Most American Anime fan's fascination with Japanimation no doubt stems from the Disney movies that have dominated American Cinema for many years. I know that this is true for myself. But it has recently been indicated by Disney that they will end the production of their films in traditional 2D format and will switch to computer graphics, probably in response to the much newer Pixar.
Disney studio has been slowly changing the style and direction with its animation, as Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Lilo and Stitch have demonstrated. While Lilo and Stitch proved to be sufficiently successful, the young male audience it targeted with Atlantis failed to attract the full attention the studio hoped. Treasure Planet, another animated film targeted at a young male audience, flopped at the box office. And this is sad, given that fact that both films were well constructed.
Despite this, there are many that believe Disney can regain its foothold in the animation industry simply and easily. How? By importing anime films. There is no doubt that anime is rapidly gaining a massive foothold in American cinema and it would be a wise business move for disney to promote some full length anime features. Doing so will allow Disney to gain critical acclaim and it would also allow the company to make millions. Why? Because there is a huge demand for anime on American shores and Disney has the power and reputation to take these anime films to the silver screen.
Disney has already had some experiences with anime films. This can be scene from Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Disney has the technical expertise of Pixar backing them as well as Miramax, which acts as a subsidiary to Disney and could give great advice as far as importing anime films.
Of course, a major studio like Disney is unlikely to embark on a new course simply to please a select group of genre fans. The company has a responsibility to its shareholders to deliver a profit, a factor that no doubt weighed heavily in the decision to suspend its traditional animation efforts.
I personally feel that profit is one of the main reasons why Disney should look overseas in order to bring anime films to the mainstream. For one thing, this would save Disney a tremendous amount of money on the massive cost associated with traditionally producing an animated film.
the American market is already having an influence on Japanese anime studios. A dedicated American audience can breathe life into a struggling anime series on the verge of cancellation. Also, the growing popularity of Manga in the United States is bringing the back the weakened comic book industry.
I personally think that it would be ironic that the very studio that pioneered traditional animation in the United States would decide to turn its back on it. Disney, there is a major opportunity out there, and the opportunity lies in importing anime full length films.
