interview with Manga executives Mike Preece and Marvin Gleicher.

22 Anime in A survey of how anime spread through the major countries of Europe and the difficulties it encountered in terms of censorship. John Gosling reports from .

26 The Hidden World of Anime John Gosling looks at some of the differences between and Japanese animation, as well as speculating on the various cultural influences seen in anime.

30 Raoul Servais: An Interview 35 filmmaker Raoul Servais, who recently completed his first feature, talks with Philippe Moins about his , international festivals, and the problems of making features, among other things.

40 Festival Reviews Singapore Animation Fiesta by Mark Langer

44 On a Desert Island With . . . Mango, I Mean Manga Mania!, compiled by Frankie Kowalski

46 The Dirdy Birdy Comic by John Dilworth August 1996 47 News

51 Next Issue’s Highlights

© Animation World Network 1996. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network.

Cover: The Guyver ©

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 2 must admit that I have not much of Europe, battling censors always been a great of and accusations of too much sex I Japanese animation or anime. and violence along the way. At the But like a number of other close same time, Gosling, in “The Hidden observers of the animation indus- World Of Anime,” explores the var- try, I could not but help admire and ious cultural influences upon envy the diversity and breadth of Japanese animation, ranging from product turned out in . Like classic forms like kabuki to contem- a number of my colleagues, I porary attitudes towards women. would use the Japanese example Raoul Servais, the famed Bel- to berate American (and other) pro- gium filmmaker who will be hon- ducers for not being able to see ored at this month’s animation as other than as some- Animation Festival, is interviewed thing for kids. (This has not always the current renaissance of anime in herein by Philippe Moins. In it, Ser- been the case, but this fact has the US. Fred Patten, in his “Capsule vais talks about his philosophy of seemingly vanished from Holly- History of Anime” provides a quick , his in animation wood’s collective memory.) tour of the anime history, detailing and his experiences in making his In recent years, I also could not the major trends both in terms of first feature, Taxandria. help but notice that growing influ- genre and in terms of how differ- Speaking of festivals, Mark Lang- ence of anime in Hollywood and in ent segments of the Japanese ani- er reports on the first edition of the Europe. As Jerry Beck notes in his mation industry have developed. Singapore Animation Fiesta, a vest article, “Anime: Hollywood’s Invisible In “Fred Ladd: An Interview,” I pocket event that seems destined Animation Genre,” major filmmak- talk with the producer who was to be a regular biannual event. ers, such as Bill Kroyer and Peter responsible for preparing a number Finally, Frankie Kowalski’s Desert Chung, have increasingly expressed of early anime classics for the Amer- Island Series relates the top 10 their admiration for the work of ican market, which helped boost choices of a number of anime-relat- their Japanese colleagues and pay the Japanese animation industry ed personages, while John Dil- homage to it in such shows as Aeon and provided the basis for its wide- worth introduces us to his “Dirdy Flux. Thus, despite the outward spread appeal in the . Birdy” , which will be a signs of resistance on the part of The increasing success of anime regular feature. American producers, it has become in recent years has not gone entire- increasingly clear that Japanese ani- ly unnoticed by mainstream com- mation is on the verge of breaking panies. Thus, Mark Segall, in his Harvey Deneroff into the mainstream in both the “Manga Entertainment: Taking [email protected] United States and Europe. Anime To The Next Stage,” explores Thus, it seemed appropriate that how the first major distributor of in this issue we explore the impact Japanese animation with relatively anime has had outside of Japan, as “deep pockets” is changing things well as on some of its histo- on an international scale. ry. In this, Jerry Beck’s is an John Gosling, in his “Anime In excellent polemic, as well as pro- Europe,” explores the ways anime viding some of the background on has been fighting its way through

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 3 Letters to the Editor

The Kitsch-Meister of Burbank Disney product is designed to reas-

ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK mbedded within R.O. Blech- sure its audience that everything is 6525 Sunset Blvd., man’s spirited, high culture OK: sit back, relax, and have a good Garden Suite 10 E philippic against Disney time. Yes, we are goggle-eyed at Hollywood, CA 90028 [“Transfixed and Goggle-Eyed,” June marvelous visions of virtuoso ani- Phone : 213.468.2554 1996] is a revealing slip. He mation and, having checked our Fax : 213.464.5914 brains at the door, we truly believe Email : [email protected] describes how UPA’s graphic inven- tion took the wind out of Disney’s that someday our prince will come, sails in the 50’s, causing the Kitsch- and in the meantime we can con- Meister of Burbank to overcome his gratulate ourselves for empathizing ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE own vulgar literalism and turn out with a lovable little hunchback. [email protected] a modernistic cartoon of suitable While I concur with Blechman’s PUBLISHER stylization and reduction (Toot, esthetic critique, Disney’s chief Ron Diamond, President Whistle, Plunk and Boom). He then offense is his non-controversial, Dan Sarto, Chief Operating Officer adds “If animation is the sincerest vanilla disposition, which can be EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Harvey Deneroff form of flattery, it is also the surest summed up in one word: “nice.” If sign of artistic bankruptcy.” Of independent are to ASSOCIATE EDITOR/PUBLICITY Frankie Kowalski course Blechman means “imitation,” reclaim any measure of respect in not “animation,” and yet there may this eternal, Oedipal conflict, we CONTRIBUTORS : be a more sinister truth uncon- can certainly do worse that follow Howard Beckerman Giannalberto Bendazzi sciously buried within this gram- the recipe offered by Tina Turner in Harvey Deneroff matical archeology. “Proud Mary” when she sneered, Maureen Furniss Let’s assume that Disney is ani- “We never do anything nice ‘n easy; Frankie Kowalski Jackie Leger mation. Forget about , we do it nice ‘n .” Jill McGreal Bill Plympton, Brothers Quay, and William Moritz Pam Schechter the other subjects of the “Indepen- Mark Segall dent Spirit” issue. He (not any one George Griffin, Tom Sito person, but the media Golem that Rita Street Walt built and Eisner continues to The author is an independent - Bob Swain aggrandize) has colonized our maker. Le WEBMASTER imagination and embodies all that Guillaume Calop is pernicious in our art. Not just DESIGN/LAYOUT : because he has no taste. Not just IMP Graphic e- : [email protected] because he is a monopolistic capi- Letters to the editor can be sent by Christa Theoharous talist who will use every scheme to email to [email protected], by fax ADVERTISING SALES maintain market share. Not justbe- to (213) 464-5914, or by regular : Wendy Jackson cause he is socially conservative. I mail to Animation World Magazine Europe : Vincent Ferri think his biggest crime is flattery, the 6525 Sunset Blvd., Garden Suite 10, Asia : Bruce Teitelbaum sincerest form of pandering. The Hollywood, CA 90028. UK: Roger Watkins

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 4 Anime: Hollywood’s Invisible Animation Genre by Jerry Beck uly, 1996: The ani- in animation; creating sophis- mated feature films of ticated science stories J are to and graphics to match. These be distributed by the Walt films have won international Disney Company; Block- acclaim and popularity, with buster Video devotes an only American audiences average of two video cases unable to accept that anima- per store to renting and tion can go in these directions. selling Japanese animation; a store called “Anime Hungering For More Crash,” totally devoted to ut that perception is selling Japanese animation changing. As late as and related paraphernalia, B 1988, the only way you opens in New York City. could see state-of-the-art Jap- These three random obser- anese animation in the US was vations are clearly part of a through bootleg video deal- new American awareness ers, usually found at comic and recognition of Japan- book conventions. A few fan ese animation. clubs sprung up, mainly on Japanese animation (or college campuses, screening anime) is a commercial and TV episodes and feature films. artistic reality that can no Fans of anime, weaned on longer be denied by US. dubbed imports such as American business, partic- , , Speed ularly the Hollywood ma- Racer, , jors. And while those stu- and , had dios have long ignored the hungered for more. qualities of Japanese ani- was released in Japan mation, American artists in 1988 and Marvel and animators have been began a serialized translation Akira borrowing their tricks for Courtesy of Jerry Beck. © Akira Committee of the original manga. (com- years—and such stylish pro- ics). As a follower of world ani- ductions as MTV’s Aeon American creators have long mation, I’d often wondered Flux, Warner’s : The Ani- cornered the market for family films why someone hadn’t brought over mated Series and Disney features and funny animals in cartoons, but one of these high-tech features for such as Hunchback and Lion King during the last 30 years the commercial purposes. They certainly have been significantly influenced Japanese have been perfecting the were well made and had many by Japanese animators. art of action/adventure storytelling exploitable elements—particularly

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 5 day I learned a hard truth about Hollywood (if not the whole gen- eral public)—to them, a cartoon is a cartoon is a cartoon. Today, I can look back at Space Firebird and see the “Saturday morning” cartoon they turned down, but only in light of the sophistication of current Japanese output.

An Idea Was Born n 1986 and 1988, I had the priv- ilege to work on two editions of I the International Animation Celebration. I noted that the screenings of Japanese films sold out well in advance; interest in them was second only to the com- puter animation programs. The Wicked City Courtesy of Jerry Beck. American producer of one of the Japanese features, Carl Macek of violence and sexual situations Robotech: The Movie, was a friend unseen in any American cartoon Only American audiences were of a few years and while we stood since . My own involve- unable to accept that anima- in the back of the packed 2,000 ment with this genre began as a tion can go in these directions. seat auditorium, an idea was born. child, when I noticed the unique I had learned the business of style of shows like Astro Boy and a terse statement about how, “We theatrical during Eighth Man—the shows with the don’t release Saturday Morning car- the previous 10 years as a booker characters with “big eyes.” toons.” and salesman for UA Classics, I remember, as a little boy, see- I still remember being shocked Classics and Expanded Entertain- ing a Japanese kid I went to sum- by that statement. Hadn’t they seen ment. Why not get the rights to one mer day camp with a the same film I did? That was the of these films and prove my previ- Japanese with Astro Boy on the cover—and from that moment on I realized that those “big eyed” characters were Japan- ese. Later, when I was able to read the credits to , I con- firmed that fact. Flash forward about 10 years: Circumstances led me to a meeting with in 1979 at the New York pre- miere of Space Firebird 2772. I was working for Classics, a distributor of niche foreign films. I obtained a 3/4” video cassette of the Tezuka film and had the com- pany take a look. While I thought it was both an artistic success and had commercial possibilities, my Lensman bosses returned the tape to me with Courtesy of Jerry Beck

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 6 covered and legitimized. Art the- aters had discovered the audience, movie critics sat up and took notice, and magazines began to promote these as alternative animated fea- tures. With the rights to Akira, Stream- began it’s road into video sell through market. Competition from , US. Renditions and others began to spring up. A flood of direct-to-video titles from Japan now invade your local video store’s shelves. Hollywood has ig- nored these films as insignificant. They don’t understand that the fan base who were teenagers in the and are now adults with purchasing power. They still Courtesy of Jerry Beck. crave the action and excitement anime can provide. Some of ous bosses wrong? Carl and I knew those kids are now running their there was an audience hungry for One , forewarned in own animation (such as Japanese animation and plenty of advance of the R-rated Kevin Alteri of Wildstorm Produc- great product sitting on shelves in violence and attempted tions [Gen 13] and Joe Pearson of Japan. All that was needed were rape sequence, had the film Epoch, Ink [ Simian]), some the middlemen, the distributors. turned off at the are now the best animators in Thus, later that year, Streamline first sight of blood. Hollywood (Peter Chung at Pictures was born. We were able to Colossal), and some are the best get the theatrical rights to a few sequence, had the film turned off independent filmmakers of our gen- films (Laputa, Twilight Of The at the first sight of blood. “We can’t eration (Bill Plympton). These invis- Cockroaches and Lensman) with lit- release this to kids!” the producers ible animated films and their film- tle trouble and began booking were told. “Kids” were not it’s intend- makers are at last coming into focus. them into specialized theaters across ed audience, but it didn’t matter: A the US. We were doing modestly cartoon is a cartoon to Hollywood. well, when we had a very lucky In desperation, perhaps, they break: Akira. turned to . We the film badly and knew “We Can’t Release exactly what to do with it. We got This to Kids!” plugs for local theaters in the Marvel Jerry Beck was co-founder of kira is an adult animated book. We aligned promotions Streamline Pictures, which he and superior in every way. I with local comic book stores. We left in 1993. He is also an anima- A had never seen anything booked it in limited play dates to tion historian, who recently pro- like it, and in a theater, on the big boost attendance. By the time we duced Betty Boop:The Definitive screen with Dolby stereo, it was opened in New York, we were a hit. Collection, an eight-volume spectacular! Its producers wanted it Japanese animation had been dis- home video set that will be released in the US and quickly had released this fall by Republic the film dubbed (poorly), but were That was the day I learned a turned down by every studio in hard truth about Hollywood — Pictures. Hollywood. One studio executive, to them, a cartoon is a forewarned in advance of the R- cartoon is a cartoon. rated violence and attempted rape

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 7 A Capsule History

(Note: for convenience, whereof English-language Anime titles have been established for Japanese films, they are used in this article even when they are not accurate translations. For example, the 1958 theatrical feature Hakuja Den, or The White Snake Enchantress, is referred to by its 1961 American title, Panda and the Magic Serpent.) gradually reflected the growing influence of Japanese militarism, such as Mituyo Seo’s 1934 11- minute cartoon Private 2nd-Class , an adaptation of Suihou Tagawa’s popular newspaper comic strip about an unlucky dog soldier in a funny-animal army. After Japan went to war in in 1937, the need to get productions approved by government censors resulted in a steady stream of militaristic pro- paganda cartoons. In 1943, the Imperial military government decid- ed Japan needed its first animated Crying Freedom, 1988. An example of adult-themed, violent and feature. Mituyo Seo was authorized sexually explicit anime for the home video market. Courtesy of Fred Patten. © 1988, 1993 Toei Video Co., Ltd. to assemble a team of animators for the task. Their 74-minute Momo- he earliest Japanese anima- in traditional styles. taro’s Gods-Blessed Sea Warriors tion was by individual film Notable silent-era animators was a juvenile adventure showing T hobbyists inspired by Amer- include Oten Shimokawa, Junichi the Imperial Navy as brave, cute ican and European pioneer anima- Kouchi, Seitaro Kitayama, Sanae anthropomorphic animal sailors res- tors. The first three Japanese car- Yamamoto (whose 1924 The olutely liberating and toons were one-reelers of one to Mountain Where Old Women Are Malaysia from the buffoonish for- five minutes each, in 1917. Ani- Abandoned seems to be the earliest eign-devil (with horns) Allied occu- mation of the 1920s ran from one- anime title still extant), Yasuji to-three reels. A few were imitations Murata, and the master of paper of foreign cartoons, such as the Felix , Noboru the Cat series, but most were Ofuji. Most of them worked in dramatizations of Oriental folk tales small home studios, though they came to be financed by It was a juvenile adventure Japanese theatrical companies showing the Imperial Navy which provided production resolutely liberating Indonesia money in exchange for distrib- and Malaysia from the ution rights. buffoonish foreign-devil During the 1930s, folk tales Akira, 1988.A theatrical sensation in Japan began to give way to Western- and the first major release of the (with horns) Allied occupiers. new American anime market in 1990. style fast-paced humor. These Courtesy of Fred Patten. © Akira Committee

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 8 piers—too late for even pean—and the her-oes wishful dreaming, as it had many cute, funny- was barely released (in animal companions. The April 1945) before the first six were distributed war’s end. in America, usually a cou- Animation returned ple of years after they to the individual film- were first shown in Jap- makers right after World an. The second through War II. However, they sixth (with their American were hampered for the titles but Japanese release next decade by the slow years) were Magic Boy recovery of the Japanese (1959), Alakazam the economy. They also Great (1960), The Littlest found their amateur Warrior (1961), The Ad- films competing with the ventures of (1962, polished cartoons from all five directed by Taiji American studios, which Yabushita), and The Little poured into Japan with Prince and the Eight- the Occupation forces. , 1983. Nakazawa's semi- Headed Dragon (1963, autobiographical account of surviving the 1945 Hiroshima The first Japanese full- atomic bombing as a six-year-old boy. directed by Seri- color animation did not Courtesy of Fred Patten. © kawa with an avant- appear until 1955. It garde stylized design by soon became clear that the future Yasuji Mori). Unfortunately, these of Japanese animation lay in adopt- Television animation became were not successful in the United ing the Western studio system. much more popular in Japan States and Japanese theatrical ani- (However, independent anime than it ever was in America. mation disappeared from America artists have never disappeared. for the next two decades—unless Thus, the first Japanese to They were produced a year apart; it could be sold to TV as an after- achieve international name recog- they were based upon popular folk noon children’s movie. nition was Yoji Kuri, whose art films tales—Oriental rather than Euro- of usually less than a minute each appeared in international film festi- vals during the and 70s.)

