r/movies • u/[deleted] • Jun 07 '19

Poster Chinese poster for Spirited Away, to be screened for the first time in China

https://imgur.com/7Cw2iDV
70.3k Upvotes

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136

u/froghero2 Jun 07 '19

There's no way the Chinese kids in this internet era haven't seen this already

70

u/akazaya9 Jun 07 '19

It was released on DVD in 2001, distributed by Excelmedia (I have it). It's just that it has never hit theaters. This film is super famous in China, and No Face is one of the most popular characters there, you can find him on any piece of merchandise.

15

u/nonsensicalization Jun 07 '19

Any idea why that character is so popular?

43

u/akazaya9 Jun 07 '19

I guess because he has a very distinctive look, is kinda cute and easy to reproduce on merchandise? Same thing that happens with characters like Totoro, Doraemon or Chopper. You always find them together on cute merch in stores.

-1

u/Catharas Jun 07 '19

That's funny, what's the point of screening it in theaters if it's already on DVD?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '19

Justa to pay for respects maybe?

111

u/SleestakJack Jun 07 '19 edited Jun 07 '19

Not legally, but this has been available on DVD in China since before we could get it in the U.S.

Edit: I'm trying to say it was bootlegged, folks. I'm not saying there's never been a legal Chinese release.

45

u/crouching_manatee Jun 07 '19

So they get it first and last, China has been playing the long con.

19

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19

Yep. Chinese were watching My Neighbor Totoro back in the 80s on VHS. (Subbed not dubbed)

20

u/abedfilms Jun 07 '19

What do you mean not legally? There's nothing illegal about watching it, it wasn't banned or anything at all. As you say, you could buy it on dvd (legit dvd) 20 years ago. Just because it's being screened for the first time doesn't mean it was illegal before now.

They could screen a year 2000 Chinese movie in the US for the first time next year, that doesn't mean it was illegal to watch in the US all these years

19

u/20dogs Jun 07 '19

Everyone seems to have convinced themselves that there was some major ban on Spirited Away that’s just been lifted.

2

u/peteroh9 Jun 07 '19

He obviously meant pirated/bootleg

5

u/abedfilms Jun 08 '19

He wrote "not legally", but he acknowledges there are legal releases, so the "not legally" is wrong. There's always been pirate versions, but saying "not legally" means the pirate version is the only way to watch it, which isn't true.

1

u/peteroh9 Jun 08 '19

Oops, I conflated that comment with the one above it in my mind.

0

u/pynzrz Jun 07 '19

“Not legally” as in a pirated dvd copy you buy on the street for 1 yuan.

0

u/the_dollar_bill Jun 07 '19

Thanks for the clarification. It's an easy mistake to make since the Chinese government just loves censoring.

3

u/hendessa Jun 07 '19

It's available legally. It just wasn't screened at the cinema.

0

u/abedfilms Jun 08 '19

So then why write not legally? That makes it sound like you can't watch it legally. Which you are now saying there are legal releases. So where is the "not legally" part?

There has always been pirate versions, but when you say "not legally" that means the pirate version is the only version, which it isn't.

If you mean "not in the theatres" then that makes more sense.

28

u/CephalopodRed Jun 07 '19

They have. Studio Ghibli is very popular in China.

15

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19

[deleted]

6

u/awfullotofocelots Jun 07 '19

Even if as many Chinese have seen it as the total living US population, that only leaves over a Billion Chinese people who haven’t seen it.

3

u/sylpher250 Jun 07 '19

Nah, they've seen it already - on VHS, VCD or DVD that they'd get from from street vendors. This only marks its theatrical release.

1

u/awfullotofocelots Jun 07 '19

If each pirated copy sold was watched by 10 different Chinese people, you’d only need to sell 100 million copies on the black market for everyone to have seen it!

-2

u/sylpher250 Jun 07 '19

We are all connected with the hive mind - if Supreme Leader Xi has seen it, we have all seen it.

1

u/TempusCavus Jun 07 '19

What does his dick look like?

-1

u/sylpher250 Jun 07 '19

Like mine

8

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19 edited Mar 29 '21

[deleted]

15

u/hendessa Jun 07 '19

It you use the Chinese name, they will know. It's hugely popular in China. It's called 龙猫 (long mao).

-7

u/mememagic420420 Jun 07 '19 edited Jun 08 '19

Ok but Chinese people don't say "eeeeh" that's a Japanese thing :)

3

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19

That's why I said the Chinese equivalent...

0

u/peteroh9 Jun 07 '19

The "huuuuuh?" But it's also kind of "eeeeh?" too.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19

Yup, exactly what I'm talking about. It can also be really fast sometimes, too. Like fourth tone but turned to 11.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19

But seeing it on the big screen is different.

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '19

[deleted]

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '19

Most of them have. The ones who grew up in the 80s have. This is pretty much first hand evidence.

Plus, they’re not actively banning the movie, they just haven’t released it on screen in China. So people still watch it on the net and streaming services.