Disney to team with Japanese companies to produce animated films

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOKYO - Entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. will team up with several Japanese companies to produce animated features in Japan, a leading market for such films, a Disney official said Thursday.

Disney will work with Toei Animation Co., Madhouse Co. and Jinni's Animation Studios, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Nikkei, Japan's leading business newspaper, reported the move is aimed at bolstering Disney's efforts to gain wider acceptance of its animated programming in Asia. The company official declined to provide details.

With Madhouse, Disney will produce a TV program "Stitch!," an offspring of the Lilo & Stitch series, to be aired in Japan, the official said. With Jinni, Disney will make a short animation film "Fireball," she said.

The official could not provide further details on programming, referring queries to a public relations official who was not immediately available.

The Nikkei said the partnerships would allow Disney to tap local talent and computer graphics technology to produce programs targetting audiences in Japan and elsewhere in Asia.

These programs will be broadcast via satellite and terrestrial channels but Disney will also look into delivering content to mobile phones, the report said.

Disney has its own animation and movie channels in more than 100 countries, including Japan, where it launched Disney Channel in 2003. The company also started offering a cellular phone service this month.

The Nikkei said Toei Animation will tap Disney's distribution network to expand its overseas reach.

Disney, based in Burbank, Calif., will continue to look for partners but it doesn't have plans for any acquisitions or capital tie-ups for now, the Nikkei said.

For Disney, a longtime producer of hit shows in the United States, this will mark the first time it has gone offshore with the core production processes for major programs, the report said.

The studio has tried to penetrate the global animation market by exporting programs but has concluded production should be localized from scratch so its shows will be widely accepted in different countries and cultures, Nikkei reported.

© The Canadian Press, 2008