American-Style Studios ttempts to create American- style studios began right A after the war, but the first success did not come until Co. was organized in 1956. Its earliest leading animator, Yasuji Mori, directed Toei’s first notable short cartoon, Doodling Kitty, in May 1957. But to the gen- eral public, Japan’s entry into pro- fessional animation came with the company’s first theatrical feature, Panda and the Magic Serpent, released in October 1958. Toei’s first few features followed Japan's World War II battlewagon was restored and sent into space the Disney formula very closely. to defend Earth in (US title: Star Blazers). Courtesy of Fred Patten. © 1974, 1980,Yoshinobu Nishizaki

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 9 Something Unexpected it ever was in America. But This was largely due to led to something unexpect- Tezuka’s influence. He ed. Although directed by had drawn in just Yabushita, it was based about every medium upon a popular available, including chil- comic-book adaptation by drens’ picture books, Osamu Tezuka of the romantic comic-book ancient Chinese soap operas for wom- King legend. The young ens’ magazines, risqué Tezuka was Japan’s most humor for mens’ mag- popular comic-strip and azines, and political car- comic-book artist during the toons for newspapers. 1950s, who virtually invent- He established the atti- ed Japan’s modern manga tude that cartooning industry. Since the movie was an acceptable used his plot and visual One of those "magical little ": form of storytelling for style, he was consulted on Toei Animation's Lun-Lun, The Flower Child (1979-80). any age group; this is Courtesy of Fred Patten. ©1979,Toei Animation Co., Ltd. its adaptation and became in sharp contrast to the involved with its promotion. United States, where This caused him to his atten- science-fiction action-adventure the attitude became, “Cartoons and tion from comic books to animation. anime was so overwhelming that comic books are only for children.” Tezuka was also impressed by Toei began to alternate it with fairy- Tezuka himself brought sophisticat- the appearance in Japan of the first tale fare for its theatrical features. ed to movie the- Hanna-Barbera television cartoons Television animation became aters with his 1969 art feature A of the late 1950s, which led him to much more popular in Japan than Thousand and One Nights (which conclude that he could produce lim- left in the eroticism of the original ited animation for the new TV mar- Many of these have become Arabian Nights) and the 1970 ket. More importantly, he realized Japan’s top-grossing Cleopatra (a time-travel farce with from the popularity of his comic theatrical films, live-action anachronisms such as Julius Caesar books—especially such futuristic or animated. as a cigar-chomping, American-style titles as Astro Boy—that there was a politician). By the 1970s, TV studios strong demand for modern, fast- such as TCJ (Television Corporation paced which the animation of Japan), establishment, with its narrow focus Co., Movie Shinsha (TMS), on fairy tales in antique storybook and , to name settings, was completely ignoring. just the major ones, were churning As a result, Tezuka organized out animated mystery dramas, Japan’s first TV , older-teen sports-team soap operas Mushi Productions. Not counting and Western literary classics such as an experimental , Stories on Heidi, of the Alps (directed by a Street Corner (1962), its first ) and The Diary of release was a weekly series based Anne , along with traditional upon Astro Boy, which debuted on juvenile fantasy adventures. New Year’s Day 1963. It was such an instant success that, by the end Giant & Outer of 1963, there were three more tele- Space Adventures One of the earliest anime remakes: vision animation studios in produc- Astro Boy's Adventures were retold in a here was a flood of toy-pro- tion and Toei Animation had new, higher-quality, more melodramatic motional , featuring opened a TV division. By the end 52-episode serial in 1980-81. action-heroes for boys and Courtesy of Fred Patten. T of the 1960s, the popularity of TV © 1980, Co. “magical little girls” who could trans-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 10 form into older-teen heartthrobs released an average of a feature for girls. Among the most influ- a year since then, alternating be- ential was Toei’s adaptation of tween the productions of Miya- comic-book artist ’s zaki and Takahata: Miyazaki’s Z, the first of the Laputa: the sagas about a gigantic flying (1986), mechanical warrior controlled (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service by an (invariably teen) human (1989) and The Crimson Pig pilot to defend Earth against (1992); and Takahata’s Grave of invading space monsters. This the Fireflies (1988), Only Yester- combined the dramatic aspects day (1991) and Pom Poko of knights in armor battling (1994). Many of these have be- dragons, with fighter pilots in come Japan’s top-grossing the- aerial combat against enemy atrical films, live-action or ani- armies. and Nagai’s mated. Takahata’s Pom Poko was direct sequels also submitted as Japan’s candi- and UFO Robot Grandizer ran date for being an Academy for 222 weekly episodes from Awards nominee for the Best 1972 through 1977. By the Foreign Film Oscar. Some other mid-1980s there had been over notable theatrical features during 40 different giant-robot anime 1970s TV anime was dominated by dozens of giant- the past decade include writer- robot adventure serials.This example is of Leiji series, covering virtually every Matsumoto's Planetary Robot Danguard Ace. director ’s cyber- channel and every animation Courtesy of Fred Patten. © 1977,Toei Animation Co., Ltd. punk Akira (1988) and studio in Japan. It was these director ’s adapta- shows, subtitled on Japanese- Miyazaki and Takahata tion of ’s sci-fi community TV channels in America, y the mid-1980s, anime had manga novel which started the anime cult among been dominated by TV pro- (1995). American fans in the late 1970s. B duction for two decades. Two Closely related were the futuris- developments changed this. One Original Anime Video tic outer-space adventures which was the return to prominence of he second development was began in 1974 with Space Bat-tle- theatrical feature animation, the emergence of the home- ship Yamato; basically a -fulfill- through the films of Hayao Miyazaki T video market. Beginning in ment replay of World War II, with and Isao Takahata. The two were 1984, animation began to be pro- the united Earth armies (Japan) friends who had worked both duced especially for this market fighting from planet to planet across together and separately at various (resulting in a Japanese-created the galaxy (Pacific) against the con- anime studios in Tokyo since the English term, OVA or OAV—for quering Gamilon invaders. Yamato 1960s. Original Anime Video—which has was fortunately timed for the explo- In the early 1980s, Miyazaki been adopted by American anime sive popularity of space operas fol- began a science-fiction comic-book as well). OAV animation is lowing the importation of adventure, Nausicaä of the Valley usually higher in quality than TV ani- from the US; a series of Yamato TV- of the Wind, for , an ani- mation, but not as rich as theatrical series and theatrical-feature sequels mation-fan magazine from one of animation. As with most aspects of followed. During the late 1970s and Japan’s largest publishers, Tokuma. popular culture, 90% of it is little early 80s, the hottest cartoonist in This led to a Tokuma-financed fea- better than trash, while 10% may anime was Yamato’s creator Leiji ture which Miyazaki also directed. be brilliantly imaginative and inno- Matsumoto, with TV cartoon series The 1984 Nausicaä was a smash vative. Video productions can run and theatrical features based upon success, resulting in Tokuma subsi- from a half-hour to 2 hours, and his other space-adventure manga, dizing a new animation studio, from independent titles to serials of such as Captain , for the personal the- from 2 to 10 videos. OAVs are often Harlock, and atrical features of Miyazaki and his better than either movies or televi- The Queen of 1,000 Years. friend Takahata. Studio Ghibli has sion for stories which are too long

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 11 Your Ad Could Be Here!

For rate cards and additional information about

Grave of the Fireflies (Tombstone For Fireflies ) by Isao Takahata various opportunities Courtesy of the Singapore Animation Fiesta for exposure at for a standard theatrical release, but is for OAV remakes of anime Animation World not long enough for a TV series. favorites of 20 or 30 years ago, fea- Network, The OAV market is not subject to turing a flashy 90s art slant and a contact our the public standards for television, more “sophisticated” (cynical) story Los Angeles so it often becomes notorious for line—very similar to the American office at its most lurid examples of violence trend for turning classic live-action and . At the other TV series into big-budget theatrical extreme, some of its better exam- films. But many of the titles and con- 213.468.2554 ples (such as the near- cepts that are stale in Japan are still future police-procedural dramas or fresh to American audiences, so or e-mail the No Time for Tenchi teen sci-fi anime still has an encouraging any of our sales ) have become so popular growth period ahead of it in the US. representatives: and acclaimed that they have led to their own anime TV series and theatrical films. There are anime-fan North America: magazines devoted to just the Wendy Jackson anime video market, which list an [email protected] average of 40 to 45 new releases per month, one-third of which are brand-new OAVs, with the rest Europe: being reissues and video releases of Vincent Ferri theatrical, TV and foreign titles. [email protected] These OAV titles are the main Fred Patten has written on anime source for the anime being released for fan and professional maga- in America today, since their licens- zines since the late 1970s. He cur- U.K. es are more affordable than those of Alan Smith expensive theatrical features or of rently writes a regular anime col- -episode TV series. umn for Animation Magazine. [email protected] Today, animation in Japan is considered to be in a creative dol- Asia: drums. Due to the sheer volume of the output over the past three Bruce Teitelbaum decades, the good ideas have “all [email protected] been used up.” The current trend

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 12 Fred Ladd: An Interview by Harvey Deneroff ith anime’s new Astro Boy found popu- ometime in 1963,” W larity, it is per- Ladd recalls, “ NBC’s haps easy to forget that S representative in Japanese animation had Tokyo saw a very, very gained a measure of suc- limited action, adventure cess in the United States show on television some 30 years ago. Cen- about a little boy called tral to this success was Tetsuan Atom, which producer Fred Ladd, who means Iron Fisted Atom helped pioneer the Amer- Boy. NBC Enterprises, a ican distribution of anime, division of the broadcast a field in which he con- network, picked it up tinues to be involved. very cheap, not even Ladd, a native of Tole- knowing what they do, Ohio, who studied were buying. No one & TV at Ohio State spoke Japanese. No one University, was based in really understood it. New York for the first 30 “They then tracked years of his career, which Fred Ladd me down, knowing I did not initially start out in Photo by Harvey Deneroff had done a lot of car- animation. His involve- toon as well as ment and career in this arena was, cially as single films.” Ladd thus took in Outer Space, and in fact, somewhat serendipitous. on the task to adapt these films for showed me a couple of episodes “I had gone to work at an adver- the American market. and asked me what I thought. As tising agency,” he recalls, “where I a result, I made a pilot, NBC saw it wound up doing a lot of nature NBC picked it up very cheap, and said, ‘Alright, do one. documentaries. The very first one, not even knowing what they We think we can sell this. I did and Jungle, was about animals and their were buying. it became Astro Boy.” natural habitats. It was sold to some Over the next two years, Ladd countries which could not export His solution was to dub them prepared 104 episodes of the show dollars to pay for the shows, but into English and package them into for the American market (out of an they could send us films in ex- 5 to 5-1/2 minute episodes, which original 193). The show was not change. were released under the name of shown on network television, but “So, the question became, Cartoon Classics. His success with was rather marketed via syndica- ‘What kind of film are we going to this and two other programs, The tion and sold to some 50 stations take?’ We didn’t want to have for- Space Explorers and The New around the country, where it eign art films—we weren’t in that Adventurers of the Space Explorer, proved to be very successful. business—but there were a lot of led to his involvement in the pro- “Astro Boy,” Ladd points out, cartoons that we could take,” which duction of the animated feature, “was created by Osamu Tezuka, they did. These films, many in what Pinocchio in Outer Space, which who was known as the seemed to be in “bastard lengths of was released theatrically by Univer- of Japan—a revered artist, a nation- 30 to 50 minutes, which are stan- sal Pictures. (He would later help al treasure. Tetsuan Atom had dard programming lengths in produce a second feature, Journey appeared first as a comic strip and Europe, for which there was no Back to Oz, which involved the artis- the Fuji Television Network, which market for on American TV, espe- tic collaboration of Preston Blair.) had just started up, only transmit-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 13 ted in , which is “coincidences” between the why the show was done in two when he first saw the black and white. No one knew Disney film. “Finally, after five how to work in color in those or six striking similarities, there days, mainly because you did- was a pan up to the sky. I said n’t have any studios before to my wife, ‘Don’t tell me that then. the father lion is going to “The show,” he feels, “put appear in the clouds. And he Japan on the map as an ani- did! I couldn’t believe it!” mation production country. He feels that Disney’s asser- And as soon as that hit, all of tion at the time that no one on sudden, all over Tokyo, a hun- had been influ- dred studios sprang up over- Scene from the pilot episode of Kimba,The enced by Kimba was ludicrous. night.” Though the success of Courtesy of Fred Patten. However, he notes that, “Te- Tetsuan Atom in the US was not zuka was a big fan of Disney. a major factor in this flowering, Kimba was a cuddly white lion, not In fact, Tezuka did a 45 minute it certainly had an effect on Tezuka the ones where he becomes an in which he used char- and his company, Mushi Pro-duc- adult. They wanted him to stay a acters that looked like the tions. little lion, as Bambi was a cute little dwarfs. So, when Dis-ney proved deer.” to be an admirer of Kimba, the stu- Gigantor & Kimba dio did not retaliate. When they n 1964, an agent came to NBC They just took the shows were called about this, they said Enterprises “with another Jap- where Kimba was a cuddly lit- that they were sure that Mr. [Don] I anese show, Tetsujin 28 (Iron tle white lion, not the ones Hahn [The Lion King’s producer] did Man 28), about a giant robot in the where he becomes an adult. not deliberately do this, and that, year 2000 and beyond. But NBC ‘We are sure that Disney would not passed on it, as they did not want Like the previous Japanese deliberately do this and it’s all pure- to compete with themselves.” How- shows he worked on, Kimba ly coincidental. Our leader [Tezuka ever, they referred him to Ladd, proved to be a “big money maker” died in 1989] would have been who bought the show, which in the US. Years later, it gained a bit very flattered.” became Gigantor, which he had of unintended fame when Disney Ladd continued working on var- distributed by Trans-Lux and it was accused by anime fans of bas- ious Japanese series, including “became a substantial hit.” ing much of The Lion King on the doing the “early work,” for the “In 1965,” Ladd recalls, “Tezuka’s show. Ladd recalls noting the many English-language versions of Ace company came out with Man and the legendary its first color production, Speed Racer. His involve- Jungle Taitei (Jungle ment in this area contin- Emperor), which became ues even to this day, hav- Kimba, the White Lion ing recently completed a and was again handled stint putting together the by NBC. (In the original American version of Sailor show, the lion was called Moon for DIC. Leo; we almost called him , but Kimba was a American Personae unique word, Simba was add speaks fondly of not.) his involvement in “Kimba went to 52 L the early days of episodes. More were anime and of his friend- made in Japan, but NBC ship with Tezuka. Al- didn’t commit to them. They Speed Racer though he played a crucial Courtesy of Fred Patten. ©Tatsunoko Production Co. just took the shows where role in bringing Ja-panese

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 14 By the 1970s, you couldn’t give away a Japanese-made series here.

