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The Japan Foundation (Jf) launched its new streaming website, Jff Theater, on August 1, 2024, while the new slate of movies will begin streaming on February 1st. Jff Theater distributes Japanese films and other works worldwide, with multilingual subtitles and all free of charge. With this website, Jf endeavors to create a platform where Japanese audiovisual works can be viewed anytime, anywhere.

Jf’s online film-distribution projects, which have so far featured Japanese films and dramas, have been viewed more than 650,000 times in over 130 countries, demonstrating the high level of international interest in Japanese content. In response, Jf has launched the Jff Theater online streaming platform as a way to further popularize Japanese audiovisual works around the world.

With the catchphrase Moved, Touched & Inspired, Jf strives to serve as a bridge between Japan and the world, forging connections and inspiring exchanges between the audience.

What is Jff Theater? Constant Streaming: Enjoy frequent updates of the titles.

Disney is facing a big lawsuit regarding Moana's origins that could be gaining more steam and cost the company a pretty penny!

Right now, Disney is enjoying the big success of Moana 2. Originally intended as a TV show, the sequel to the 2016 hit is hitting a billion dollars at the global box office and is likely to be an awards contender. Yet that success can come with some backlash. 

The biggest right now is it's revived an old legal problem Disney has with someone claiming Moana is ripping off his own work. That person is animator Buck Woodall and the suit is a tad complex. 

At its core, Woodall claims that in 2003, he wrote Bucky, a story about the titular teenager living in a Polynesian island village who goes on a quest that also has him facing parental issues. On his quest, he interacts with various spirits, wears a necklace with special meaning,...

Disney’s The Lion King is often celebrated as a masterpiece of animation, boasting breathtaking visuals, memorable music, and a timeless story of redemption and family. However, a long-standing controversy has been associated with this movie, specifically regarding its originality. Even during its release, many critics and fans argued that Disney’s 1994 blockbuster bears an uncanny resemblance to Osamu Tezuka’s groundbreaking manga and anime Kimba the White Lion.

Disney’s 1994 blockbuster “The Lion King” | Credit: Walt Disney

Osamu Tezuka’s manga Kimba the White Lion; known in Japan as Jungle Emperor, was first published in 1950 and its anime adaptation was broadcast on Japan’s Fuji Television during the 1960s. Despite Disney’s firm denials, the similarities between the two works have fueled debates for decades.

Osamu Tezuka’s Kimba the White Lion: A landmark in animation

Often referred to as the “God of manga”, Osamu Tezuka created Kimba the White Lion...

Anime, a genre that has recently captured the hearts of global audiences, has long served as an inspiration for Hollywood filmmakers, earning them recognition among the greats. 30 years ago, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ The Lion King made its debut in theaters, eventually becoming one of the most successful franchises of all time, spanning film, live theater, streaming, experiences, and beyond.

Simba, Timon, and Pumba iconic Walk | Credits: Walt Disney Studios

Over the years, numerous anime films have not only captivated viewers with their unique storytelling but also inspired adaptations and retellings in some of Hollywood’s most iconic films.

After the immense success of Mufasa: The Lion King, the photo-realistic animated prequel to The Lion King, Disney surpassed the $5 billion milestone, proving the franchise remains beloved by fans worldwide. While Disney’s Lion King franchise continues to break records and win over fans, many are unaware of the controversies regarding...

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion King.Mufasa: The Lion King's villain stands out as a reminder of a long-standing controversy regarding the classic 1994 movie. Though the Disney prequel was largely considered an unnecessary addition to the franchise, Mufasa: The Lion King's reviews highlight its enhanced animation, affecting soundtrack, and, most importantly, a clever story that changes The Lion King canon in the best way. Like Simba's Pride, Mufasa's origin story builds Kiara's family tree and expands on their generational history, this time, focusing on the troubling relationship between Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) and Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) — later, Scar.

However, the movie's main villain is not Scar but a merciless outsider who seeks to kill all lion kings to gain sole power over all creatures. Notably, in Mufasa: The Lion King's ending, Simba's father fights Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) and earns the...

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"The pitch for the story was a lion cub gets framed for murder by his uncle set to the music of Elton John. People said, 'What? Good luck with that.'" That's what producer Don Hahn said to Film School Rejects in 2018 of Disney's 1994 animated classic "The Lion King." It's an odd thing to say, given that it went on to become one of the most successful animated movies of all time. But that's looking back at it with the benefit of hindsight. At the time, it was viewed as a risk by the powers that be. It was a gamble that paid off handsomely, to put it lightly.

