Anime fandom and Disney have not been friends to put it mildly. From the accusations of ripping off Tezuka for the concept of the The Lion King, (a very famous fan sold shirt can still be seen with Kimba inside a mirror chiding his Disney counterpart, "mirror mirror on the wall, who created me after all?") To the recent accusations of Secret Of Blue Water being the latest victim of Disney "inspiration" (One site goes into detail of some of the very prominent similarities between Atlantis and Nadia: Secret Of Blue Water). Currently, the massive battery of Miyazaki films purchased by Disney has been released out as a trickle, barely making the dent we all hoped it would. So with Academy Award time rolling around, one wonders how the newest anime Spirited Away will be handled. Will it gain any recognition at all, or will it be swept under the rug and be replaced with massive pitching for Lilo And Stitch?

Don't get me wrong; I am not a rabid Disney hater. I happen to love Lilo and Stitch, it's the first time I could sit through a Disney movie and not find it truly annoying. Here is a non-perfect family trying to do their best under some very funny, but touching circumstances. However, I also know Disney's track record, and as I look with some jaundiced eyes at the examples above, they do at least make a very good point. Does Disney have it in for anime? Are they trying to oust out any competition in order to be the only game in town? Is anime good for nothing but to rip off when it pleases, changing stories to make them more "family oriented"? If an animated film can't sell toys, does it fail in Disney's eyes?

Admittedly, Spirited Away and Mononoke Hime weren't what you could call commercial fare. Their complex plot and their lack of good vs. evil, which are the hallmark of good anime everywhere, are not something that you can make toys to fit in happy meals for. However, does that make it worthless to try a full release? Must they be stuck to straight-to-video or art house showings? Is the movie watching crowd really going to object that badly if Disney TRIED a full release of a movie? Sometimes I wonder. Lilo And Stitch impressed the critics greatly, admiring the lack of sugary plot and cutesy singing. Come to think of it, Lilo And Stitch is a major departure from regular full release Disney fare. Are they doing it on purpose to prime a market for the next step of a Miyazaki release? Or is this just wishful thinking?

I have a friend of mine who loves Disney. He's a good guy with a solid head on his shoulders. He's also an anime fan. His defense, when we've had this conversation, is advertising common sense. He's argued before that whereas such films have good plots and good animation, there is still the seemingly never-ending stigma of "animation is for kids". Therefore, Disney wouldn't risk losing money on a film that can't be predominately marketed to kids when that mentality is so strong in the United States. Admittedly, it IS still true, no matter how much we wish it otherwise. Although anime has made inroads into the US, it is only very recently has that stereotype had a very large crack put in it by a solid steel anime bat-swing. So in harsh reality it makes sense for something like Spirited Away to be ignored and Lilo And Stitch hyped. Money is what companies look at, what they make their decisions on. "Spirited Away" had the highest ranking of 15th at the box office after all was said and done. 15th. But that 15th was fantastic for the almost non-existent advertising and small theatre showing it got. They pulled those numbers from fans who wanted to go see anime in the theatre.

Spirited Away is a long shot for Academy Award this year, but not impossible. What we need to do is keep trying, keep going to these films that get released. If you know of an anime film in theatres you like, grab your family, your friends and drag them to see it. If you have to, explain the needed back-story on your way to the theatre. If we wish to see the success continues we need to have those "butts in seats" numbers grow. We need to show these companies that the risk can be made.

If we grouse we need to be there to back it up with an $8-10 movie ticket.

Haven't seen Spirited Away yet? The original, Japanese DVD version of Spirited Away (originally titled Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) with English subtitles is available here from Akadot Retail.

Also, check out Akadot Retail's line of Spirited Away merchandise and books here available for order.