Hiro11

The early reviews from the Venice festival are trickling in on this one, it's being called a masterpiece:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main...iyazaki131.xml

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...251&&rid=11566

I can't wait.

McHawkson

Looks interesting...

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Giles

the 14th of August couldn't come any sooner - could it?

Supermallet

Here's hoping LA gets the film with subtitles.

Edit: Although I might see it in English as well just to hear Tina Fey.

RocShemp

Jason Bourne and Brian Mills in one movie?

Who are Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas?

Rypro 525

brother of miley i assume and some offshoot jonas bro i guess

rexinnih

Here's hoping we get it up here in Seattle with subtitles! I'll wait for the DVD to hear a dub.

slop101

It' an animated film. English and Japanese are both dubs.

Michael Corvin

It's pretty sad that this needs to be pointed out.

The Bus

For the most part, Japanese voice acting in anime is far, far superior to English voice acting.

Supermallet

Not only that, but Miyazaki is directly involved in the Japanese language track, whereas he is not (AFAIK) involved with the English language track. And the subtitles are almost always more accurate than an English dub. So there are reasons to see the subtitled version.

Ash Ketchum

Ditto. In Japan, they treat voice dubbing of anime as real acting.

The only celebrity voice English dub of an anime that I like better than the Japanese track is found in STEAMBOY (2004), which had Patrick Stewart, Alfred Molina and Anna Paquin playing three generations of a scientific family. And it was set in Victorian England, so those voices made sense. And that wasn't even a Miyazaki film. (It was by Katsuhiro Otomo, writer-director of AKIRA.) In terms of Miyazaki dubs, the only one I have any real affection for is the French dub of PORCO ROSSO, in which Jean Reno dubs the main character. (Michael Keaton did it, rather lifelessly, for the English dub.) Since the film is set in Italy on the Adriatic sea, it's kind of a nice fit.

Michael Corvin

I doubt anyone listed on that poster will just blindly read her lines if they are in broken English. This doesn't seem like your run of the mill dub, they have a couple of Oscar winners and nominees, a couple of writer/actors, etc.

It could still just be a paycheck for some but that is a hefty list of actors that would have to overlook a poor translation.

RichC2

Don't think anyone was complaining about a poor translation, just dull acting.

Most of the Disney->Ghibli dubs have been good for english dubs but still paled to their original releases, this includes: Princess Mononoke (Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Keith David, Minnie Driver, Jada Pinkett Smith, Billy Bob Thornton), Laputa: Castle in the Sky (James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill), and Howl's Moving Castle (Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer, Jena Malone, Billy Crystal).

Supermallet

Disney does get some great names for the Ghibli dubs, which is why I even bother to listen to them. But the Japanese track is an integral part of the original film and the way I like to experience it first.

slop101

I fail to see how someone can get this "integral part" of the film, if they don't even understand the fucking language. It's one thing with live action films where you see the actual actors, but in a dub, how the hell can someone discern the intention of the "acting" or cadence of communication in a language they don't understand? A lot of what is intended in a voice performance is lost to the foreign ear. That's my take anyways.

RichC2

You can still detect emotion: excitement, despair, etc; in voices even if you don't necessarily understand them. At least, it's easier when directly compared to a flat delivery. Or a strong deep voice vs. a frilly sissy one.

Ash Ketchum

You should watch more anime. Classic anime. In Japanese! I recommend WICKED CITY (1987) for the quality of the voice acting of its two leads. Then compare the English dub and you'll see what I mean. Just because you don't understand the language doesn't mean you can't feel the emotions. Even withheld ones.

The Bus

If just reading something intelligibly was all that was needed for adequate voice acting, then all you'd need would be a text-to-speech robot. One of the reasons Futurama is so stellar is because they use real voice actors, not celebrities.

Supermallet

Right! And is it such a crime to want to hear the actors who have actually been directed by Miyazaki versus some dude whose job it is to record the voices for the English dub? I don't understand why Slop is taking such offense to the idea that some of us feel that hearing the original voice acting is an important part of the experience. If he doesn't care, it's no skin off my nose. But somehow, if I do care, it's unfathomable to him.

I think Futurama is a good comparison. Would that show be half as funny if it were dubbed in Spanish by actors just reading it by rote? Or, hell, even with actors who try to emote? The voices help shape the characters.

parrotheads4

I like dubs. If I wanted to read I'd get a book.

I realize you can lose some of the tone of a conversation with dubbing, but for me I feel I miss more by having to read. Plus Disney always does a great job.

cungar

I've seen the Japanese version with subs. Pretty spectacular but Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle were both better in my opinion. The animation didn't blow me away quite as much as those two and the story is a little simplistic and derivative (based on The Little Mermaid) for Miyasaki. That said it's an amazing film.

Nick Danger

There is a huge difference between the soundtracks on the DVDs. Compare the English dub with the Japanese original for Kiki's Delivery Service. In the Japanese, there are long stretches without dialogue so you can admire the scenery. In the English dub, that cat never shuts the fuck up!

I guess that Disney doesn't think that their viewers have the attention span of a gnat, because there is no break in the talking, and the script vocalizes everything you see and tells you how you should feel.

English: "Look, a city! We're getting closer! Watch out for the clock tower! Look at all the people. Wow! This is exciting! Do you think they'll like us here?"

Japanese: ". . ."

slop101

There are definitely some bad English dubs out there. And sometimes I do prefer the Japanese tracks - that's not my point. I'm just saying if you don't understand the language, something is still lost in the translation, no matter the intention or authenticity. Do you really disagree with this?

Futurama's a prefect example. If I didn't understand English and watched Futurama subbed into a language I did understan, while I'd still enjoy it, it would lose so much due to the disconnect in translation and culture.

Nick Danger

I get you. I've never understood the international popularity of The Simpsons. The humor is soooo American! But people in other cultures seem to get something out of it.

Yes, I've heard good dubs. I like the ones that translate all the background chatter that never makes it into the subtitles. But I don't trust Disney's treatment of foreign films.