At the time, Disney was enjoying a fruitful period known as the Disney Renaissance,...

The BFI today announce full details of a hotly anticipated two-month season dedicated to Anime, running at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX from 28 March – 31 May. Originally planned for summer 2020 as part of the BFI’s major survey of Japanese cinema BFI Japan, the season arrives, at long last, to entertain and delight anime fans and novices alike.

The programme will include:

· A broad mixture of classic films such as Akira, Ghost In The Shell, Belladonna Of Sadness, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Tekkonkinkreet, as well as an early shorts programme spotlighting work from 1917-1946· Previews of new releases including the thrillingly original Inu-oh, high-octane urban fairy tale Bubble and the powerful and thought-provoking short Summer Ghost (2021) followed by a Q&a with director loundraw· Much-loved recent work by major auteurs Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai (Your Name) and the late great Satoshi Kon· A spotlight on emerging female talent Naoko Yamada...

Based on a ’70s manga by Japanese master Osamu Tezuka, a bored writer’s affair with his beguiling young muse gets the live-action treatment in “Tezuka’s Barbara.” Primarily concerned with the story’s excursions into erotic surrealism and the occult while playing down its social and political themes, this handsomely packaged item isn’t deep or meaningful but does present a visually arresting account of middle-aged male ennui colliding with uninhibited and irresistible female energy. Sure to be welcomed by Tezuka’s large fan base in Japan, “Barbara” has enjoyed a lengthy festival run since bowing in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival.

One of several adults-only tales by the legendary creator of children’s classics “Astro Boy” and “Kimba the White Lion,” “Barbara” first appeared in Big Comic magazine in 1973 and was long considered unfilmable. It has finally been adapted by Tezuka’s eldest son, Macoto Tezka, a highly...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSJia Zhangke on the set of So Close to My LandThe latest from Jia Zhangke film is entitled So Close to My Land, an eight-chapter documentary that follows "esteemed Chinese writers Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua and Liang Hong" across four provinces. Jia also notes that the film is "an Eisenstein-styled film, with great subjective influence." Russian Ark filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov has announced that he is shutting down his film foundation Primer Inotnatsii, which supports young Russian filmmakers, in response to pressure from Russia's culture ministry and a lack of funding. The organization helped producer Kantemir Balagov's Closeness, which Mubi premiered in May.Recommended VIEWINGThe first trailer for Takashi Miike's First Love, which follows an orphaned boxer caught in a turf war between Japanese yakuza and Chinese gangs. Read editor Daniel Kasman's review of the film here.

Walt Disney was a canny marketer, cycling his films in and out of release, on and off television, through the years, recognizing it would appear fresh to younger viewers and fondly recalled by those at later stages in their lives. That practice has continued into the world of home video with the films on rotation and we’re now getting The Lion King: The Circle of Life Edition after having received Masterpiece Collection, Platinum Edition and Diamond Edition. The new edition is already available as Digital HD and hits disc today.

An interesting thing to consider about the story itself is that Simba is being trained by his father to one day succeed him as King. This connection with a parent and this effort towards being prepared to rule is entirely absent from any of the Disney Princess films.

Of course, the movie is a wildly entertaining musical which...

In 1927, a German director Fritz Lang created the first sci-fi/futuristic movie "Metropolis" that later was the inspiration of the Ridley Scott movie "Blade Runner" and the classic Japanese anime movie "Ghost In The Shell". In 1945, a young Manga painter and writer Osamu Tezuka made his own version of  "Metropolis" in a trilogy comic book, "Metropolis", "Lost World", and "New World" but the trilogy remained unfinished when he instead started to work on "Astroboy" and even today the Metropolis manga book is still incomplete. During the 60s, Tezuka San was working on anime tv series "Astroboy" and "Kimba the White Lion" with the director Rintaro and writer Katsuhiro Otomo. In the late 70s Rintaro was scheduled for his first feature film, and he asked...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

From Marine Boy and Thundercats to Cities Of Gold and Akira, we look at the TV shows and movies that introduced the UK to Japanese anime

One evening in 1994, the BBC screened a documentary simply called Manga. Presented by Jonathan Ross, it showcased the rising popularity of Japanese animation, largely focusing on the output of Manga Entertainment, whose dubbed VHS releases had made a huge impact on anime fans and caused a certain amount of consternation among the mainstream press.

For British viewers, the anime boom took a long time to arrive. In America, Japanese shows like Kimba The White Lion, Gigantor and Astro Boy were a common sight on television in the 1960s, yet it took until the late 70s and 80s, and a string of European-Japanese co-productions, before anime finally began to find a hold on UK television.

