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American Animation vs. Japanese Anime Films

What do you guys think is better?

Personally, I think Pixar and Disney kicks any Japanimation company's ass. I know and love Ghibli - Hayao Miyazaki is still one of my idols - but I feel like lately, Pixar has been dishing out some great films filled with imagination and soul.

Ghibli's movies have the same feel over and over again: magical girls, children that can fly, ancient culture being tied into modern day concepts... it's all interesting, but after a while it just becomes the same movie for me. Pixar, on the other hand, has movies based in so many different settings and has so many different characters... UP, for me, really the sealed the deal over American Animation vs. Japanese Anime. And, well, the movies from Disney's Renaissance are still some of my favorite movies, and I'm SO looking forward to The Princess and the Frog.

Those are my thoughts. What do you guys think?

you raise a good point about Pixar,their animation is really quite stunning. i would argue though that generally american movies have much larger budget, it would be interesting to see a japanese animation made with a hollywood budget

for animated movies i would say american, but for tv i say japanese.

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Originally Posted by Firu (Post 742335)

I don't know much about budgets, so I don't really know who uses more money... but I guess that is something to take into consideration.

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Originally Posted by TheLastFortnight (Post 742349)

I'd say the Japanese animated films win hands down, I like some Disney films too, but there's a lot of cliches there, most of them are childish and based in fairy tales, but I love Fantasia though.

I think Ghibli films aren't the only ones out there, they're a bit more ambitious, trying to be artistic and all that, but I think they're great.

The traditional animation technique of Miyazaki and his studio are much more impressive than many of those American CG animations IMO, I think most of those films lack "soul".

Pixar 3D animation aren't bad, but I'm used to see CG cut scenes in games and they're a lot better in technical aspects.

I think in terms of CG the Japanese made some unsurpassable films like Final Fantasy Spirits Within and FFVII Advent Children, if you ask me those are the best CG animated films ever and I'm talking about the technique and not about the story, of course. Pixar's CG compared to those are even "poor" I think...

The reason why I dislike the American animated films are the fact most of them are made for children, especially the Pixar and Disney ones, I mean I don't think they would ever release something like Perfect Blue or Wings Of Honneamise.

It's true, those CG films must've taken a LOT of work to make - but add that to the plot and that character development, and I don think those films were good movies at all. I love watching them just to see the beautiful animation - but the plot really makes me cringe.

That's why I prefer Pixar and Disney movies. From what I've seen, the characters are no beautifully created.

I really disagree about Pixar and Disney movies being made for children. They target children, but can definitely be enjoyed by adults. It's kind of like Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's put up on Nick, but then more adults than expected started watching and enjoying that TV series. Finding Nemo was definitely a film for parents, sending the message out that it's important to know when to let go of their kids. UP was something that elderly adults can definitely appreciate, as it sent out the message that people don't need to travel the world to have a great adventure. All they need to do is experience life.

The only Ghibli film I can agree having soul was Spirited Away. It was definitely very emotionally moving. The others, though, kind of just left me feeling like, "Yay. Happy ending. What else is on?" Spirited Away, most Pixar films, and ALL of the Disney movies from the Renaissance + Tarzan made me bawl like a baby. The Lion King? I don't think it's possible to watch that movie without crying. Ghibli is pale in comparison, I think.

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Originally Posted by TheLastFortnight (Post 742349)

That's almost unfair saying that the Disney movies are made just for kids. The reason why animation in Japan seems to have such a wide age range is because it's apart of their culture. You don't see Mickey Mouse on every building in downtown Chicago, but the chances of seeing an anime character on a name-brand building is pretty high, from what I've heard.

I have never seen an animated movie as moving and powerful as "Grave of the Fireflies" (火垂るの墓)

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Originally Posted by TheLastFortnight (Post 742355)

What are you talking about? If you're talking about the "mature" content I agree, but if you're talking about the franchised products, Disney do the same, I already saw in my country school bags, toys of all kinds and even mouse pads with Disney characters on them.

That's called merchandising, there's merchandise for just about everything. but we don't have Disney characters stamped on buildings.

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Originally Posted by MMM (Post 742354)

I have never seen an animated movie as moving and powerful as "Grave of the Fireflies" (火垂るの墓)

Oh, I'd forgotten about that movie! Yeah, that's definitely one of the most emotionally moving films I've ever seen, American and Japanese.

Other than that and Spirited Away, though, I have to say that I haven't really felt moved by any other Japanese films... unless I'm forgetting something else.

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Originally Posted by TheLastFortnight (Post 742355)

So I have to disagree completely with you, I think most of them are really masterpieces in every possible way and I love Mononoke Hime. I agree that adult people can enjoy those films too, but usually I don't. I hate "Finding Nemo" and "A Bug's Life", I really can't stand them at all. But like I said before I like some Disney films too, especially "Fantasia" and "Fantasia 2000" and I like "Alice In Wonderland" a bit just because I like Lewis Carrol.

Also if you don't know Lion King was ripped of Osamu Tezuka's "Kimba" while "Atlantis" was ripped from "Nadia" from Japanese Studio Gainax and the director of this film was dismissed for this reason.

I like Princess Mononoke too, but mostly because it's beautiful to look at. Other than that, though... well, I kind of think that movie is boring. But, if you didn't like Finding Nemo, then we definitely just don't have the same taste in movies.

I've heard the theory that The Lion King took the idea from Kimba, but when I looked at it, the story line for Kimba and The Lion King was nothing alike. If anything, The Lion King ripped off Hamlet. If people think that The Lion King ripped off Kimba because of the idea of drawing lions - well, I personally think that's a little silly. It's like someone making a movie about birds and then saying, "You ripped off the Fruit Loops mascot!" Lions exist. Anyone can take inspiration from that.

I don't know anything about The Little Mermaid ripping off Nadia, but I do know that it was based on the Western fairytale of The Little Mermaid. In fact, I think it's actually based on a book. So, I don't know anything about that.