August 1996 Vol. 1 No. 5 Anime Anime Anime Background Briefings by Jerry Beck Manga Goes Fred Patten For The Mainstream Table of Contents 3 Editor's Notebook 4 Letters to the Editor 5 Anime: Hollywood’s Invisible Animation Genre Jerry Beck recounts his fascination with anime and how his frustration with Hollywood’s attitude towards it led him and Carl Macek to do something about it. 8 A Capsule History of Anime A brief tour by Fred Patten of Japanese animation from its beginnings by hobbyists in 1917 to its current status as one of the major producing countries in the world. 13 Fredd Ladd: An Interview by Harvey Deneroff In the early days of American television, anime gained a small foothold. Fred Ladd, who played a key role in this effort, recalls what happened. 17 Manga Entertainment:Taking Anime to the Next Stage Manga, a division of UK’s Island 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 Europe 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 England. 26 The Hidden World of Anime John Gosling looks at some of the differences between Western and Japanese animation, as well as speculating on the various cultural influences seen in anime. 30 Raoul Servais: An Interview 35 Belgium filmmaker Raoul Servais, who recently completed his first feature, talks with Philippe Moins about his films, 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 © Manga Entertainment ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE August 1996 2 must admit that I have not much of Europe, battling censors always been a great fan 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 Japan. 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 Hiroshima 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 filmmaking, his friends 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 United States. Birdy” comic strip, 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 touch on some of its histo- on an international scale. ry. In this, Jerry Beck’s piece 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 animators 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 Lotte Reiniger, we do it nice ‘n rough.” 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 New York City Rita Street Walt built and Eisner continues to The author is an independent film- 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-mail : [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 North America : 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 fiction stories J Hayao Miyazaki 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.