As a youngster at the time, I didn't necessarily know...

Warner Archive, the really cool digital library for Warner Bros and its vast array of titles, has a series of new DVD releases coming this fall for the discerning comic book fan and the lover of old school television fare.

Pre-orders are now open for Warner Archive Collection’s Blu-ray™ release of Beware The Batman: Dark Justice. Featuring the final 13 episodes of the groundbreaking, all-new CGI series’ first season, the single-disc Blu-ray™ will be released on September 30. Beware The Batman: Dark Justice pits Batman, Alfred and swordstress Katana against the underworld likes of Anarky, Professor Pyg, Mister Toad and Magpie. Over the final 13 episodes, the rogues gallery expands with appearances by Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Deathstroke and more. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, this action-packed detective thriller deftly redefines what we have come to know as a ‘Batman show.”

Here’s a glance at other animated offerings now available...

Making movies is hard. We should know – we write articles about them and we imagine actually making them is two, maybe three, times as hard (Ok, maybe a lot more).

There’s so many things to be dealing with, ranging from making sure catering are going to be able to provide a varied diet for the crew and that you have actors who can give the work the depth it requires. Of course, it’s very easy to take the easy route – make a product placement deal with Dominos that sees pizzas delivered to the set every day and hire Nicolas Cage.

The one place you’d imagine films wouldn’t skimp is in the creative department. The purpose of the whole enterprise is, after all, to make something entertaining for the audience. Except too often an overt focus on money takes over and a film simply steals entire swathes...

It was 20 years ago this month that the popular Disney film The Lion King was released. The film is well loved, especially by children. But it’s been accompanied by controversy ever since its release, due to charges that it stole much of its content and look from the Japanese anime/manga series Kimba the White Lion.

The Lion King was critically acclaimed when it was released in June 1994, and it won a Golden Globe for Best Musical feature. It became the highest grossing 2-D animated American film ever and is the fifth highest grossing animated film world-wide. But did you know that the Lion King was accused of intellectual theft by the creators of the anime Kimba the White Lion, who claim that Disney stole their plot, characters, and even much of their animation style? Some of you may have heard about this already. For the rest of you…...

It was 20 years ago this month that the popular Disney film The Lion King was released. The film is well loved, especially by children. But it’s been accompanied by controversy ever since its release, due to charges that it stole much of its content and look from the Japanese anime/manga series Kimba the White Lion.

The Lion King was critically acclaimed when it was released in June 1994, and it won a Golden Globe for Best Musical feature. It became the highest grossing 2-D animated American film ever and is the fifth highest grossing animated film world-wide. But did you know that the Lion King was accused of intellectual theft by the creators of the anime Kimba the White Lion, who claim that Disney stole their plot, characters, and even much of their animation style? Some of you may have heard about this already. For the rest of you…...

Sure, you've seen "The Lion King" dozens of times. You own the soundtrack and you've caught the Broadway show. Maybe you even had "Lion King" sheets and went to bed singing "Hakuna Matata."

And what "Lion King" fan doesn't know about the scene where stars supposedly spell out "Sex"? We bet there are still some things you didn't know about the beloved Disney classic, which turns 20 on June 15.

1. When writer Irene Mecchi was hired, she was told that the story pitch was "'Bambi in Africa' meets 'Hamlet,'" so she started calling it "Bamlet."

2. Disney believed that "Pocahontas" (which came out in 1995) would be the bigger, more prestigious film and put all its key animators on it instead. Story artist Brenda Chapman (who went on to direct "Brave" and "The Prince of Egypt") thought the story "wasn't very good" and writer Burny Mattinson declared, "I don't know who is...

The first wave of anime to arrive in America was usually found in syndication, filler in the mornings and afternoons for the off-network stations in the New York area. It all started with Astro Boy but was quickly followed by Eighth Man and Gigantor, Kimba the White Lion to the Amazing Three. And then there was Marine Boy, the first of the color animated series to be broadcast in America. In his native Japan, the name translated to Undersea Boy Marine and was therefore Americanized.

Produced by Minoru Adachi and Japan Tele-Cartoons, there were 78 episodes in total and the first season or 26 episodes, have now been collected by Warner Archive, which is fitting since Warner was the company to distribute the series back in the 1960s.

Sometime in the future, there lived a boy, maybe 15, remarkable enough to serve as a full-fledged agent of the Ocean Patrol. Their mission was...

