Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki smiles as he is interviewed at a special screening of the animated movie "Ponyo" at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California July 27, 2009.
BEIJING, Aug. 12 -- The "Walt Disney of Japan" Hayao Miyazaki's latest movie "Ponyo" is to be released on Friday in the United States, with hopes that it can score with an entirely different audience -- mainstream U.S. movie fans.
Disney has released other Miyazaki films before in the United States and Canada, but has found little success.
In 2003, Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" hauled in only 10 million U.S. dollars at U.S. and Canadian box offices, though in elsewhere around the world, it made 265 million dollars. In 2005, his "Howl's Moving Castle" made only 4.7 million dollars in ticket sales in U.S. and Canada.
For "Ponyo," Disney went Hollywood with a Miyazaki film by enlisting stars Tina Fey, Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett to provide the voices in a bid to bolster the movie's appeal.
Moreover, the studio's chief creative office and Pixar whiz, John Lasseter, who is considered a master of computer animation having directed "Toy Story," "Cars" and other movies, signed up to produce an English-language version.
"I've wanted Disney to distribute all of his films," Lasseter said in an interview,"I want everybody to see all his films, because they're so inventive and fantastic."
(Agencies)
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