The comparisons between Disney and Ghibli seem obvious. Both companies have a long history with animation dedicated to a family audience. Both are committed to universal messages and great stories and Both have become the greatest reference in their country. Even so, Miyazaki has always preferred to distance himself from the competition.
At the end of the nineties the studio began to make a name for itself in the West, with titles such as ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ and ‘Princess Mononoke’ obsessing a good number of viewers and gaining a fan phenomenon similar to that of the mouse company. It was then that the Japanese animator began to appear in the American media, and it didn’t take long for them to ask him what he thought of being called “the Walt Disney of Japan”. Spoiler: He didn’t like it very much.
“Walt Disney was a great producer. I’m just an animator. You can’t compare us. It’s apples and oranges. I have no interest in becoming a managing owner. “I’m too busy being an artist.”
Although Miyazaki had served as a producer on some films, in the interview he admitted that he “didn’t do anything.” More specifically, he said that his role was testimonial, and was limited to choosing the director, approving the concept and leaving the rest to his investors.
Miyazaki has not been shy about his opinions on Disney. He then admitted that although they kept sending him tapes of films from the company, he never watched them, and speaking specifically of ‘Pocahontas’, he stated that at Ghibli it was on the table to adapt the same story since it is very popular in Japan, but which they ultimately decided was not interesting for an animated film.
When he finally started watching Disney, some at the company would almost have preferred that he didn’t. In another interview in 2001 he said that although they entertained him, I didn’t find that those stories had great emotional resonanceand when the studio asked him for his opinion on ‘Fantasía 2000’, he didn’t like it so little and it was so negative that his interpreter had to soften his words in the translation. At least it seems that he does like ‘Up’, as he admitted on one occasion. The veteran animator is certainly a difficult audience.
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