The early success of Japanese animated TV shows in the United States proved to be short-lived. “By the 1970s,” Ladd points out, “you couldn’t give away a Japanese- made series here, because of the pressure to reduce the amount of violence on TV.” Thus, shows like Gatchaman, when they were released in the US were initially shown in highly sanitized versions, without much success. (Ladd did not work on the initial American release of the show, but was later called in by Turner to prepare a more integral version under the title of G Force, which is now being shown on the .) Now based out of Los Angeles, Ladd is very excited about the new- found popularity of Japanese ani- mation in the US, which he thinks is long overdue. It is a popularity he credits to young people who, refer- ring to more often found in anime, “don’t count ,” and for whom “the play’s the thing.”

The five "Sailor Scouts": (left to right) , Sailor Venus, , Sailor , in Sailor Moon © DIC Entertianment Harvey Deneroff, in addition to animation to the United States, he injected humor where he hadn’t his duties as Editor of Animation is quick to point out that he “had envisioned any, and it just delight- World Magazine, edits and nothing to do with their creation. ed him. We saw facets of the show publishes The Animation But the creation of the American that just didn’t play in Japanese cul- Report, an industry newsletter, personae [of these shows] came out ture, but worked well in English. which can be reached at of my shop,” and it is something (His English was sufficient that he [email protected]. that he is very proud of. understood it.) For instance, we For one, Ladd says that Tezuka gave all the characters comic was very pleased with what he did names, such as Mr. Pompous—for with Kimba. “He liked the English some reason that name really version very much,” he says. “We delighted Tezuka.”

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 15 One of the earliest anime remakes:Astro Boy's Adventures were retold in a new, higher-quality, more melodramatic 52-episode serial in 1980-81. Courtesy of Fred Patten. © 1980,Tezuka Productions Co. for Osamu Tezuka’s Kimba,The White Lion. Courtesy of Fred Patten.

Robin Leyden and Osamu Texuka at Universal Studios in March 1978 with Leyden's statue of Astro Boy. (Leyden was an important figure in the history of anime fan clubs in the US.) Courtesy of Robin Leyden and Fred Patten.

The US Kimba crew in 1966 at a dinner during the middle of production. Standing, left to right: Fred Ladd, Cliff Owens, Hal Studer, Gilbert Mack. Seated, left to right: Eileen Ladd, Billie Lou Watt, Rose Mack, Francine Owens. Photo by Gilbert Mack Courtesy of Fred Patten.

Publicity drawings for the title characters in Osamu Tezuka's and Astro Boy. Courtesy of Fred Patten. Kimba,The White Lion Courtesy of Fred Patten. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 16 Manga Entertainment: Taking Anime to the Next Stage Can Manga Entertainment translate anime from a domestic Japanese success story into a worldwide phenomenon? by Mark Segall anga Entertainment, now based on long-running stories by the largest distributor of We found a whole under- widely read comics (manga) artists M anime in the world outside ground of interested revered as masters (sensei). The of Japan, started small. It grew out British kids, a cult thing western cultural bias that comics of the educational video depart- that none of us really are for children and those too stu- ment of Chris Blackwell’s UK-based knew much about. pid to read “real” books did not music company, . exist. On the contrary, manga occu- Mike Preece, now managing direc- London’s prestigious Institute of pied significant shelf space in every tor of Manga, was first hired in the Contemporary Arts. Katsuhiro major bookstore and accounted for late 80s to launch Island Visual Arts. Otomo’s tale of street gangs, psy- 27% of all books and magazines Typical releases: a life of Walt Whit- chics, and sinister government pro- sold. One thing that appealed to man, animated tales from Shake- jects was being billed as an art film, Island Visual staffers was the but Guinness immediately sensed a wider appeal. He exhorted his col- leagues to buy the film for immedi- ate video release, which they did. The epic’s runaway British success took Island by sur- prise and prompted them to look into the genre more carefully. “We found a whole underground of interested British kids, a cult thing that none of us really knew much about,” says Preece.

Mike Preece, Managing Director, Out of the Kiddie Film Ghetto Marvin Gleicher, CEO, Manga Entertainment, Ltd. (UK) hanks to Guiness’ proselytiz- Manga Entertainment, Inc. (Worldwide) speare, the Rabbit Ears stories for ing, a trip to Japan was orga- aspect of the enterprise. They were small children. How could he have T nized for Island staffers. What struck by the difference between guessed that less than 10 years later they found amazed them: a coun- these 600-page , usually cre- he’d be sending out press kits try which produced 350 to 400 ated by one artist or small dedicat- announcing “bizarre, violent, twist- hours of animation a year, and ed teams and the comic books they ed and uniquely imaginative” offer- where feature animation had long were used to—slender booklets on ings which “smash the boundaries since broken out of the kiddie film cheap paper produced by an army of Western animation”? What twist ghetto. Anime dominated Japanese of hired hands. In Japan, being a of fate turned this mild-mannered film and television; in popularity and comics artist wasn’t an anonymous purveyor of kidvid and classics into range of subject matter, it was the profession, but an avenue for rags a specialist in and samurai? Japanese equivalent of Hollywood. to riches success like being a sports It all started in 1991 when Island Even more surprising, the sto- star or a singer. Visual’s Laurence Guiness caught ries came not from anonymous While dazzled by these riches of the theatrical premiere of Akira at teams of , but were the East, they were not entirely cer-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 17 tain how to market them in the sei—to try to get distribution rights same thing for Japanese animation. West. Serials and features ranged for the work of manga and anime Once again, they were taken by in subject matter from martial arts stars—artists like Masamune Shirow surprise when the offshoot quickly to . To break into the British and directors like Mamoru Oshii. outgrew the tree. In 1993, Manga market, sci-fi action adventure Entertainment, a separate compa- seemed like the category to con- A Music-Industry Strategy ny devoted solely to anime, was centrate on, so Island purchased a heir first innovation was to formed, with Guiness as Director of handful of epics they felt would use music-industry strategy in Acquisition and Production. appeal to the same audience as T the video market. In the past, To defray the massive costs of Akira. While limiting themselves Island Records had spun off sepa- translation and dubbing, Manga genre-wise, they decided, when- rate labels for soul, blues and R&B. went looking for an American part- ever possible, to seek out the sen- Island Visual decided to do the ner, but none of the US companies had good distribution. They were essentially mail order businesses serving a small devoted group of dedicated fans. Manga then got the idea of making a distribution ar- rangement with a major record company. They approached Marvin Gleicher, head of Island’s alternative rock subsidiary, Smash Records, in , and asked him to set up the deal. Would he leave behind 20 years in the music business to take the video plunge? A year earlier, just by chance, Gleicher had caught Masamune Shirow’s on the Sci-Fi Channel. This feature about a cop and her partner in comput- er-controlled, inhumanly perfect post-World War III society inspired him to go looking for more Japanese animation. He brought home Robotech and the first and soon he was hooked. “My wife would hear these strange sounds emanating from the next room—the original Japanese dia- logue—and ask, “What are you lis- tening to?” It took less than a day for Gleicher to take up the offer and open Manga US. Does he miss the music business? Not for a minute. “I worked with good bands, but there were plenty of jerks. There are a lot of scumbags in film,” he points out, “but at least they’re better dressed.” Manga cut a distribution deal Scroll with Polygram. Their game plan: to © Manga Entertainment run the campaign through a major

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 18 distributor accustomed to selling big is preferred. The target audience is hits, yet employ the marketing style They were taken by surprise male, 12-15 years old, though occa- of an indie ... “We’d sim- when the offshoot quickly sionally Manga “goes older,” aiming ply expose the public to the genre outgrew the tree. at 18-30 year olds. R-rated titles so they’d fall in love with it as we have appeal, but bizarre, -rated had,” Gleicher explained. “We set make sure to release the original, titles like Revenge Of The Overfiend up 150 university animation society untouched Japanese version for are out. screenings for free or for charity. We them. Next come the sectors of the licensed stuff to MTV, and also pro- community into comics, not neces- US Slate moted ourselves on the Sci-Fi sarily Japanese comics—skate- anga’s slate of US releases Channel and [the video music chan- boarders, Internet-surfers, science so far includes a handful nel] The Box.” fiction fans.” In the future, he aims M of features and a number to market to the hip-hop and street of the long-running serials unique to Marketing Muscle community. Japan. Giant Robo, based on the anga Entertainment had UK releases since 1991 now original manga by Gigantor creator the marketing muscle to number over 200. Manga US re- is a drama/sus- M do things their pense yarn with lots of comic smaller US predecessors touches. (The director claims could not—work directly to have gotten much of his with retailers like Tower inspiration from the Rocky Records on in-store promo- Horror Picture Show!) It fea- tions, create merchandise tures a boy, his giant robot (caps, T-shirts, posters) and and a crime-fighting organi- their own trademark char- zation known as the Agents acter (Manga Man) to create of Justice. Tank brand name recognition, Police, Shirow’s “heavily sponsor newsletters and fan armored black ” is set clubs worldwide. They in a futuristic city where a believe their efforts are ex- crime is committed every 36 panding the market for seconds. Cops with tanks bat- everyone. “In keeping with tle heavily armed criminals, Island International’s 30 year including the scantily clad tradition,” proclaims their Puma Sisters, twins who like presskit, “our philosophy is to strip before they kill. Black not to overtly compete but Magic M66, with story rather to innovate and cre- screenplay and direction by ate new trends which others Cop Shirow, tells the story of a may imitate.” With the UK © Manga Entertainment female journalist protecting market nearly saturated, and the US leased 37 titles in 1995 and has 40 a young girl from two android assas- market just starting to grow, more scheduled by the end of sins, part of a top secret military Gleicher was promoted to CEO and 1996. The company has captured operation gone wrong. There are Manga headquarters shifted to the 3% of UK’s $750 million video mar- more gone bad in Mamoru US. ket, and is shooting for similar suc- Oshii’s Patlabor series. Future crimes “What we’ve done,” Gleicher cess in the US. When it comes to committed with giant robots called explains, “rather than going into what kind of titles they look to “Labors” and must be policed by mass market magazines, or to mass acquire, Gleicher and Preece are of Labor-equipped cops. market broadcasters, is to broaden one mind. The releases have to be For those who can figure out its our marketing niche by niche. The action-packed. Good story, and tangled lineage, Plus is a first niche—the one we always keep good animation are key. Something descendant of two earlier Macross in mind—is our core audience, the that expands the genre, using a series and a cousin of the Robotech original anime fans. We always style or technique not seen before series Carl Macek’s adapted for US

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 19 consumption. Pilots “Isamu and ary and visual excellence.” After play- Guld push their transforming air- ing theatrically in over 30 US mar- craft to the limit in an all-out test of kets, it was released on video in mid wills” and also compete for Myung, June. manager of computer-generated pop star Sharon Apple. A Breakthrough Film? More squarely in the cat- anga hopes Ghost will be egory of stories centered around a breakthrough film, the complex, multifarious machines is M one that inspires the unini- Orguss-02, in which opposing tiated to take the anime plunge. armies race to unearth massive, They’re marketing it heavily at long-buried war-engines known as combo retailers—those big outlets Decimators. Manga Video has like Suncoast and Wherehouse replaced the original which were once known as record with an eclectic new score. “We’re stores. “As mass as we get,” Gleicher trying to integrate a lot of cool explained, “is Musicland and Best music into these films,” Gleicher Patlabor II Buy. Music stores now get it—it’s a © Manga Entertainment notes, “to combine edge music with no brainer to take a 12 pack of our really well-done edge animation.” intelligence created for government best rather than pick through 40 or In another mecha series, The use which has escaped into the Net, 50 titles puzzling over which to get. Guyver, a high school kid is taken having developed a mind—and an Tower has everything.” The real over by a suit of organic armor. agenda—of its own. Terminator stumbling block has been video Once encased, he is forced to fight rental chains like Blockbuster, which the monstrous Zoanoids. Our philosophy is not to only take select titles in small quan- Manga also has two police overtly compete, but tities. “Rental stores tend to ignore series: hyperviolent cop Mad Bull rather to innovate and anything that didn’t take in $100 fights crime in New York, while create new trends which million at the box office. Offer them Tokyo’s Angel Cop battles terrorists, others may imitate. a surefire Hollywood hit, each government conspiracies and branch wants 20 copies. We can cyborgs, while being stalked by only persuade them to take one “psychic hunters.” In the supernat- director called the copy of Ghost. But that copy is ural series , only Akira, a film, “a stunning work of specula- always out! Eventually, we’ll edu- purehearted teenager who has tive fiction, the first truly adult ani- cate them. acquired a demon body, can mation film to reach a level of liter- “We have to look for things defend humanity against a that will first of all do well in race of demons. the US, then the UK, and after Rounding out the current that continental Europe,” says collection is Manga’s latest fea- Preece. is closing on the ture-length release, Ghost In UK and carries 30 hours The Shell, a co-production a week of Japanese cartoons, with Shodansha, the giant making it an extremely promis- publisher, who first serialized ing market for Manga. “We’re Shirow’s story in one of their now looking at the emerging . The Oshii-directed Eastern bloc, at Poland and feature is both a high-tech sus- .” Despite the large pense thriller and a contem- amount of bootlegging that plation on what it means to goes on, Preece still thinks the be human. Cybernetically aug- films will do well. mented agent Motoko Manga has the rights for Kusanage is on the trail of the the South American territories, Black Majic M66 Master, an artificial © Manga Entertaiment potentially a bigger market

