Saturday, June 2, 2012

Anime, Disney. Disney, Anime: The Bitter Rivalry....

While there are peacemakers working on the Disney / Anime Frontline, such as Studio Ghibli and Pixar, there's really no denying there's some bad blood between Disney and Anime. Between Japanese and American animators. I'd hardly call such a rivalry "good-natured", seeing as it borders on primal tribalism and xenophobic outbursts here and there.

It dates back to as far as WWII, when Disney and anime actually, literally joined the War movement and went to war with one another.

Numerous anti-Nazi, anti-Japanese films were produced by Disney.
Numerous anti-Disney, Anti-American films were made by Japanese studios

And it was ALL Bankrolled and encouraged by (who else?) the opposing governments. Not a pretty scene.

The spirit of said National Animation Rivalry exists to this day among both countries, and is deeply ingrained in the minds of MANY professional and veteran animators and directors in the United States and Japan.

There's some serious animosity there, in that rivalry.

When will the madness end, is what I wonder. WWII ended a long time ago. And Japan has long renounced Nazism and war crimes and is by now a very strong, very open minded American ally.

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