Hanako & Stitch

Disney Recasts 'Lilo & Stitch' in Japan
By HIROKO TABUCHI
March 6, 2008 2:47 p.m.

TOKYO -- Walt Disney Co. will soon introduce in Japan a TV version of its movie "Lilo & Stitch," but the Hawaiian orphan Lilo will be replaced by a Japanese girl called Hanako who lives on a tropical island in Okinawa.

In a bold attempt to cater to regional tastes, Disney said it will team up with Japanese animation companies to produce content for the local market -- marking a big change for a company that has long relied on all-American icons like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck to win fans around the world.

The move marks the first time the U.S. entertainment giant produces major TV content outside the U.S., Disney officials in Tokyo said. It underscores a drive among American companies to design characters that resonate in other cultures rather than to simply dub Hollywood-made programs into foreign languages.



Working with production houses in Japan would also allow Disney to tap the country's expertise in animation, making it a testing ground for creating new characters, according to Disney officials in Tokyo.

"Matching content to the market is an absolute must," Paul Candland, president of Walt Disney Japan, said in a statement. The company said it will also consider bringing programs created in Japan to other Asian countries.

The Japanese program, called "Stitch," is co-produced with Madhouse Co., a Tokyo-based animation company, and is expected to debut on Japan's Disney cable channel in October. It stars the perky-eared blue alien and his Japanese playmate, Hanako, a resident of an imaginary island in the southern island chain of Okinawa.

Animators are still finalizing what Hanako looks like, but officials said she'll be "very Japanese." Disney is also planning a sci-fi story starring a pair of robotic butlers called "Fireball."

Adding locally produced content to its imported American fare has been a key initiative for Disney's international operations since Chief Executive Bob Iger took the helm of the Burbank, California, company in
2005.

Earlier this month, Disney launched a cellphone service in Japan with Tokyo-based carrier Softbank Mobile Corp., boasting locally developed ring tones, videos and games. Disney also offers nearly 90 mobile Web sites on existing mobile operators' networks in Japan and has two popular theme parks outside Tokyo that are run by a Japanese company.

Disney has also been aggressively expanding its business in China, last year launching its first movie made just for the Chinese market. In February, it brought a dash of local flavor to its Disneyland in Hong Kong, adding a bearded Chinese god of wealth to its cast of characters and dressing Mickey and Minnie Mouse in special outfits for the Chinese New Year.

Growing revenue from overseas will be crucial for Disney as it weathers a gloomy economic outlook in the U.S., though the company appears to be bucking a slowdown for the time being.

Last month, Disney said that net income in the October-December quarter dropped 27% because of gains from extraordinary sales a year earlier, but that robust ad sales and strong performance at its theme parks lifted revenue 9%.