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 20 than Europe. So far, only more Western style with- two titles have been out detracting from the dubbed into Spanish, but Japanese —it would- there will be more. “ n’t look like a Hollywood with the largest Japanese film, but it would move in population outside Japan, that way, storywise. is extremely promising. Hollywood movies have and New Zea- worldwide appeal, so land have, of course, why not anime? Manga been Manga-branded for keeps looking for that some years.” breakthrough, experi- menting to find the key to Future Plans & Hopes Western mass-market ap- s to the future of peal for this Eastern im- anime, Gleicher port. They have made a A says that, “for the good start with titles that past two years, the non- should appeal to teenage Japanese market has dou- boys. Can they keep ex- bled annually, but I don’t panding that audience? think that can continue. Preece is confident they There aren’t as many can. great titles. We’ll still out- “What you see in Ghost market and out-perform in the Shell is almost there. all the other distributors, Rest assured that in the but growth will probably next two or three years slow down.” Preece con- Angel Cop we’re going to team up curs. “We’ve bought vir- © Manga Entertaiment with even bigger partners tually everything that than we worked with on moved, all the really good series aim is to combine Western style Ghost —and a fully Japanese-pro- and features.” While there is still scripts with Japanese graphics, to duced , aimed at world good stuff untapped, in terms of reach the Independence Day- audiences, is going to hit, with parts more episodes of the longest run- Terminator-Blade Runner audience. voiced by big name stars.” ning series, he cannot see any US or Preece sees lots of potential in west- UK company going back and trans- ernizing this Asian export, breaking lating 5 or 10 years worth of TV it out into the mainstream. “These episodes; they would not be con- temporary enough and it just Preece sees lots of potential Mark Segall has won awards would not be worth the cost. New in westernizing this Asian for labor journalism and public production, they feel, is the way export, breaking it out service copywriting. He things are going. into the mainstream. co-authored How To Make The company is planning more Love To Your Money theatrical co-productions like Ghost, are still productions aimed at the including two or three features or domestic Japanese audience. They (Delacorte,1982) with his wife, an existing TV series. They may also are action-packed, but the story- Margaret Tobin. This fall, he produce CD-ROMs, though these telling is very Japanese—you’ve got will become Editor of ASIFA- won’t necessarily be based on their 17 words where an American East’s aNYmator newsletter, would have 3. Action breaks off for own productions. Other films that which he currently are very cutting edge but not ani- philosophical discussions.” He wor- and is a regular contributor. mation also interest them. ries that the specter of Hiroshima Manga has no intention of com- hovers over an inordinate number peting with Disney. Their eventual of stories. “I think we could give it a

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 21 Anime in Europe by John Gosling looking for a com- let us begin with a brief overview of mon thread to link this anime in mainland Europe, from W article, I was struck by where it began, to where it stands how often anime had ran foul of at present. censorship in Europe, a problem that is certainly something of a sore Spain & France point with fans here in Britain due here are a number of Euro- to the many cuts imposed on videos pean countries where anime by the British Board Of Film T enjoys a much broader expo- Classification (BBFC). To briefly sure than in Britain; however, things explain the role of the BBFC, its got off to a difficult start when early examiners view and then assign cer- imports of television shows came tificates to all the films and videos up against local opposition to their shown in Britain. These certificates content, which, even if made for place legal age limits on who can UFO Robot Grandizer children, often took a far more watch a film, and range from a “U” relaxed attitude to mature themes for Universal to an “18” for anything certificate completely if deemed than broadcasters and parents were of a strictly adult nature. I should necessary. used to. A case in point was the point out that an “18” does not Naturally the board has long giant robot show Mazinger Z equate to the American “X” rating, been at the center of controversy (TranZor Z in America), which in which is often synonymous with regarding issues of personal free- 1980 was picked up for broadcast pornography. The BBFC is also able dom, and in recent years anime has in Spain by Television Española to demand cuts and modifications come very much to the forefront of (TVE), but was discontinued after to bring a film into the realms of that debate; but before we delve only 26 episodes because the public decency and can refuse a deeper into the situation in Britain, broadcasters judged it was too vio- lent. The problem is a familiar dichotomy to anime fans wishing to see the genre expand its appeal. Broadcasters are thrust into a state of confusion, equating cartoons with children, but unable to place anime comfortably in this niche. A similar fate befell Seiya, a series based on the manga of , and which took inspi- ration from both Greek and Norse mythology. However, got a second chance when the entire series was broadcast by another Spanish channel, Tele-S, and this time the flame caught and started a fire. Now it is possible to see an incredibly broad range of Patlabor ©1995 Tohokushinsha Corporation. anime on Spanish television, includ-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 22 ing shows that have ulate comics, so France almost legendary sta- was to have it’s CSA, or tus with Western fans, Comité de Surveillance such as Lupin III, Kim- Audiovisuel. The CSA set to agure Road, work cutting the violence Touch, , from shows such as Ranma 1/2 and Mais- Hokuto No Ken (Fist Of The on Ikkoku. As an inter- Northstar). Although you esting aside, the de- can reasonably argue the gree of tampering ap- merits of such a move, pears to vary with worse was to come when regions in Spain, the government enacted a hence in the Catalan law banning advertise- region you can see the ments during cartoons. Dragonball series with Again, this had a it’s original titles intact, worthy ideal, but the while in the rest of the response of broadcasters country the show was to use the CSA guide- goes out in an edited lines to savagely cut anime format. (not just violence and nudi- In France, anime ty) to make room for more has had a particularly adverts before and after rough ride. The first the programs; this was a anime to reach the rather blatant way of get- country was Ribbon ting round the new law, No Kishi (Princess but one that apparently Knight), translated as went unchallenged. Le Prince Saphir, and Another way in which Jungle Taitei (Jungle anime is tampered with in Emperor) as Le Roi France relates to a further Leo, both from the fer- law which stipulates that tile imagination of Bounty Dog daily indigenous program- © Manga Entertainment manga and anime ming must outnumber genius Osamu Tezuka. imported shows. As a re- These appeared in 1974 and I can’t Frederick Wertham, the psycholo- sult, many shows are crudely cut imagine caused any great stir; but gist who created a considerable down to half their normal length, things really heated up in more panic in the early 1950s amongst and broadcasters have commis- ways than one in the late 70s. First American parents when he pro- sioned new and poorly animated of all, the series UFO Robot posed a link between delinquency opening sequences, with new Grandizer was broadcast in 1978 and the horror comic books popu- “theme songs,” so that they can as Goldorak and, like Saint Seiya in qualify as locally made. Spain, was the catalyst for a boom Broadcasters, equating in anime imports, as it apparently cartoons with children, are & was the most watched program on unable to place anime ermany has an increasing- television at the time. However, dur- comfortably in this niche. ly strong base of fandom, ing this period a French psycholo- G but anime has had to strug- gist also wrote an article which larized by publisher EC. A similar gle to overcome the concerns of warned of the danger to young hysteria was to be whipped up in parents and there has not yet been children of watching “violent” France, and in much the same way a Saint Seiya or UFO Robot Grand- Japanese cartoons. This event has as America came up with the izer to create mass appeal. The first real parallels with the work of Dr. Comics Code Authority (CCA) to reg- anime show to reach West Ger-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 23 many was Mach Go Go Go (Speed walked a careful line in regards to Unfortunately, the company has Racer) in the early 1970s; but this children’s programming. For exam- had a fairly acrimonious relationship was branded “brutal” by parents ple, the title of Teenage Mutant with “anime fans,” not least because and removed after only a few Ninja Turtles was changed to purists objected to the use of episodes. One of the more inter- “manga” in connection with an esting shows to reach German TV in anime label, when everyone knows Many shows are crudely cut 1980 was , based on that it refers to Japanese comic down to half their normal the books of American science-fic- books. The real problems, though, length, and broadcasters have tion writer , began when Manga Video started commissioned new and poorly though this too came in for criticism to release titles in earnest, begin- animated opening sequences, and was cut. However, many sub- ning with some fairly extreme mate- with new “theme songs.” sequent imports tended toward safe rial guaranteed to kick up a stink. material aimed at young girls, such The horror story did just as Heidi, though even this came Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, this, earning an 18 certificate and under attack, when with others of because the word Ninja had con- giving the poor examiner night- this type, it was labeled in the notations which were felt to be mares for days after. German press as a “cheap Far East unsuitable for children. Nor does The British press was quick to cartoon.” However, things do seem Britain have much in the way of a pick up on the film and several dis- to have improved lately, with shows comic book culture such as in Spain, paraging articles appeared, notably such as the renowned shoji (girls) which I am sure has worked in par- one in The Independent; but there series Rose Of Versailles making an allel to help ease anime into the has been no great anti-anime cru- appearance in the last 12 months, mainstream on the continent. In our sade in this country, and the only alongside a flurry of real disappointment is sports based anime, that the extreme films such as Ganbare! Kick- have overshadowed ers and Attack No. 1. the true depth and Italy has perhaps vision of which anime the most relaxed atti- is capable. tude to anime and However, along with apparently the best some rather dubious approach in Europe to dubbing practices, dubbing. Since 1973, these negative factors Italian television has combined to create shown an astounding something of a schism number of shows, with between “manga” fans Go Nagai’s UFO Robot and “anime” fans; in- Grandizer once again deed, the mere men- the forefront. Following tion of the company’s on from this has come name at anime con- virtually every major © Manga Entertainment ventions tends to show and format, from the top somewhat repressed climate, the evoke calls of derision. This seems rated giant robot saga , to arrival of anime on video took the to be healing a little now, especial- ’s Galaxy Express BBFC completely by surprise. ly as Manga has since released some 999 and a bevy of “” What has amounted to a video classics with wide appeal like shows, such as Minky Momo and invasion was launched in 1991 by Patlabor and Wings Of Hon- Magical Emy. Manga Video, a subsidiary of Island neamise. Meanwhile, the BBFC con- World. They had tested the waters tinue to tread a careful path, hav- Back in the UK with Katsuhiro Otomo’s sensational ing recently refused for the first time n the UK, we have no history of cyberpunk film Akira, and such was to issue a certificate to a video, in anime on television to speak of, its success that they formed a new this case Manga’s . I and indeed British TV has always dedicated label called Manga Video. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 24 television premieres in Finland and at least 50 titles made available on video. , considered a masterpiece by many, has also been dubbed and shown on Polish TV. In the last year, the first tentative signs of interest from British televi- sion have appeared, with , a broadcaster with a broad alter- native mandate, running several late night anime seasons—though completely dominated by Manga product. Rather more hopeful for a balanced approach is the news that the BBC has purchased both Patlabor and Wings Of Hon- neamise. Nevertheless, Britain remains rather the odd man out in The Winds of Honneamise © Manga Entertainment Europe, as it does in most things, so no one is expecting to see some- thing like the delightful love story, Redressing the Balance other European countries, we in in the BBC ther companies, such as Britain might next see a manga children’s broadcast slot for a long Kiseki, have tried to redress explosion, which in turn would stim- time to come. O the balance by releasing ulate interest in a broader range of softer material, but one unfortunate anime. However, despite the suc- side effect of the massive spending cess of one publisher with a manga power of Manga Video is that most project called Iron Fist Chinmi aimed shops are still to this day displaying at children (100,000 sold) there is their anime titles beneath Manga’s point-of-sale displays. Journalists out- The film earned an 18 side the anime press made (and still) certificate and gave the make no distinction between what poor examiner nightmares is on the shelf, tending to reinforce for days after. the idea that anime = sex and vio- John Gosling is a freelance lence; and in my opinion few of writer living in England. His those buying Manga titles in the no sign yet that this has opened the early days were especially interested floodgates. Meanwhile, just as hap- major credits include numerous in the fact that the films originated pened in Japan during the 1980s, anime video reviews for the in Japan, as long as there was plen- films made directly for video is going magazine MangaMania and an ty of the aforementioned sex and where television fears to tread; violence. rather than pushing the bounds of article on the use of factual Of course, most continental storytelling, the trend is somewhat space concepts in anime for viewers started out in much the more basic in intent, with Manga , the journal of the same state of ignorance. It can’t Video launching an “adult” label in have helped, for instance, that Kei Spain and erotic anime are selling British Interplanetary Society. And of the Dirty Pair TV series very well in France. became Kate and Julie in Italy and On a more positive note, anime ’s Kyoko became is expanding elsewhere in Europe, Juliette in France. with Hayao Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso I had rather hoped that, as with and My Neighbor Totoro getting

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 25 The Hidden World of Anime by John Gosling his article aims to scratch just watch an anime away a little of the paint giving a speech or monologue T and peek beneath the and you will often see that the acetate to see what makes ani- whole body is used to express me so different from Western ani- his or her sentiments. The char- mation, but rather than cover acter assumes a series of stylized the usual ground, I want to take and exaggerated postures, this opportunity to speculate on which in spirit echoes the phi- some of the more unusual pos- losophy of the kabuki actor, who sibilities for cultural influences on from an early age is trained in anime, starting with the rich leg- dance and other techniques to acy of theater. use the entire body as a medi- The kage-e, or shadow pup- um of expression. It seems un- pets of the 17th century are one UFO Robot Grandizer likely that animators are making obvious precursor of Japanese a conscious effort to mimic animation. Indeed, pioneer ani- before the advent of filmed anima- kabuki, but keep in mind that mator Noboro Ofuji worked in sil- tion; but the artistic roots are after the Second World War, many houette animation for much of his undoubtedly there, and Ofuji was kabuki actors made the transition life. His most ambitious work was working with three dimensional to film and television. Clearly, they probably the 70 minute shadow in the 1930s. Kihachiro would have had to tone down their film Shaka no Shogai (The Life Of Kawamoto also produced a great performances, but I suspect that , 1961). many outstanding puppet films in enough of the essence of their art his career, such as Demon (1972) leaked through to influence the Joruri & Kabuki and House Of Flame (1979). early pioneers in television and film nother probable antecedent animation. is the joruri, or puppet the- After the Second World I can offer further evidence to A ater, now more commonly War, many kabuki actors support my argument by taking called bunraku, after the name of made the transition to film another element of anime which is the Osaka theater that by 1909 was and television. almost universal to every produc- the only remaining venue for per- tion and comparing it to a key com- formances. For a time, though, Certainly you can spot joruri-like ponent of kabuki. I refer to the mie, joruri was more popular than kabu- puppets in modern anime. In the which is the climatic moment in a ki, with the dolls acquiring all man- second OAV, kabuki play when the leading play- ner of refinements during the “Puppet Festival,” a young man is er strikes and holds a dramatic pose 1730s, such as moveable eyes and turned into a puppet by a demon with crossed eyes, often to the rap- articulated fingers. The dolls also with whom he has fallen in love. turous applause of the audience. came to measure some 1.2 meters You can also see joruri puppets There is another version of the mie in height, which required three men brought to life in the 3x3 Eyes OAV called the kimari, which is essen- to operate. It is not easy to show a (original animation video) episode tially the same thing without the direct connection, as the puppet called “The Descendent.” crossed eyes, and I propose that theater was on the decline well As for the influence of kabuki, you can see something similar tak-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 26 ing place in most anime Let’s imagine how it productions. Pay partic- might be for a boy (let’s ular attention to the call him Kyosuke) grow- opening credits (espe- ing up in Japan. His far- cially those anime which ther is a salary-man, up feature a group of her- at the crack of dawn for oes) and you can’t fail to the daily commute, and miss the posing and pos- back late at night after turing that takes place. entertaining his business Good examples can be contacts at a karaoke bar. found in the opening There is no male role credits of no Vid- model in Kyosuke’s life, eo (in fact it goes on all and so the emphasis the time in this OAV), shifts to his mother. It is and . she who packs Kyosuke To stretch a point, it off to school, solves his is perhaps worth specu- problems, dries his tears lating that the comic and keeps the pressure interludes called kyogen up for exam success. In a (mad words), which climate where women were sometime per- call their seldom seen formed between husbands “oversize gar- plays and have since bage” and “wet leaves,” become a theater form because they stick to in their own right, may everything and are hard have had some parallel to sweep up, is it any in the little humorous wonder that boys fixate skits that occasionally are on their mothers and featured at the end of make them super hero- anime productions. I can ines? immediately think of at Of course, there also . least three distinct exam- © Atsuji Yamamoto/// Music Entertainment exists an equally large ples, and there are (Japan) Inc. English Language Version ©1993 Manga Entertainment Ltd. school of animation that undoubtedly others. To treats female characters see what I mean, take a that there must be some specific disgracefully. Terms like look at , Gun- reason. It certainly can’t be a man- “Lolita complex” are frequently cited, buster again, and . ifestation of women’s lib, because and I am sure a psychologist could in Japan there are an awful lot of find many reasons for the contra- Modern Influences lift ladies with university degrees. To dictory portrayal of women in o what about more modern understand why it is that women anime, but perhaps better than influences? Let’s start by look- are so often key characters in looking for excuses it is simpler to S ing at the role of women in anime, I think you have to look at admit that sex sells. anime. By this I mean the female the Japanese home, and specifical- characters who populate the sto- ly the relationship between children School Days ries, because with few exceptions, and their mothers, particularly male et us return to our original Japanese women have yet to make children and their mothers. thread now, and add a sister an impact behind the camera, L for Kyosuke; we can call her unless of course you count paint- Perhaps better than looking Akane. If we follow them to school ing cels. There are, however, an for excuses, it is simpler to we can uncover yet more cultural incredible number of strong female admit that sex sells. influences that have crept into characters in anime, so many in fact anime. For example, if Akane has

