Ask John: Is Disney/Miramax is Trying to Bury Princess Mononoke?

Question:
Seems to me Disney/Miramax is trying to bury Princess Mononoke. Not only is it in a very limited release, but outside of newspaper articles and ads, there is no public awareness that it is out in theaters right now. I’m in one of the markets where it is showing and have seen absolutely no TV ads or heard any radio spots. My theory is that they want to prove that the Disney formula for animated features is the only formula that will work, so they set this film up to fail by underadvertising and underdistributing it. I think they are afraid of the great reviews it is getting and that if it was to catch on, they might actually start getting competition from other American (or even Japanese) studios that are trying to mainstream something outside of the Disney mold. Conspiracy theory or sad fact?

Answer:
I’ve had that thought briefly, but it seems unlikely to be true given the amount of money that Disney has sunk into the film and the rest of the Ghibli catalog. Also, given the amount of money Mononoke has made already in such limited release, it would seem impossible that Disney could overlook the impact the film is making in the market already. I am, and have been for years, very opposed to the Disney establishment and their insidious marketing tactics, but exactly because of those marketing tactics, I think that Disney will embrace the economic and critical boon that Mononoke will bring them. Once again, though, that’s merely my own personal opinion.