Exclusive: Black Jack is coming to a TV near you. Entertainment One has acquired the worldwide rights to a television series based on the popular Japanese manga. The La/Toronto-based indie studio, that produces ABC’s Rookie Blue and distributes AMC’s The Walking Dead, plans a possible live action series of the classic 1970/80s comic by Osamu Tezuka. Taka Ichise and Doug Davison, who worked together on Western adaptations of the Japanese movies The Ring and The Grudge, will executive produce the series for eOne. Dave Brown and Zadoc Angell of Artist International, who packaged the project, will also executive produce. Michael Rosenberg, Jen Chambers and Adam Blumberg will oversee the show on behalf of the indie studio. Since its first appearance in Japan in 1973, the Black Jack series has followed the adventures of its doctor/detective title character against terrorists and a global conspiracy. The Black Jack manga...

This list looks at all those movies that have a touch of the familiar about them. Ever watch a film and think, “hey, I’m sure I’ve seen this before”, yet you know you haven’t?

In some instances to suggest a film is a rip-off may be a touch accusatory, in other cases maybe not so much. Some filmmakers might apply the term “borrowed” more liberally than others. Maybe the similarity is just pure coincidence, then again, maybe it isn’t. So it’s important to establish some parameters.

To suggest a film is a rip-off or unofficial remake is to suggest that it is so close to the source material it feels like it must have been in the filmmaker’s mind when making it, subconsciously or otherwise. Perhaps another film’s winning formula hadn’t gone unnoticed by studio heads resulting in an overly familiar though perhaps tad unoriginal effort.

Hugo Glendinning ‘TeZuKa,’ inspired by Japanese cartoonist Osamu Tezuka, is on tour in Asia and Europe this year.

Streams of black ink drip down scroll-like screens, dancers mimic the strokes of a paintbrush and Shaolin monks play-fight. Set to a haunting score, these are just some of the scenes in the anime-inspired dance performance “TeZukA.”

The production tours across Europe and Asia this year, and brings to life the genre of comic books from Japan known as manga. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui,...

The second age of Disney greatness made raising children in the 1990s a real treat. Taking youngsters to an animated film recreated some of the magic the parents experience when they were first brought to the theater. To its credit, Disney continued to carefully curate its collection of classic films, filling in the gaps left by the far more mediocre fare that marked the 1970s and 1980s. Interestingly, one of those final films was where one of the current age’s greatest was born.

I still remember sitting in the theater with the kids and saw the trailer for The Lion King, which consisted of the opening song, a gutsy move but a brilliant one. Everything you needed to know was present; the sheer majesty of the animal kingdom, the quality of the animation and color palette, and the amazing score.

The fourth film from the Jeffrey Katzenberg/Michael Eisner regime,...

What do you get when you mix bored animators with conspiracy theorists? – Hidden subliminal messages in Disney movies. It’s regularly suggested that the House of Mouse snuck various innuendos and obscenities into their animated family output. And you know what, sometimes it’s true…

The Rescuers (1977)

One of the few confirmed examples of hidden smut within a Disney flick, although it took more than two decades to identify. For it was only on the 1999 home entertainment release of The Rescuers that a blink-and-you’d-miss-it glimpse of a topless woman was identified in two non-consecutive frames, during a sequence in which the vermin lead characters are flying through the city on the back of an albatross.

Consequently it was Disney which was forced to play the part of rescuer, as it recalled more than 3 million video editions of the offending movie.

Aladdin (1992)

“Good teenagers, take off your clothes.” Exsqueeze me?...

Best known for creating Astro Boy, Kimba The White Lion, Phoenix and Black Jack, Osamu Tezuka was the father of Japanese manga and anime. His other work Buddha was loosely based on the life story of Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, and won the Eisner Comic Award in 2004 and again in 2005. It has now been adapted into an animated film composed of three parts. Looking at the new trailer, one word comes to mind - 'epic'. And those of you living in New York are so lucky, because you will be able to catch Buddha: The Great Departure at the upcoming Nyaff 2011! Video  ...

In his latest World Cinema column, Nick looks back at the work of legendary Japanese animator, Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy…

When we think of Japanese animation, we normally think of two distinct branches, the gorgeously sumptuous delights of Studio Ghibli, or the more visceral thrills of anime. Both could be technically considered one and the same, but to the broader international audience, I think they would be considered separate.

Both demand appreciation from film fans and both have their following, in Japan and internationally. Barring the obvious differences between styles and general content, you could argue the main point of separation between the two is authorship. While Studio Ghibli is synonymous with Hayao Miyazaki and is often considered one and the same, anime is a much more open and far-ranging proposition.

There are numerous studios, including Madhouse (famous for Ninja Scroll and Trigan), Tms Entertainment (Akira) and Production I.G.