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 27 hair that is not the typical black of technology, both at the hands of a most Japanese, she may be required There are, however, an incredi- foreign power. to bring a letter to school from her ble number of strong female The first was in 1853 when the mother confirming it has not been characters in anime, so many American Navy brought to a close dyed. I think it not unreasonable to in fact that there must be Japan’s 200 year period of self- assume that the reason you see so some specific reason. imposed isolation. The second came many anime characters with hair with the atomic bombing of that is anything but black, may well zenith in the rather unpleasant Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In both hark back to these draconian school Kekkou Kamen. There are any num- cases Japan bounced back from days and a deep desire to be blond. ber of anime productions that take defeat and embraced the superior This is a hard argument to support a similair tack, such as Be Bop High technology of their enemy as a way as most animators are male and School and Ultimate Teacher. to match and surpass them. The were probably not so worried in very idea that Japan would their youth about embrace atomic putting highlights energy may seem in their hair, but a strange, but one lot of anime now need only look to is based on shou- the work of jo (girls) manga, Osamu Tezuka to and oddly colored see how quickly hair is just as atomic energy prevalent. What I was a can say with con- friendly face in fidence, is that Japan. Tezuka was most animators the creator of had a really bad Tetsuwan Atomu time at school, (Mighty Atom), a because in no manga about a other art form do robot boy who you see so many used his powers schools getting to right wrongs Vampire Princess Muyu blown up, burnt © 1988 Soeishinsha Inc./ Ltd. English Language version: ©1996 Manga Entertainment Ltd. and protect the down, trampled . In 1963, by monsters and it became Japan’s in general spectacularly trashed. Matters of Technology first domestically produced anime There may be cause for grievance, ssuming he survives, we TV series, made under Tezuka’s as Japanese schools are anything now follow Kyosuke on to supervision. but relaxed, and in admittedly A university, where we might Tetsuwan Atomu was just the extreme examples, children have discover some curious motivations beginning. became been killed or injured by overzeal- in the area of career choice. One of the predominant force in anime dur- ous teachers in the cause of disci- the more fascinating aspects of ing the 70s and 80s, and the robots pline. anime is the way it has become (or mecha as they are called) rapid- Rather bizarrely, there is a sub- entwined with the Japanese obses- ly got bigger and better, eventually genre which seems to exult in por- sion with technology. In research- reaching the stage where people traying Japanese schools as places ing this aspect, I have spoken to one (and especially children) were able of torture and degradation, most Japanese university student who to climb inside and pilot them. notably those stories from the pen was motivated to get into robotics Perhaps there is something com- of manga artist Go Nagai, who because he liked robot animation forting about being cocooned in a essentially created the movement and he is probably not alone. form-fitting machine or mechanized with his (Shame- Japanese society has undergone body armor, especially for the less School) stories and took it to its two major upheavals because of Japanese, who have staked so

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 28 much of their future on technolo- gy. Certainly anime such as Patlabor There is something comforting (Giant Police Robots) radiate a feel- about being cocooned in a ing of kinship and loyalty between form-fitting machine. man and machine that I find high- ly motivating; and one need only has been more fancy than fact, but look at the way Japan is forging anime has roots that run deeper John Gosling is a freelance ahead in the technological arena to than anything you will find in a see how anime is in tune with Disney film. Anime stories still fea- writer living in England. His developing trends. It is perhaps sig- ture ghosts and monsters of myth major credits include numerous nificant that Japan is the only coun- and legend, and temples and tra- try in the world seriously interested ditional religion figures prominent- anime video reviews for the in bipedal robot research, and ly, often quite comfortably inter- magazine MangaMania and an when you look at the walking, run- twined with science fiction. With ning and leaping robots of anime, anime, not only do you get the feel- article on the use of factual you can perhaps understand why. ing that you are looking at some- space concepts in anime for There may never be such machines thing with a heritage, but some- in reality, but don’t tell the Japanese thing that is continuing to evolve, Spaceflight, the journal of the that. responding to the changes in soci- British Interplanetary Society. So here I conclude this brief pre- ety and attempting to weave a con- amble through the hidden world of sensus between the old and new. anime. Some of you might think it Long may this continue. REGISTER with Animation World Network TODAY and

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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 29 Raoul Servais: An Interview by Philippe Moins Translated by Annick Teninge aoul Servais, whose presence ences. For Harpya, I brought in a in the animation world can- human/real character by including R not be ignored, is scheduled him in a painted setting, and han- to be the Honorary President of this dled him like a drawing. This real year’s Hiroshima International Ani- character was composited with dif- mation Festival. A painter and film- ferent techniques. I also created an maker, Servais studied at the Royal optical system inspired by front pro- Academy of Arts in Gand, Belgium. jection. For Taxandria, I created a In the 1950s, he worked with system I call the Servaisgraphie, painter René Magritte and docu- though, for various reasons, it was mentary filmmaker Henri Stork. His only used for the sets. The com- films have won more that 40 nation- positing itself was done using com- al and international awards, among puters. Unless I am mistaken, until them the First Prize at Venice Toy Story, Taxandria used more dig- Biennial in 1966, the Jury Grand ital images than any other feature Prize in Cannes in 1971 and the film. Palme d’Or in Cannes in 1979. In addition to his filmmaking Moins: What sort of themes do you activities, Servais started the Ani- Raoul Servais deal with in your films? mation Department of Gand Royal Courtesy of Raoul Servais Academy of Arts, as well as its maker who used to screen a 9.5mm Servais: I deal with various themes, Animation Study Center. He has also print of a cartoon at but what they all have in common been involved with the Raoul home. I used to unwind the print is mankind, his longing for freedom, Servais’ Foundation, which is also without his knowledge and glance peace and justice. I have always located in Gand, which organizes through the frames to try to under- tried to emphasize the dangers animation courses for elementary stand the mystery of animation. It which threaten humans. Despite and middle schools. From 1985 to is this miracle of the inanimate the many script revisions Taxandria 1994, he served as President of which becomes the motion picture, went through, the basic message ASIFA-International, the international the magic of the cinematograph has been retained: a warning animation association. which made me decide me, at the against intolerance and authoritar- Currently, after the long gesta- age of 5, to become a filmmaker. ian ideology. tion period required for his first fea- ture film, Taxandria, Servais has The images remains alive and Moins: Taxandria will be previewed returned to his first love, short films. don’t suffer from the at Hiroshima, but, in fact, it is not I recently had a talk about this coldness usually associated an animated film? and that with this wise practitioner. with full digitalization. Servais: In a way, Taxandria went Moins: How did it happen to that off in a different direction than I had you got involved in animation in a Moins: Your filmography shows a originally planned. At first, I thought country where there were no ani- great eclecticism in terms tech- about making an animated film mation studios? niques. using , as I started to experiment with in Harpya. But the Servais: It was not by chance. I Servais: I mostly made cartoons, producers turned this option contracted an early virus, thanks to but I often changed my drawing towards a more realistic way, a live- my father; he was an amateur film- style in order to create new experi- action movie using some animation.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 30 Taxandria by Raoul Servais (1996) © BIBO TV They had a lot of experience with feature film comes out of puberty. Servais: First of all, be sure that the live action and did not fell very con- This is especially true if you speak producer knows and likes anima- fident about animation. This is the about live action, but I don’t share tion. You can find very good pro- reason why I do not ask for the sole this opinion. I made a feature ducers who are not mad about ani- authorship for the film. But it does because the script I wrote was too mation. When you are used to not mean that it is not an important long to be done as a short. A fea- working as an - movie. The production had many ture-length film was an artistic maker working alone or with a ups and downs and we had to necessity. [However] while making small team, you have to learn to revise the script several times. it, I knew that I would subsequent- delegate, which may be difficult for Taxandria has had a noticeable suc- ly go back to doing shorts. someone who is used to wearing cess and has already won several many hats. You have to have a true prizes (in Porto among others), but Moins: What would you like to say dialogue between the director and it is mainly screened in art houses. to experienced animators who his team; it is a habit one has to People usually appreciate the fact want to make a feature film? acquire. For a short, it is easy to that they don’t notice supervise the whole the use of the comput- thing, but sometimes er. The images remains with a feature, one may alive and don’t suffer get lost in the details and from the coldness usual- not remain in control of ly associated with full the whole. This is the digitalization. main danger.

Moins: Why did you Moins: You are a big fes- switch to feature films ? tival fan. How many times have you been to Servais: Many people Hiroshima? think that a Taxandria by Raoul Servais (1996) director who makes a © BIBO TV

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 31 which pleasantly surprised me: a perfect organization, many people, well-done programs—for a first edi- tion, it was a total success.

Moins: You have met many of the giants of animation history: Norman McLaren, Paul Grimault, etc. Which one made the strongest impression?

Servais: That’s a difficult question. Many of them made a strong impression upon me. McLaren wrote something very nice about one of my films. I had a very friend- ly relationship with him although

Sirène (1968) we only met 3 or 4 times. I can say that Paul Grimault was my friend. I Servais: I never counted! I attend- Servais: Mainly a quantitative remember the 14 days we spent ed all the Annecy festivals since they change. There are many festivals together in Japan when he was the started, except for one. I did now and in each of them there are Honorary President of the Hiroshima Mamaia every time, almost all the always more films in competition, Festival. Karel Zeman really moved Zagrebs except the last two, almost in retrospectives, etc. all Varna, two Ottawas, but this only This is rather surpris- my second visit to Hiroshima. ing, as the short film situation is always Moins: Do you remember the first getting worse. Maybe animation festival you ever went to? the increase is due to the greater number of animation schools. Some festivals have become The percentage of so big that they have lost student films is very a good part of their high in animation fes- friendliness and become tivals. Somehow, I a little impersonal. regret this increase in the number of festi- Servais: It was the first Annecy vals; some of them Festival, which was the only one at have become so big the time. I remember it perfectly, that they have lost a because I was a little disappointed. good part of their I had submitted a film to the selec- friendliness and be- tion committee and it was only come a little imper- when I came to Annecy did I learn sonal. that it was not picked. A few months later, my film (Chromopho- Moins: What is your bia) won the Lion de St. Marc at impression of Hiro- Venice. shima ?

Moins: Since you have begun Servais: From now going to festivals, what changes on, I can only talk have you noticed? about the first one, Harpya (1979) Moins: What would you say to young professionals who dream of making their own short films?

Servais: If they really want to do one, then they should. But they should not underestimate the major problems they will encounter. If they do it thinking that they will make money, then they should give up on the idea right away.

Moins: Is it easier today than when you started at the end of the fifties ?

Servais: Yes and no. Yes, because today there are many animation schools, lots of technical literature, La Fausse Note (1963) and the real possibility of taking a training course in a studio. When I me, I got on well with him in doing my feature film. I was not started, there were no schools. We Teheran. We discovered that we totally free to take care of ASIFA. I can say that in Europe, it was total- were using the same type of camera have been helped by Nicole ly disconcerting to enter a studio; and we exchanged some tips. He Salomon, who was an excellent sec- what happened in there was almost really liked what I was doing and retary general. I have realized the “top secret.” We almost exclusively the feeling was mutual. We had the strength of ASIFA in [facilitating] taught ourselves. I was 10 or 15 same approach to the animated international contacts and relation- years behind everybody else. At the film, going beyond the cartoon and ships, as well as its major weakness: Gand Academy, where I taught, my try to incorporate live action in ani- the lack of funding. students learned in 3 months what mation, what he did so brilliantly in I had acquired in 10 years. On the his Invention of Destruction. Bret- This phenomenon has other hand, when I started, if some- islav Pojar is a very close friend, he disappeared and contributed one succeeded in making a short comes to my home and I go to his, to the marginalization of film, there was every chance that it he is such a lovely guy. the short film. would be shown in movie theaters. One could also mention This type of programming was com- Frédéric Back who I greatly admire. mon. This phenomenon has totally We correspond regularly. He is so Moins: Now you are going back to disappeared and contributed great- modest and so talented. More short films? ly to the marginalization of the short recently, I had a nice meeting with film . John Lasseter. And also with Ivanov Servais: Yes, I have started a new Vano, Fedor Khitruk, who I have film, called Papillons de nuit Moins: What are your favorites met quite often; but I will not name (Butterflies of the Night). It is made among current productions? everybody ... in Servaisgraphie, the compsiting technique that I devised for Servais: Frédéric Back and his last Moins: Which lessons did you draw Taxandria. It is a tribute to the film, The Mighty River, thrilled me from your years as head of Belgium surrealist painter Paul to bits. It is a documentary, but there ASIFA? Delvaux. If everything goes well, it is so much skill in the drawing; I am will be completed within the course astounded to see that he did it with Servais: The presidency of ASIFA is of the next year. Then, I have other a pencil on cels. Computers will nev- a lot of work. Fate willed that this projects in my portfolio. er equal this man. We can definite- happened at the same time as I was ly say that Frédéric Back is a genius.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 33 puter images. More and more, film- makers will get into it. Unfor-tunate- ly, this will be to the detriment of labor. Many people will lose their job in such tasks as inking, coloring, ... Socially speaking, this development is rather sad.

