Friday, January 15, 1999
Tiny Toons
MOVIE: UCLA film festival
displays several genres of children’s anime
that gives viewers
unique introduction
to popular, different Japanese animation
By Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Sex and violence. This is what typically comes to the average
American’s mind when they think of Japanese anime. But like
mainstream Hollywood movies, anime comes in all genres ranging from
sci-fi to erotic to screwball comedy to drama. The UCLA Film and
Television Archive in association with the Japan Foundation is
attempting to show the gamut of the art form with their Japanese
animation film festival.
"Magical Boys and Girls," the first segment of the presentation,
which occurs this month, focuses in on children’s animation. Head
of Archive’s programming Andrea Alsberg says that one of the
reasons for showing kids-oriented anime is to break down the
stereotype of anime as being sex and violence.
She also says, "We thought we would start off with this program
because it was what people in America think animation, cartoons,
is. So we would sort of [begin with] the softer animation that
people are more used to in terms of themes and characters.
"I think they’re in many ways more liberal in what they will
allow their children to watch," Alsberg continues. "So some of the
work that we see was made for kids or young teenagers will be part
of the second half along with things that kids shouldn’t see."
Not only does "Magical Boys and Girls" focus on child-oriented
anime, the Archive has centered in around the masters and
forerunners in the industry such as Osamu Tezuka ("Atro Boy" and
"Kimba the White Lion") and Hayao Miyazaki ("My Neighbor Totoro"
and "Kiki’s Delivery Service").
Their unique animation styles and developed characters provide
films that should be both original and fascinating to American
audiences.
"I think what’s interesting about these films as opposed to
American films is one that the plots are slower to unfold," Alsberg
says. "It’s not a boom boom boom, quick cut which a lot of American
animators think kids need. There’s also a comraderie between
character that we don’t normally see. Usually in America there’s
one protagonist.
"I also think that there’s a children’s point of view that’s
very different," Alsberg continues. "The point of view which you
see in American films seems to me so adult. It’s an adult point of
view imposed on kids. (But in Japanese animation) the kids feel
more real to me. The child-like characters feel more real. They
don’t feel like they’re adults in kids bodies. They do kid things
and the animators spend a lot of time showing those kid
things."
Approximately a year ago Alsberg and UCLA Archives programmer
Cheng-Sim Lim became aware of the growing popularity of anime in
the United States. In addition to the numerous cult followings that
have long been in existence, there seems to have been a recent
growth of anime exposure and popularity to a more mainstream
American audience. Recentally "Entertainment Weekly" voted the
Miramax English-dubb of "Kiki’s Delivery Service" as the best video
of 1998.
("Kiki’s," which features the voices of Kirsten Dunst, Phil
Hartman and Janeane Garofalo, was shown last night and will be
screened again this Sunday afternoon.)
Alsberg and Lim thus began the rather difficult task of piecing
together the festival. They ran into several difficulties in
obtaining copies some titles that were either not in existence or
unavailable. The films featured will either be English-dubbed or
with English subtitles and most of the titles will be shown on film
verses videotape. The Archives had hoped of securing the rights to
show other Miyazaki films that Miramax owned, such as "Princess
Mononoke," which is scheduled for the big screen later this
year.
However, the film festival’s selection is still a good mix and
gives the viewer a safe introduction to the unique genre of
children’s anime.
FILM: "Magical Boys and Girls" continues through Thursday
January 28. For more information call 206-FILM.Walt Disney
Enterprises
"KiKi’s Delivery Service," a story about a small witch, will be
shown on Sunday. KiKi is voiced by Kirsten Dunst.
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