Spirited Away Not Dead Yet?

On October 24th, New York Daily News columnist Jack Mathews published an editorial harshly criticizing Disney’s American release strategy for Spirited Away. Mathews has now published a follow-up article with encouraging news for anime fans.

Walt Disney Studios Chairman Richard W. Cook has revealed that plans and resources are still allotted to push Spirited Away into as many as 1000 American theaters. So far, at the height of its American distribution, Spirited Away played in 151 theaters nationwide. The film has received among the most consistently high reviews from professional film critics of any film released in years, so Disney speculates that Spirited Away may have a chance to be nominated for not only the “Best Animated Feature Film” but also “Best Picture” awards at the next Academy Awards ceremony. If the film reaches that level of mainstream recognition, Disney will renew its marketing for the film and send it into nationwide wide release.

Source: Anime News Network