Raoul Servais Filmography

Live-Action Films • Omleiding November (November Diversion), 1962

Animated Films • Havenlichten (Harbor Lights), 1960 Chromophobia (1966) • De Valse noot (The False Note), 1963 Moins: And what don’t you like? Moins: What is the future for ani- • Chromophobia, 1966 mated film ? • Sirène, 1968 Servais: [Sigh] I can’t bear Disney • Goldframe, 1969 clones. Unfortunately, there have Servais: I am not a prophet. I think • To Speak Or Not To Speak, been all too many. I also hate com- that the computer will inevitably 1970 puter films when they are made by play a part, a positive one, as it • Operation X-70, 1971 good technicians who do not have allows one to do things which were • Pegasus, 1973 any artistic sensitivity. Fortunately, not workable before. We will cer- • Halewyn, 1976 we have started to turn the corner tainly be able to avoid this lack of in this area. personality characteristic of com- Special Effects Films • Harpya, 1979 • Taxandria, 1995

Philippe Moins is the founder of the Brussels Festival of Cartoons and Animated Films. A writer specializing in animation based in Brussels, he was Editor- in-Chief of ASIFA News (pub- lished by ASIFA-International), and is now Editor of La Gazette du Loup, a quaterly newsletter on animation. Pegasus (1973)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 34 Interview de Raoul Servais par Philippe Moins

igure incontournable du ciné- un décor peint, en le manipulant ma d’animation mondial, comme s’il s’agissait de dessins. Raoul Servais sera cette année Cette incrustation de personnages Président d’honneur du Festival réels s’est faite avec des techniques d’Hiroshima. Peintre et cineaste, différentes. Pour Harpya j’avais mis Raoul Servais a fait ses études à au point un système optique inspiré l’Académie Royale des Beaux Arts du “front projection.” Pour Taxandria de Gand durant les années 50. Il a j’ai mis au point un système qui s’ap- travaillé avec Rene Magritte et Henri pelait la “Servaisgraphie”. Pour Stork. Ses films ont remporté plus diverses raisons, il n’a été retenu que de quarante distinctions interna- pour la confection des décors. tionales et nationales dont le pre- L’incrustation s’est faite par ordina- mier Prix à la Biennale de Venise en teur. Sauf erreur, Taxandria était, 1966, le Grand Prix du Jury à jusqu’à Toy Story, le long métrage Cannes en 1971 et la Palme d’Or à incluant le plus d’images Cannes en 1979. numériques. Il est le fondateur de la section animation à l’Académie royale des Moins: Parlez-nous des thèmes que Beaux-Arts de Gand et du Centre Raoul Servais vous traitez? d’étude du cinéma d’animation. En Courtesy of Raoul Servais outre, la Fondation Raoul Servais, et parcourais les photogrammes Servais: Les sujets que je traite sont également située à Gand, s’occupe pour comprendre le mystère de l’an- variés, mais leur préoccupation de l’initiation au cinéma d’anima- imation. C’est ce miracle de l’inan- commune c’est l’être humain, ses tion auprès des écoles de l’en- imé qui devient mouvement, cette aspirations de liberté, de paix, de seignement inférieur et moyen. De magie du cinématographe, qui justice. J’ai toujours voulu souligner 1985 à 1994, Raoul Servais a m’ont décidé ... à l’âge de cinq ans, les dangers qui menacent la race présidé l’ASIFA (Association interna- de choisir ce métier de cinéaste humaine. Malgré les multiples tionale du film d’animation). d’animation. remaniements du scénario de Après la longue gestation de Taxandria, le message de mon film son long métrage Taxandria, Servais a été préservé: une mise en garde L’image reste vivante et s’est remis à son genre de prédilec- contre l’intolérance et l’idéologie ne souffre pas de la tion, le court métrage. autoritariste. froideur propre à Conversation à bâtons rompus la digitalisation complète. avec un sage et un praticien. Moins: Taxandria sera montré en avant première au Festival Moins: Par quel hasard avez-vous Moins: La liste de vos films révèle d’Hiroshima. En fait, ce n’est pas un démarré dans l’animation, dans un un grand éclectisme dans le choix film d’animation? pays où aucun studio n’existait? des techniques? Servais: Taxandria sort quelque peu Servais: Ce n’est pas un hasard. J’ai Servais: J’ai surtout pratiqué le de la route que je m’étais tracée. contracté un virus précoce, grâce à dessin animé mais j’ai toujours J’avais au départ pensé faire un film mon père qui était cinéaste ama- changé de style graphique afin de d’animation en utilisant des prises teur et projetait à la maison des Félix pratiquer de nouvelles expériences. de vues réelles, un peu comme je le Chat en 9,5mm. A l’insu de mon A partir de Harpya, j’ai introduit le l’avais expérimenté dans Harpya. père, je déroulais les bobines de film personnage réel en l’intégrant dans Mais les producteurs ont fait dévier

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 35 Taxandria by Raoul Servais (1996) © BIBO TV cette option vers une formule plus Servais: Nombreux sont ceux qui producteur connaît l’animation et réaliste, à savoir un film en vues pensent que faire un long, pour un aime l’animation. Parce qu’il peut y réelles utilisant parfois l’animation. réalisateur d’animation, c’est un peu avoir de très bons producteurs de Les producteurs avaient un grande comme sortir de la puberté. Dans cinéma qui ne sont pas nécessaire- expérience du “live action” et éprou- le cas de la prise de vues réelles, ment mordus par l’animation. vaient une certaine méfiance à l’é- c’est effectivement le cas. Quant à Quand on a une expérience d’au- gard de l’animation. Pour cette rai- moi, je n’ai pas du tout ce senti- teur indépendant, que l’on travaille son, je ne réclame pas l’entière ment: j’ai fait un long métrage seul ou en toute petite équipe, il paternité du film, mais je pense que parce que le scénario que j’avais faut apprendre à déléguer, ce qui cela n’empêche pas qu’il soit impor- écrit ne pouvait se satisfaire de la est parfois difficile car on a eu l’habi- tant. Les nombreux aléas de la pro- durée d’un court métrage. Le long tude d’être “homme orchestre”. Un duction, qui s’est étalée sur plusieurs métrage était un nécessité artis- vrai dialogue doit s’établir entre le années, nous ont contraints à tique. Je savais déjà au moment réalisateur et ses collaborateurs. remanier le scénario à plusieurs où je le réalisais qu’ensuite je C’est une habitude qu’il faut reprises. Cela dit, Taxandria con- retournerais au court métrage. acquérir. Pour un court métrage, il naît un succès appréciable. Il a déja est facile de surplomber l’ensemble. obtenu plusieurs prix (notamment à This phenomenon has Parfois dans un long métrage, on Porto), mais il est surtout diffusé disappeared and contributed a tendance à se perdre dans les dans les salles de type “art et essai”. to the marginalization of détails. On risque dès lors de per- En général, on apprécie le fait que the short film. dre le contrôle de l’ensemble, c’est l’utilisation de l’ordinateur ne se le danger majeur. perçoit pas. L’image reste vivante et ne souffre pas de la froideur propre Moins: Qu’avez-vous envie de dire Moins: Vous êtes un assidu des fes- à la digitalisation complète. aux réalisateurs d’animation confir- tivals d’animation. Hiroshima est le més qui veulent se lancer dans un quantième, pour vous? Moins: Pourquoi êtes-vous passé au long métrage? long métrage? Servais: Je n’ai jamais fait le calcul! Servais: D’abord s’assurer que le J’ai assisté à tous les festivals

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 36 Moins: Vous avez côtoyé les “grands” qui sont passés dans l’his- toire du cinéma d’animation: Mc Laren, Grimault, etc. ... Lequel vous a laissé la plus forte impression?

Servais: C’est très difficile à dire. Ils sont nombreux à m’avoir laissé une forte impression. Mc Laren a écrit quelque chose de très gentil à pro- pos d’un de mes films. J’avais un contact très amical avec lui, bien que je ne l’aie vu en tout que trois ou quatre fois. Je peux dire de Paul Grimault

Sirène (1968) qu’il était mon ami. Je me souviens des quinze jours que nous avons d’Annecy, à une exception près, avez-vous perçus? passés ensemble, au Japon pré- depuis sa création. J’ai “fait” Mamaia cisément, alors qu’il était Président chaque fois, Zagreb presque Servais: Surtout une évolution d’honneur à Hiroshima. chaque fois sauf les deux dernières quantitative. Beaucoup plus de fes- Karel Zeman m’a fort touché. J’ai années, quasi tous les Varna, deux tivals, et dans chaque festival de plus fort sympathisé avec lui à Téhéran. Ottawa, mais ce n’est que le deux- en plus de films, en compétition, en Nous avons découvert que nous tra- ième Festival d’Hiroshima auquel je rétrospective, etc ... C’est assez vaillions avec la même caméra. On participe. curieux dans la mesure où la situa- s’est passé des tuyaux. Il aimait tion du court métrage ne fait que beaucoup ce que je faisais et c’était se dégrader. Sans doute est-ce dû réciproque. Nous avions cette Certains festivals sont devenus à cet autre phénomène majeur: la même approche du film d’anima- tellement grands qu’ils ont multiplication des écoles de cinéma tion, aller au-delà du dessin animé beaucoup perdu de leur côté d’animation. Le pourcentage de sympathique, amical, ils sont films d’étudiants dans les festivals devenus un peu impersonnels. d’animation est très élevé.

Moins: Vous vous souvenez du pre- Je regrette un peu cette croissance mier festival auquel vous avez des festivals. Certains sont devenus assisté? tellement grands qu’ils ont beau- coup perdu de leur côté sympa- Servais: C’était le premier Festival thique, amical, ils sont devenus un d’Annecy, le seul à ce moment-là. peu impersonnels. Je m’en souviens très bien car j’avais été un peu déçu. J’avais proposé Moins: Quelle impression vous a fait un film et j’ai appris au dernier Hiroshima? moment, sur place qu’il n’avait finalement pas été sélectionné. Servais: Jusqu’à présent, je ne peux Quelques mois plus tard, mon film parler que du tout premier, qui m’a (Chromophobia) obtenait le Lion de très agréablement surpris: organi- St. Marc à Venise... sation parfaite, beaucoup de monde, programmes très bien faits, Moins: Depuis que vous fréquentez pour une première édition c’était les festivals, quels changements une réussite complète. Harpya (1979)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 37 Servais: S’ils aiment cela, ils doivent le faire, mais ne pas sousestimer les grands problèmes qu’ils vont ren- contrer. S’ils le font en pensant qu’ils vont gagner de l’argent, il vaut mieux qu’ils y renoncent tout de suite.

Moins: Est-ce plus facile aujourd’hui qu’à l’époque où vous avez com- mencé, à la fin des années cinquante?

Servais: Oui et non. Oui parce qu’aujourd’hui il existe des écoles, de la littérature technique, la possi- bilité réelle de faire des stages dans La Fausse Note (1963) les studios; A l’époque où j’ai com- et essayer d’introduire la prise de rendre compte de la force de l’ASIFA mencé, il n’y avait pas d’écoles. On vues réelles dans le cinéma d’ani- dans ses contacts et ses relations peut dire qu’en Europe il y avait mation, ce qu’il a brillamment réus- internationales, mais aussi de sa interdiction formelle de pénétrer si dans l’Invention diabolique. grande faiblesse: son manque de dans les studios, ce qui s’y passait Bretislav Pojar est un ami très financement. était pratiquement “top secret”. On intime. Il vient chez moi, je vais chez apprenait tout par soi-même. J’ai eu lui, c’est un homme adorable. Moins: Aujourd’hui, vous renouez un retard de dix ou quinze ans par On pourrait également citer avec le court métrage? rapport à d’autres. A l’Académie de Frédéric Back pour lequel j’ai une Gand où j’ai enseigné, mes élèves profonde admiration. Nous corre- Servais: Je me suis effectivement apprenaient en trois mois ce que spondons régulièrement. C’est lancé dans un nouveau projet, inti- j’avais mis dix ans à acquérir. Par quelqu’un d’un grande modestie tulé Papillons de nuit. Il s’agit d’un contre, à l’époque où j’ai débuté, alors qu’il a un très grand talent. film réalisé en “Servaisgraphie”, le quand un auteur parvenait à faire Plus récemment, j’ai eu un très bon procédé d’incrustation que j’avais un court métrage, il y avait beau- contact avec John Lasseter. Et puis mis au point pour Taxandria. C’est coup de chance qu’il passe dans les Ivan Ivanov Vano, Fédor Khitruk, on un hommage au peintre surréaliste salles de cinéma. Le complément s’est vus très souvent, mais je ne vais belge Paul Delvaux. Si tout se passe de programme était une habitude. pas tous les citer .... comme prévu, le film sera terminé Ce phénomène a disparu totale- dans le courant de l’année ment et cela a beaucoup contribué Moins: Quel enseignement retirez- prochaine. Ensuite, j’ai d’autres pro- à la marginalisation du court vous des neuf ans passés à la tête jets dans mes cartons... métrage. de l’ASIFA? Moins: Quels sont vos “coups de Servais: La présidence de l’ASIFA Ce phénomène a disparu coeur”, dans la production actuelle? est une très lourde charge. Le totalement et cela a beaucoup hasard a voulu que cela coïncide contribué à la marginalisation Servais: Frédéric Back et son pour moi avec le long métrage. Je du court métrage. dernier film, Le Fleuve aux grandes n’étais pas entièrement disponible eaux m’emballent définitivement. pour m’occuper de l’ASIFA. J’ai Moins: Qu’avez-vous envie de dire C’est un documentaire, mais il y a heureusement été secondé par aux jeunes professionnels qui rêvent une telle maîtrise du dessin , cela Nicole Salomon qui était une excel- de faire du court métrage d’anima- me stupéfie quand je vois que cet lente secrétaire générale. J’ai pu me tion d’auteur? homme a fait tout cela au crayon

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 38 Beaucoup de gens vont perdre leur emploi, dans les domaines d’exé- cution comme le traçage, le colo- riage, l’intervallisme... Au niveau social, je trouve que c’est une évolution un peu triste.

Filmographie de Raoul Servais

En vues réelles • Omleiding November (Déviation novembre), 1962

En animation Chromophobia (1966) • Havenlichten (Lumières du port), 1960 • De Valse noot sur des feuilles de cellophane. Moins: Quel est le futur du cinéma (la fausse note), 1963 L’ordinateur ne pourra jamais égaler d’animation? • Chromophobia, 1966 cet homme. N’ayons pas peur des • Sirene, 1968 mots, Frédéric Back est un génie. Servais: Je ne suis pas prophète. Je • Goldframe, 1969 pense qu’inévitablement l’ordina- • To Speak or Not to Speak, Moins: Et ce que vous détestez? teur va jouer un rôle, positif car il 1970 permet de réaliser des choses qui • Operation X-70, 1971 Servais: (soupir) J’ai toujours en principe n’étaient pas réalisables • Pegasus, 1973 détesté les imitations de Disney. jusqu’à présent. On va pouvoir • Halewyn, 1976 Hélas on en a fait beaucoup. Je éviter cette absence de personnalité déteste aussi les films par ordinateur propre aux images de synthèse. De En trucage lorsqu’ils sont réalisés par de très plus en plus de créateurs vont y par- • Harpya, 1979 bons techniciens qui n’ont aucune ticiper. • Taxandria, 1994 sensibilité artistique. Heureusement, Mais c’est malheureusement au nous avons un peu dépassé ce cap. détriment de la main d’oeuvre.

