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Well, Ghibli films aren't your typical Disney formulated dreck, which is why they don't do so well in America. Especially riding on Disney's name, people expect it to be some goofy, sappy, kid-friendly romance with lots of spontaneous breaking into song.
But it's just not that. I think the cultural differences, the Animation Age Ghetto and Ghibli being linked to Disney is what kills them in America.
Look at the animated Disney films that didn't follow the usual pattern. Look at the Don Bluth films that didn't rip off Disney's tried-and-true formula. They didn't do well. Pixar's raking in the dough for Disney in part due to the novelty of CGI animated films, but I think even that's wearing off.
The fact of the matter is America thinks animation is for kids and Studio Ghibli films are a bit too highbrow for your average toddler.
Really, I'd love to see Miyazaki films get regular full-on theatrical releases in America. I'd love to see the same thing happen with Mamoru Hosoda films such as Summer Wars. Satoshi Kon's work could have likewise been successful in a full-force theatrical release--except for this one little fact: the vast majority of America assumes that 2D cel animation = FOR KIDS ONLY.
Do you think Avatar would have done as well as it did if it wasn't CGI, but traditional 2D cel animation?
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