Disney is going OFFSHORE market!

Disney is going OFFSHORE to Produce Animation
By David Nepo Offshore News writer

Disney is eying offshore markets for a long time. Walt Disney Co. the well known entertainment giant will now team up with several Offshore Japanese companies to produce animation for Japan, a Disney official said Thursday [March 13, 2007]. Toei Animation Co., Jinni’s Animation Studios and Madhouse Co. will be working with Walt Disney. This offshore move was aimed at localizing contents of Disney products for a wider audience which fit the Japanese animation market to further boost the popularity of Disney in Japan. With Madhouse, Disney will produce a 30 minute TV program name “Stitch!,” an offspring of the Lilo & Stitch series.

Hanako, who is from Japan will play Stitch’s sidekick in the new show and the story will take place in a southern Japanese island, instead of in Hawaii.
With Jinni’s Animation Studios, Disney will make “Fireball,” a short animation series which will go on air in April 2008 on Disney’s cable channel and Tokyo Metropolitan Television.
A short animation “Robodz” for television with Toei Animation, expected to be aired in June 2008.
Toei Animation was working with Disney seince 2006.

Disney has its own animation channels in more than 97 countries, including Japan, where it launched its first Disney Channel in 2003.
Walt Disney has produced TV series and films in other countries before, but this is the first time Disney is doing every thing with offshore companies.