Philippe Moins est le fondateur du Festival du Dessin Animé de Bruxelles. Ecrivain spécialisé dans l’animation, il était l’Editeur en Chef de l’ASIFA News (publié par l’ASIFA International) et il actuellement rédacteur en chef de La Gazette du Loup, une publication trimestrielle sur l’animation.

Pegasus (1973)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 39 Singapore Animation Fiesta by Mark Langer n island located a 100 miles ture is vanishing beneath modern north of the equator may I fantasized shooting tigers high rises. Standing on the corner A seem like an unlikely place from my seat in Raffles’ of Ganges Road and Zion Street to hold an animation festival, but Long Bar, or consuming (near the confluence of Synagogue when I received an invitation to Singapore Slings in a seedy and Church Streets), listening to attend the Animation Fiesta in tavern with Burmese-based passersby speaking in Mandarin, Singapore on June 15-16, I jumped White Russian traders. Teochew, Malay, Hakka, Hainanese, at the chance. It had snowed in my Hokkien, Cantonese, Tamil, English hometown of Ottawa, as ged but , I sat at Raffles’ Long and the local variant, Singlish, the late as May and a tropical escape Bar amid dozens of other naive vibrant multicultural atmosphere of seemed ideal. My ideas about tourists. The biggest surprise was the city impressed me. As one of the Singapore were derived from novels the $18.50 cost of a Singapore economic powerhouses of Asia and set in Britain’s colonial Far East by Sling. It has been a few years since a crossroads of the world, with a people like Somerset Maugham and someone shot a tiger in the Long small but growing animation scene, Rudyard Kipling. Edward Said Bar and the mosquito netting was Singapore is an ideal location for an would undoubtedly disapprove, but taken down long ago. Singapore is international animation festival. I fantasized shooting tigers from my a cosmopolitan city of 3 million seat in Raffles’ Long Bar, or con- where restaurants hawking “Clay A Fringe Event suming Singapore Slings in a seedy Pot Live Frog” or “Pig’s Organ Soup” he Animation Fiesta was a tavern with Burmese-based White stand cheek by jowl with Mc- fringe event of the biennial Russian traders and Imperial Donald’s and Arby’s fast food out- T Singapore Arts Festival. The Japanese agents working out an lets. Traditional Peranakan architec- impetus for this first animation fes- opium-for- deal behind tival in Singapore came beaded curtains. Next to us, from Dr. N. Varaprasad, a malarial British Vice-Consul Principal and CEO of in a rumpled white linen suit Temasek Polytechnic. On would be drinking himself to learning that Temasek cul- while upstairs his wife tural studies lecturer Gigi would be committing adul- Hu was planning to at- tery under mosquito netting tend the 1994 Cardiff In- with someone wearing a fez. ternational Animation Fes- would fall endlessly on tival, Varaprasad suggest- Chinese junks docking at the ed that one be started wharf outside. What surpris- locally. The event was es must lie in store for the organized by Hu and ani- traveller to the perfumed mation instructor Lilian port city of Sing-apore, I Soon, supported by Tem- thought. asek, the National Arts After 36 hours of travel In a Hainan steamboat restaurant between screenings; Council of Singapore and (including an unscheduled Front row, left to right: Sayoko Kinoshita, Lilian Soon; a variety of embassies, Back row, left to right: Roger Noake, Pansy Cham stop in Hong Kong due to a (National Counsil of Singapore), Gigi Hu high commissions and pri- missed connection), jet-lag- Courtesy of Mark Langer vate corporations. The chal-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 40 lenge of coordinating develop their skills by such an event, and of increasingly ambitious educating the local pub- projects. Subra showed lic about the nature of his short animated study animation was formida- of an old man’s loneli- ble, but was well met by ness, The Cage, which the organizers. The result won the Special Jury was a lively two day long Award in the Singapore event held in a charm- Short Film Competition, ingly restored Victorian- and an excerpt from era theater within the Singapore’s first animat- Raffles Hotel complex. ed feature-length film Guests of the festival Life of Buddha, which were lodged at the near- has become a strong by Penninsula Hotel in seller in Asian video mar- the colonial heart of the kets. The session closed city near such architec- with an enjoyably quirky tural gems as Raffles, St. lecture by Garman Her- Andrew’s Church, and igstad, who discussed the National Museum his experiences animat- and Art Gallery, and Master of Ceremonies, Helen Ho with ing in Asian countries, close to pituresque areas Lilian Soon backstage. displayed a showreel of Courtesy of Mark Langer of the city like Little , his , Chinatown and Arab Street. German animation’s “green scene.” and ended with an exhibition of his Mornings and afternoon ses- Animator Dani Montano from guitar collection! sions featured guest speakers, while Dimensions in Manila presented an Saturday evening consisted of the evenings were given over to eclectic survey of animation from programs devoted to Japan and screenings. The opening presenta- the Phillipines, Indonesia, India and Canada. The Japanese program tion by West Surrey College of Art China, ranging from public service presented Isao Takahata’s classic and Design’s Roger Noake exam- films on the virtues of birth control Tombstone for Fireflies (Grave of the ined the interrelationship of art, and dangers of AIDS to children’s Fireflies), a tale of the fate of technology and communication by parables. The tension between teenaged Seita and his four-year-old presenting personal projects and expressing local cultures, and the sister Setsuko in the last months of sponsored work of animators from financial lure of filmmaking for inter- World War II in , Japan, and Len Lye and Oscar Fischinger to the national markets was graphically one of the few films that invariably present day. The tradition of public illustrated by the broad variety of cause me to weep. The Canadian service or commercial work spon- films shown. program featured recent National soring more experimental anima- Film Board productions, including tion continues in films by people like Local Production Cordell Barker’s The Cat Came Back, the Brothers Quay, Marjut ocal production was present- Paul Driessen’s The End of the Rimmenen and David Ander-son in ed through an exhibition of World in Four Seasons and Caroline England, according to Roger. L work from Animata Pro-duc- Leaf’s Two Sisters. Singapore has fair- This was followed by Albert tions, Garman Animation Studios ly rigid censorship standards. While Schafer, a manager at Studio-TV-Film and Temasek Polytechnic. The stu- the films shown in the Fiesta in , who showed examples of dent films were imaginative, received an educational ex-emption, television series and documentaries demonstrating that the limited movies depicting nudity were push- using animation to educate children resources of a newly-established ani- ing the envelope as far as local in Europe about environmental mation program at Temasek are not norms go. This became apparent issues. Focusing on works like The barriers to creativity. K. Subramani- during the screening of Snowden Bamboo Bears or Albert Says Nature am of Animata spoke about how and Fine’s Bob’s Birthday. When the Knows Best, Schafer surveyed he and his associates have tried to morose Bob appeared naked from

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 41 the waist down, the audi- lem of making the Canadian ence first gasped and then obsession with hockey, as came out with the longest seen in Sheldon Cohen’s sustained laughter (continu- The Sweater, intelligible to ing through Bob’s “Elephant an audience from the trop- Dance”) that I have ever ics. Films by Norman Mc- heard. Laren (Neighbours and A The final day began with Chairy Tale) and John a survey of Japanese anima- Weldon (Special Delivery, tion by Sayoko Kinoshita, Real Inside and The Lump) director of the International seemed somewhat more Animation Festival in Hiroshi- easily appreciated by those ma. Sayoko presented a de- attending. mo reel of the 5th Hiro- The Fiesta ended shima Festival along with with a sneak Singapore pre- some of her and her hus- view of James and the Giant Renzo Kinoshita’s own Peach, followed by an MTV work, including Made in showreel featuring various Japan, and the more recent MTV logos, Aeon Flux, Stick Hiroshima, which deals with Figure Theater, and the the nuclear bombing. Speak- inevitable Beavis and Butt- ing in Singapore, a country Head, whose charms were that suffered terribly under relatively new to a Sing- Japanese occupation, Say- apore audience. This was oko reflected on Japan’s re- Lobby outside Jubilee Theater, left to right: Roger Noake and followed by final retreat of sponsibility for the war in a Poppy Palele of Rocket Indonesia invited guests to the Long moving moment for the Courtesy of Mark Langer Bar for a final goodbye get- speaker and the audience. together. Martin McNamara, producer for Red Rocket,Animata, etc. The atmosphere at the Ani- Colossal Pictures, Saga City Media, segment on Animation and mation Fiesta was relaxed and casu- and other companies, Advertising featuring exam- al with uncommonly good atten- discussed the use of computer ani- A ples of work by Southeast tion being paid to invited guests. mation techniques by Bay Area ani- Asian producers and agencies, such Being a noncompetitive and rela- mation studios in a talk called as Inside Design, IDimaging, tively unknown festival, the aisles of “Behind the Scenes.” Through the Garman Animation Studios, Red the theater weren’t haunted by presentation of element footage, Rocket Indonesia, Animata, O & M, exhausted jurors, overstressed com- Marty documented the stages of VHQ, , Young production of advertisements, music Rubicam, and Cowboy videos, title sequences, etc., which Water Design was pre- employ art media ranging from tra- sented by Brian Har- ditional and miniatures to com- rison, Managing Director puter-generated imagery. This fas- of Dentsu, Young and cinating survey unfortunately was Rubicam, Jonathan Ang, cut short by lack of time. an animator at VHQ Singapore, and James When the he appeared naked Speck, owner of Cow- from the waist down, the boy Water Design. Then audience first gasped and came my turn at bat. In then came out with the a discussion of Anima- longest sustained laughter tion and Satire, I had to Public service announcement that I have ever heard. grapple with the prob- by Red Rocket Indonesia Courtesy of the Singapore Animation Fiesta

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 42 over tea accompanied by cucum- ber sandwiches and incendiary cur- ries. Late nights were spent roister- ing over Tiger beer, steamboats and nasi padang. Expeditions to local open-air markets resulted in mem- orable sights and experiences, among which was my first (and final) taste of durian—a local fruit that looks like an armored cocoanut from the planet Klingon, with a sub- tle flavor but an overpowering odor reminiscent of decaying road kill. As a fringe benefit of Singapore’s loca- tion near Malaysia and Indonesia, several guests of the festival took trips to Bali, or, as I did, to Malacca. It was with a real sense of regret that I packed my bags for home. The Animation Fiesta promises to be The Cage, Animata the first of a series of biennial events. Courtesy of the Singapore Animation Fiesta I’m starting to save my pennies for travel to the next one. petitors, or recruitment agents from know one another. Sessions were major studios and their prey. The interspersed with frequent breaks scale of the event was intimate in Raffles’ Empire Room for enough for everyone to get to schmoozing by guests and locals

Mark Langer teaches film at Carleton University in Ottawa Canada. He is a frequent con- tributor to scholarly journals and a programmer of anima- tion retrospectives.

A Man's Tale by Ivan Chua (Temasek Polytechnic) Courtesy of the Singapore Animation Fiesta

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 43 Mango, I Mean Manga Mania! compiled by Frankie Kowalski

OK, so anime is a cultural phenomenon in Japan and fast becoming the same around the world. Got a chance to speak with Akira Murayama (, Manga & Movie Original Story Competition), Frederik L. Schodt (author of Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga), (whose company, Proteus, is an anime comic book distributor) and Greg Barr (anime writer and long-time fan).

Akira Murayama’s desert island picks: 1. East of Eden by Elia Kazan 2. L’Estate violent by Varelio Zurlini 3. Nogiku no gotoki, kimi nariki by Keisuke Kinoshita 4. Empire of Passion by Nagisa Oshima 5. Harry Weinberg’s Notebook by Yariv Kohn 6. La Strada by Fredrico Fellini 7. Plein Soleil (Purple Noon) by René Clement 8. Les dimanches de Ville d’Avray (Sundays and Cybelle) by Serge Bourguigon 9. The Kid by Charles Chaplin Ghost in the Shell by Mamoru Oshii 10. La leçon particuliere by Michele Bowaron © Manga Entertainment

Frederik L. Schodt’s picks ... 1. Jumping by Osamu Tezuka “I never thought that Japanese animation would become as popular in the United States as it has. Today, 2. Nausicaa (The uncut, Japanese version) with fan clubs on nearly all major university campus- by Hayao Miyazaki es, hundreds of fan-built Web sites, and regular con- 3. Wings of Desire by Wim Wender ventions annually, ani-me is on the verge of going 4. Alice in Wonderland by Walt Disney mainstream. I don’t pretend to know all the reasons for this phenomenon, but I suspect it’s more than just 5. Little Big Man by Arthur Penn the intrinsic quality of the anime itself. Certainly, 6. Ghost in the Shell by Mamoru Oshii American and European commercial animation had & Masamune Shirow become too formulaic and limited in expression. But 7. Yojimbo by also, I like to think that we are finally seeing the appear- ance of a global mind-meld, where young people in 8. Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa both Asia and the West increasingly share similar out- 9. Throne of Blood by Akira Kurosawa looks and values, allowing otherwise quite “different” 10. Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky Japanese animation to take root here.”

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 44 Toren Smith’s picks ... “It’s been great watching anime enter the main- stream over the last 15 years. When I first saw Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend video on MTV, using clips from the great anime movie Space Adventure , I knew things had forever changed for Japanese animation. Now we have huge anime sections in video stores, anime showing on the Sci-Fi Channel, and packed the- aters nationwide for Ghost in the Shell (not to men- tion two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert). What’s next? Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an all-anime channel within a year or two. Note my flagrant Ren & Stimpy cheat.”

1. The Angel’s Egg, by Mamoru Oshii 2. , by 3. For All Mankind, by Al Reinert and NASA 4. Ghost in the Shell, by Mamoru Oshii 5. Lupin III: Cagliostro Castle, by Hayao Myazaki 6. Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, by Hayao Miyazaki 7. All Ren & Stimpy episodes by John K. 8. Terminator 2, by James Cameron Orguss 02 9. : Beautiful Dreamer, by Mamoru © Manga Entertainment Oshii 10. The Wings of Honneamise, by

Greg Barr’s picks ... 1. Wings of Honneamise (aka Royal Space Force) by Hiroyuki Yamaga 2. 2001: A Space Odyssey by 3. The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton 4. Star Wars by 5. The Empire Strikes Back by George Lucas 6. Return of the Jedi By George Lucas, 7. Fantasia by Walt Disney 8. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki 9. Angel’s Egg by Mamoru Oshii 10. Bedazzled by Stanley Donen

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 45 AWM Comics

© All Rights Reserved. JRD 1996.

by John R. Dilworth. Color by Risa McInnes

I am very proud to present the first of a series of monthly comics to appear in Animation World Magazine featuring the international stars, Purdy, The Dirdy Birdy and Furgerina, from the heart-warming short animated film, The Dirdy Birdy. Soon The Dirdy Birdy will have his very own web site accessible through Animation World Network and everyone will be able to enter the strange and dysfunctional world of Purdy, The Dirdy Birdy. If you choose, write to The Dirdy Birdy at [email protected].

