迪士尼大打本地牌

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%.

华特-迪士尼公司(Walt Disney Co.)即将在日本推出其影片《星际宝贝》(Lilo & Stitch)的电视版，但片中的夏威夷孤儿莉萝(Lilo)将被家住冲绳一个热带岛屿的日本女孩“华子”(Hanako)取代。

迪士尼此举是迎合当地口味的大胆尝试，该公司还表示将与日本动画公司合作推出适合当地市场的内容。对于一个长久以来依靠米老鼠和唐老鸭等彻头彻尾的美国偶像吸引全世界影迷的公司而言，这无疑是一个重大变化。

迪士尼驻东京的管理人员说，上述举措是这家美国娱乐巨头首次在美国之外制作重要的电视内容。这凸显出美国公司已纷纷致力于设计能引起其他文化共鸣的角色，而不是简单地给好莱坞制作的节目加上外语配音。

迪士尼驻东京的管理人士说，与日本的制作公司合作也让迪士尼得以利用日本在动画方面的专长，令日本成为创造新角色的试验场。

广告迪士尼日本公司的总裁保罗•康德兰(Paul Candland)在一份声明中说：“让内容符合市场是绝对必要的。”该公司表示，会考虑将在日本制作的节目推向其他亚洲国家。

这档名为“Stitch”的日本节目是与位于东京的动画公司Madhouse Co.联手制作，预计将在10月在日本迪士尼的有线频道首播。片中主角是长着漂亮的大耳朵的蓝色外星人和他的日本玩伴华子，后者住在日本南部冲绳群岛中的一个虚构小岛上。

动画制作者们还在对华子的外表进行最后的确定，但管理人士表示，她会“非常具有日本特色”。迪士尼还在策划一部科幻片，名为“Fireball”，主角是两个机器人管家。

自首席执行长鲍勃•艾格(Bob Iger) 2005年接掌位于加州伯班克的迪士尼后，在引进的美国影片中加入当地制作的内容就成了迪士尼国际业务的一大创举。

本月初，迪士尼在日本与东京的运营商Softbank Mobile Corp.联手推出了手机业务，极力宣扬本地开发的手机铃声、视频和游戏。迪士尼还在日本现有的移动运营商网络中推出了近90个手机网站，并在东京之外有两家广受欢迎的主题公园，由一家日本公司经营。

迪士尼还在中国大力扩张业务，去年推出了第一部专门针对中国市场的影片。今年2月，它又为香港迪士尼乐园加上了一点当地特色，其众多人物中多了一个长胡子的中国财神，还让米奇和米妮穿上特别的服装迎接中国春节。

在美国经济前景黯淡之时，海外收入的增长对迪士尼来说就显得至关重要，不过这家公司似乎暂时抵御住了滑坡的压力。

上个月，迪士尼宣称，10至12月当季的净利润较上年同期下滑了27%，原因是此前一年的同期销售收入十分强劲，但其主题公园丰厚的广告收入和优良业绩令总收入增加了9%。