“Hi
I’m a huge fan of the work of Pixar and Studio Ghibli, both of which are distributed in the UK by Disney. I am keenly looking forward to seeing Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D, although it would appear that, unlike the US where these are being shown as a double feature, I will have to pay twice to see the two films in the UK. This seems typical of the disdain with which Disney treats it’s UK fans.

We are still waiting for the release of Up here in the UK, 5 months after it’s release in America. Similarly, Ponyo, Ghibli’s latest release, comes out in the UK, 7 months after its premier and 6 months after the English language version was first released in America.

If we look back through the last few Pixar and Ghibli releases, we see a similar pattern.

Up – 5 month delay
Howls Moving Castle – 3 months
Spirited away – 12 months
Ratatouille – 4 months

Admittedly, Wall-E and Cars both bucked the trend by coming out just a month after their US release, which is more normal for most other films. I really cant see the reason there is such a delay.

I understand the logistics of film companies reusing the film for different countries, so UK gets the second hand film once America is finished with it, (which incidentally means we tend to see films which are already covered in scratches and marks) but my understanding is that this argument does not apply with digital projectors. Also, most other mainstream films reach the uk no more than a month or two after the US release. An increasing number are released worldwide on the same day. If other studios can manage it, why can’t Disney?

In the old days, where you had to focus marketing to build hype in each separate country for the film, it made sense to stagger releases, but in the days of the internet, the whole world gets to see the trailers and advertising which is meant for America. More importantly, with file sharing being rife, surely it’s in your best interest to give fans a legitimate avenue to see your films as early as possible? I would never download a pirate copy of a Pixar or Ghibli film since seeing the amazing visuals on the big screen is a large part of the experience, but I would imagine it’s harder for parents where their children have seen the trailers online and don’t understand why they can’t go and see the film yet. Five months is a long time for a child. Most young parents grew up with file sharing technology so I could imagine the temptation is there to download the film to allow their child to see it. A temptation which wouldn’t be there if Disney just released their films on a better schedule to begin with.

I’d be interested in your thoughts and explanations on the points I have raised. I will remain a fan, but it doesn’t mean I’m not annoyed!”

I’ll update the post if they ever deem fit to get back in touch.