Sincerely John R. Dilworth

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 46 Time Warner-Turner Mer- the deal to help Tokuma, which had ger Approved and Fox to backed him from his early days. Take Over New World. The recent merger/takeover mania in Prime Time Emmy Nomin- the American entertainment indus- ations Announced. The nomi- try continues apace as the Federal nees for best “Animated Program Trade Commission finally gave its (for Programming One Hour or approval of the merger of Time Less)” were: in Warner and Turner. The combina- No Smoking (Pilar Feiss, director, for tion, besides creating the world’s Hanna-Barbera/Cartoon Network), largest entertainment company, will Dexter’s Laboratory (the series) also include a host of animation (Gennedy Tartovsky, executive pro- units that include Warner Bros. ducer, and Craig McCracken and Feature Animation, Turner Feature Disney Will Distribute Ja- Paul Rudish directors, for Hanna- Animation, Warner Bros. TV Ani- panese Animation. Walt Disney Barbera/Cartoon Network), Duck- mation, Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Studios and Japan’s Tokuma Shoten man (Klasky Csupo/USA Network), Warner Bros. Classic Animation, Fil- Publishing Co. have formed and A Pinky & the Brain Christmas Cartoons and the Cartoon Net- alliance for the international distri- Special (Rusty Mills for Warner Bros. work. In addition, there is Warner’s bution of animated product from TV Animation/Amblin) and The distribution deal with Tokuma’s Studio Ghibli. The catalog Simpsons (Bob Anderson, director, and Turner Feature Animation’s will include eight animated features for /Gracie Films). The development deal with Colossal by Hayao Miyazaki, whose films nominees for “Individual Achieve- Pictures. The merger also makes the include Kiki’s Delivery Service and ment in Graphic Design and Title Warner Bros. animation library My Neighbor Totoro (which had Sequences” are: Caroline in the City whole, as the rights to the pre-1948 considerable success in the US in its (NBC), Central Park West (CBS) and cartoon are held by Turner. video release), as well as rights to Discovery Journal (Discovery At the same time as the FTC distribute his next film, Princess Channel). In addition, Peter and the made its announcement, News Mononoke. One of Japan’s most Wolf, an animated special made for Corp., which owns Fox, an- famous directors, Miyazaki’s films ABC which utilized character nounced a $2.5 billion takeover of regularly outdraw such Disney films designs by Chuck Jones, was nom- New World Entertainment, whose as and The Lion King at the inated in the category of “Children’s assets include New World Ani- box office. Disney organization has Program (Area Award). mation and Marvel Films Animation. long admired his work, but Miyazaki Also, a bit belatedly, we The deal gives Fox an in-house tele- had previously shunned the studio’s would like to report that Lynn Smith: vision animation capability (it offers and said that recent Disney Method, one of six episodes in the already has a feature animation films lacked “decency.” He has also documentary series, Animated unit); Fox is the most successful ter- been approached by Fox and Women won a regional Emmy for restrial broadcaster of animation, Warner Bros., but in the past has San Francisco/ with its Fox Children’s Network and shunned efforts to promote his films area, in the category of “Cultural in prime time. abroad, as he was wary of changes Affairs: Single Program from a (Although Fox has an interest in The that might be made by foreign dis- Series.” The series was directed by Simpsons, its actual production is tributors. At a news conference in animation historian Sybil Del handled by Film Roman.) Tokyo, Miyazaki said he agreed to Gaudio.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 47 First Asia Computer Ani- Betty Boop:The Definitive ANIMHA 96 Celebrated mation Festival (ACAF) to Collection Arrives In Stores Throughout The Year In The Debut in November. The fes- This Fall. Produced by animation UK. ANIMHA 96 is a community- tival, to be staged at the Funan historian Jerry Beck and distributed based animation film project taking Centre, in Singapore, will be held by Republic Pictures, this 8 volume place in the Northern Arts Region from November 22 to December 8, set features a collector’s edition as part of the centennial celebra- 1996. The sponsors anticipate some library case with a special introduc- tions of the birth of the movies. It’s 600,000 people will attend the 17- tion from Richard Fleischer, the son aim is to celebrate this by uniting day event. The objectives of the fes- of animation pioneer Max Fleischer. people through animation. It plans tivals include: Providing a forum to Betty, who has delighted audiences to link the region through a series of display state-of-the-art technology; for over 65 years, has enjoyed film production workshops, in help build a computer animation many adventures included in this which many communities are industry in Asia; and increase Asia’s special collection of 115 original car- involved in animation process. Two animation standards through com- toon shorts. key films are in production: The petition. For more information Lambton Worm, a modern inter- about the festival, which hopes to Overview Of Manga Sheds pretation of a traditional North East be an annual event, contact - New Light On Japanese Cul- folktale, and Tales from the Pit, pro- mond Neoh, the event’s organizer, ture. Acknowledged Western duced in Seaham, Co. Durham, in at [email protected]. expert, Frederick Schodt, explains the heart of the famous East just how pervasive Japanese comics Durham Coal field, in which retired CST Entertainment To Buy are in Japan and how influential miners have created a new world of Toon Unit. CST has signed a let- they are in his new book, Dream- colliery characters. For further infor- ter of intent to acquire the produc- land Japan: Writings on Modern mation, contact Mike Booth, at tion services division of Hollywood’s Manga. In this tome about this [email protected]. USAnimation which does digital ink- Japanese obsession, Schodt pon- and-paint work(The Simpsons, Ren ders the future of manga drawn AnimAction Announces and Stimpy, The New Adventures with computer and discusses the Second Annual Animation of Jonny Quest )and has developed influence of manga on US comics. 500. On November 2, 1996, in Los software tools for various types of Available in stores now for $16.95. Angeles, California, AnimAction will animation work. CST does coloriza- from Stone Press. host this fundraising event for tion, color correction for a number BRIDGES, their animation and inter- of studio and production clients. active multimedia training program dedicated to helping artists realize Saban Signs Deal With Ger- their dreams in a career in anima- many’s ARD TV Network. A tion. Animation 500 is an animation three year, $50 million co-produc- “production race” in which teams tion and library program licensing work together with interns for up agreement has been signed. ARD to 9 nine hours to produce 20 sec- will co-produce 6 children’s series onds of an animated short. By day’s amounting to 182 half-hours with end, the team’s animation is pro- , of which two jected at a Gala Screening. For shows are new—Jim Button and more information call (310) 260- Night of the Wishes—from 4891. renowned German author Michael Ende. In addition, ARD will acquire The following items are 390 half-hour episodes of exisiting from AWM’s July 7, 1996 children’s TV programs and 30 tele- Cover of Dreamland Japan: Email News Flash: Writings on Modern Manga films. © Stone Bridge Press

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 48 Marvel Super Heroics To Valiant, as well as for the animated scene design, and color. The lessons Continue On TV series Flash Gordon, which include more than 800 illustrations Network. In the deal, Fox is makes its debut this fall in national and Hart cartoons. Christopher Hart believed to have secured the rights syndication. has worked on the Blondie comic to major Marvel comic book char- strip and is a regular contributor to acters including Caption America, Turner, Subway Tango On Mad Magazine. For more informa- Daredevil and , who is Cat’s Don’t Dance. Turner tion in the US, call 1-800-234-2627. already slated to have a series on Home Entertainment has locked up the Fox Children’s Network in a licensing deal with Subway The following items are September 1997. Fox, who cur- Sandwiches and Salads for Turner’s from AWM’s July 21, 1996 rently airs X-Men by Saban Enter- first animated feature Cats Don’t Email News Flash: tainment and Spider-Man from Dance, produced by David Kirshner Marvel Entertainment Group, has and Paul Gertz. Subway will be Welter New President In guaranteed Marvel it will produce launching a 4 to 6 week kids meal Saban’s Overhaul. Michael a minimum of 52 episodes of pro- program to coincide with the film’s Welter has been named president grams based on at least four Marvel debut in March 1997. The promo- of Saban Enterprises International, a properties during the 7-year term tion will appear in up to 12,000 new division of Saban formed to of the deal. restaurants worldwide with a yet- manage the company’s international to-be-determined premium offer. licensing, merchandising and pro- Cartoon Network Will Have motional activities. Also, as part of “Cow” With H-B Premiere. Sarandon, Class6 Interactive the restructuring, Oliver Spiner, Cow and Chicken, the Cartoon Ink For CD-ROM. Academy senior vice president of Saban Network’s second Award winner Susan Sarandon, will International, will now handle will premiere on the next year. be involved with TechToons Ltd. to Welter’s previous operational duties Thirteen half-hour programs have narrate the upcoming CD-ROM out of the Saban Paris office. In addi- been ordered of the show, which release, Cosmo’s Rocket. The disc, tion, Eric Rollman, previously senior follows the antics of a surreal pair slated for fall release, tells an origi- vice president production, has been of siblings of different species; the nal story of a boy, his dog and his named executive vice president of first half hour,”I Am Weasel,” will be inventions. Class6 Interactive has Saban Animation. animated by David Fiess. The series also signed an exclusive production follows the first “World Premiere deal with former Ren and Stimpy Cinar Production Help In- Toons” show, Dexter’s Laboratory, animators, Ted and John Mathot. crease Profits. Cinar reported which was launched in April. The The pair is wrapping up work on profit of C$3.3 million for the six network will also introduce the new an upcoming Class6 game, months ending May 31, 1996, up Real Adventures of Johnny Quest Creature Crunch, due out next from C$2.3 million a year earlier. this August. month. Production has brought Cinar’s library to 750 half-hours by year Hearst Establishes Enter- Interactive CD-ROM Teach- end. The new series include City tainment Licensing Unit. es How To Draw Cartoons. , Country Mouse and William Jemas, Jr. to head this new Diamar Interactive’s new CD-ROM, Ivanhoe (co-produced with France unite that will concentrate on mer- How to Draw Cartoons, is based on Animation for broadcast on the chandising and consumer product the book Everything You Ever state-run France 2 and TVOntario, licensing related to Hearst’s televi- Wanted To Know about Cartooning the Ontario government’ educa- sion programming and feature films. But Were Afraid To Draw, by car- tional channel). Among the Entertainment Licensing toonist Christopher Hart. Aimed at unit initial activities will be the mer- teenagers and adults who always Fine-Tooning Global Ani- chandising and licensing of wanted to draw, it is designed to mation Festival. The Animation Paramount’s recently-released The teach users the techniques of per- Celebration, scheduled for March Phantom and the upcoming Prince spective, character development, 23-30, 1997 in Pasadena, California,

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 49 will serve as an umbrella event for The following announcements day classics along with viewer let- two existing events: The Los Angeles were made at the recent VSDA ters to Santa Butt-Head. In “Huh- International Animation Competition (Video Software Dealers Association) Huh Humbug” a Scrooge-like Beavis (LAIAC) and ASIFA Hollywood’s in Los Angeles, California: is visited by the ghost of Christmas Animation Opportunities Expo, as past, present, and future. In “It’s a well as a new Animation Tech-nol- Aladdin And The King Of Miserable Lie,” Charlie the Angel is ogy Trade Show and a slate of sem- Thieves Releases Direct To sent down from heaven to show inars, exhibitions and symposiums. Video. Robin Williams once again Butt-Head how much better life brings life to “the big blue guy”, will would be without him. Beavis and The Real Adventures Of be available on August 13, and is Butt-Head Do Christmas arrives in Jonny Quest Premieres In the final chapter of the Walt Disney stores this October. August On Cartoon Net- Video trilogy that began with the work. Based on the 1960s prime 1992 box office hit Aladdin. In this Brøderbund Software An- time series, the new Hanna-Barbera movie, Aladdin and Jasmine are nounces Next Generation animated series, purportedly updat- finally married, but before they take Of Carmen Sandiego. Where ed to the , will air in a their vows, he embarks on a quest in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Monday-Friday strip on all three to find his long-lost father. Running and Where in the USA is Carmen Turner Networks—the Cartoon time is 82 minutes and it is priced at Sandiego?, will feature 360 degree Network, TNT and TBS. $24.99. panoramas from over 50 countries and 50 states as walking tours and Tracer And Holy Grail Paramount Launches Nick- extensive electronic databases that Games Ships. The latest CD-ROM elodeon Partnership With include videos, photographs and title published by 7th Level and New Rugrats. Two new-to-video short essays from National Geo- developed by Future Endeavors of titles, Rugrats Phil and Lil Double graphic as well as flags and geopo- Canada, is now shipping in the US Trouble and Rugrats Tommy litical . This next generation for Window 95 at the suggested Troubles each contain four car- will ship this Fall for approximately retail price of $29.99. Players can toons; each video retails for $12.95 $45 - $50. choose from four “lifelike characters” and are due on stores this October. to escape the Tracer virus that’s in Mr. Bill’s Christmas Special hot pursuit. You must strategically MGM/UA Acquires Rights To Releases On Video For place stepping stones of like colors Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. The first Holiday Season. Anchor Bay to create a path to the computer’s installment of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Entertainment and Sluggo Broad- inner sanctum—the data core. You volume sets will be released fourth casting System offers this clay ani- can go it alone or have up to eight quarter this year. This Emmy award mated holiday special, written, players. Monty Python and the winning show includes such ani- directed, and produced by Mr. Bill’s Quest for the Holy Grail, based on mated shorts as “Penny” by Craig creator Walter Williams. This 30 the classic movie, is also shipping Barlett. MGM/UA will also release minute video features all his friends and is available in stores now. Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas set in the Play-Doh patriarch’s home Special, in addition to four volumes on Christmas Eve while taking on Sierra On-Line New Stra- of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse episodes. all the Yuletide standards. Suggested tegic War Game Now Some show titles are “Open House,” retail price is $9.99. Available. MissionForce: Cyber- Pee-wee Catches A Cold” and “To storm, is a new simulation game Tell The Tooth.” All news items should be which is said to be constantly cre- sent to our Associate Editor, ating new battlefields, terrain and Sony Music Video And MTV Frankie Kowalski. Send e-mail missions every time the game is Release Beavis And Butt- to [email protected], fax to played, is now available for Head Do Christmas. Featuring (213)464-5914, or by mail to: Windows 95 on 2 CD-ROMs for America’s favorite morons in their 6525 Sunset Bl., Garden Suite $59.95. own twisted versions of two holi- 10, Hollywood, CA 90028

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 50 Animation World Magazine 1996–97 Calendar

In our next issue we look at international television. This includes a candid talk with Katherine Hricik at Nickelodeon, which has recently expanded into Europe and Australia. Speaking of Australia, we will get a behind-the-scenes look at that country’s Energee Animation. We will also take a glimpse into the world of animation development as seen from an international perspective. We will also survey the new TV Fall line up in the United States.

In other matters, animator John Dilworth will review MTV’s live-action/CGI feature, Joe’s Apartment, Giannalberto Bendazzi will examine Icelandic animation, and we will report on what went on at this year’s SIGGRAPH Conference in New Orleans.

IPolitics & Propaganda (October)

Theme Park Animation (November)

Interactive Animation (December)

Animation Festivals (January ‘97)

International Animation Industry (February '97)

Children & Animation (March '97)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 51