Quote:
Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf
Because Ghibli is as mainstream as you can get, as far as Japanese audiences are concerned. And Ghibli movies are comparable to those of Disney, which, to me, are as mainstream as Western animation gets. Both enjoy broad appeal, and not just in their home countries. The common trait they share? An emphasis on universal themes, which, unsurprisingly, could be considered bland and not innovative by some.
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Just to illustrate the post above, the difference is almost entirely marketing (over a long period of time). Ghibli movies enjoy "broad appeal" --
among those who give it the chance. But the amount of theatres willing to screen a Ghibli movie in North America anyway are only a tiny fraction of what would air a Disney movie,
even though both are distributed by Disney in those markets. Even though Spirited Away won an Academy Award, it still has less awareness than pretty much any other Disney animated feature (whether it won awards or not). Meanwhile, Disney itself has a considerable presence and brand recognition in Japan, and Disney/Pixar movies routinely do quite reasonably there.
So I guess all that to say, though the "broad appeal" may be the same (and you could do one of those "if you liked <x> you'd also like <y>" things and almost certainly be right), the demand and market reach is not equal. If you're going to aim for a market, they have to be there to support you. I think it's not
just creating great works with universal themes that does it (though obviously that is essential too).