Anime-influenced animation

Anime-influenced animation is a type of non-Japanese work of animation that is noticeably similar to or inspired by anime. Generally, the term ''anime'' refers to a style of animation originating from Japan. As Japanese anime became increasingly popular, Western animation studios began implementing some visual stylizations typical in anime—such as exaggerated facial expressions, "super deformed" versions of characters, and white radical lines appearing on the screen when something shocking happens or when someone screams, etc.

Although outside Japan, ''anime'' is specifically used to mean animation from Japan or as a Japanese-disseminated animation style often characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes, there is a debate over whether the culturally abstract approach to the word's meaning may open up the possibility of anime produced in countries other than Japan. Additionally, all these anime-influenced series have become defined as "anime" by some sources, in an attempt to classify all Japanese-anime styled works of non-Japanese origin.

Americas

United States

Television

One of the first noted attempts from American companies on making a series visually inspired by anime was '' The King Kong Show'' in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was the result of a collaboration between Toei Animation from Japan and Videocraft from America. The result was an animation with an anime-like visual style and a Japanese ''kaiju'' theme, that incorporated the cartoonish style of the Hanna-Barbera era in American TV animation. Likewise, note that Hanna-Barbera's earlier series '' Frankenstein Jr.'' was heavily influenced by the '' Gigantor'' anime series, although its art style was more similar to that of other American cartoons of the time. Another early example of this might be '' The Smokey Bear Show'', '' Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero'', and '' Hong Kong Phooey''.

Toei Animation continued this type of collaboration in the ''Transformers'' TV series and its associated film, both of which aired in the 1980s. While ''Transformers'' was co-produced with Toei Animation, who handled several stages of the animation production process, the series was ultimately written in the United States. ''Transformers'' showed many influences and elements of anime including story, themes, and a style that resembled Mecha anime.

This trend continued throughout the 1980s with series like ''Dungeons & Dragons'', '' X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men'', ''Spider-Man'', '' Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'', '' Inhumanoids'', '' Jem'', '' Voltron'', '' Voltron: Fleet of Doom'', '' Defenders of the Earth'', '' The Adventures of the American Rabbit'', '' The Glo Friends'', '' Sky Commanders'', '' Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater'', '' The Real Ghostbusters'', ''Superman'', and '' Police Academy'', all projects that were also co-produced by Toei Animation. Throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, many American shows started to be outsourced to Japanese artists and animators, most notably TMS Entertainment and Sunrise, which animated popular television productions such as '' Inspector Gadget'', '' The Real Ghostbusters'', '' Mighty Orbots'', '' Rainbow Brite'', '' The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers'', '' Bionic Six'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', '' DuckTales'', '' Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'', ''Animaniacs'', ''The Littles'', '' The New Adventures of Zorro'', '' Dennis the Menace'', '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', '' Batman: The Animated Series'', and '' Superman: The Animated Series'', most of which visually or thematically were not reminiscent of Japanese anime. '' TaleSpin'' (the animation was done at Walt Disney Animation Japan) did, however, take inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki's 1989 manga '' Hikōtei Jidai''.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, multiple American cartoons began showing a strong influence from anime without having any Japanese artists directly involved in the project. A few notable examples of this can be seen in the Cartoon Network show '' Dexter's Laboratory'', the ABC show '' Clerks: The Animated Series'', the Nickelodeon shows '' My Life as a Teenage Robot'', '' Invader Zim'' (including its film '' Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus''), and '' Blaze and the Monster Machines'', or the Jetix show '' Yin Yang Yo!''.

At the same time, '' Godzilla: The Series'' is technically an adaptation of the American Godzilla movie, but has plentiful references to the Japanese films and has a more directly anime-looking aesthetic throughout the show. Godzilla himself is made to look more in line with his earlier Japanese design.

'' Return to the Planet of the Apes'', based on the '' Planet of the Apes'' franchise, is an American cartoon series that follows the Vietnam War and Cold War themes prominent in '' Planet of the Apes'' and '' Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' as opposed to the fantasy elements found in later films, of which the cartoon itself has referenced. The animation is designed in such a way that looks somewhat similar to the works of Toei Animation and Madhouse Studios.

American animator, writer, and television producer Butch Hartman, best known for creating the Nickelodeon cartoons '' The Fairly OddParents'', '' Danny Phantom'', '' T.U.F.F. Puppy'', '' Bunsen Is a Beast'', and '' The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish'', has frequently implemented the use of anime elements and references throughout his work, and his animation and character design is characterized by fluid action sequences, large eyes, and exaggerated facial expressions, which is common in a typical anime. Adding onto their closeness to anime, some episodes from '' The Fairly OddParents'' and '' Danny Phantom'' even directly reference anime in some way, particularly parodying styles from '' Hello Kitty'' and '' Speed Racer''.

There are various other notable examples of cartoon series with an strong anime influence, including '' X-Men: The Animated Series'', '' Gargoyles'', '' Æon Flux'', ''The Pirates of Dark Water'', '' The Adventures of T-Rex'', '' Todd McFarlane's Spawn'', '' Samurai Jack'', '' X-Men: Evolution'',Marvel Animation Age Presents: X-Men: Evolution
/ref> '' Metalocalypse,'' (including the film '' Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar'',) ''Teen Titans'', '' Exosquad'', '' Megas XLR'', '' Loonatics Unleashed'', '' The Jackie Chan Adventures'', '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', '' Xiaolin Showdown'', '' Xiaolin Chronicles'', '' Wolverine and the X-Men'', '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', '' Avengers Assemble'', '' Neo Yokio'', '' Seis Manos'', '' Blood of Zeus'', and '' Invincible''.

'' Batman Beyond'' displayed some characteristics of anime; in particular, some of its production processes were outsourced to Japan. Glen Murakami was also a strong influence in inspiring American cartoons with Japanese elements. He animated alongside Bruce Timm on ''Batman: The Animated Series'' and its sequel, ''Batman: Beyond''. Keeping the sharp-edged angular style of Timm and mixing in his own personal influences, the show was given cyberpunk and sci-fi elements with a Japanese twist.

American television producer Sam Register - who created anime inspired works such as '' Ben 10'', its sequel '' Alien Force'', '' Transformers Animated'', '' Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'', '' Beware the Batman'', '' Mike Tyson Mysteries'', '' Unikitty!'', '' Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'' - also worked alongside Murakami to create the ''Teen Titans'' television show in 2003, giving rise to a unique style referred to as "murakanime". In 2004, Murakami also produced '' The Batman'', which showed much stronger anime influence than even its predecessor ''Batman Beyond''. Later, in 2013, Murakami produced ''Teen Titans Go!'', which was given a stronger Japanese influence than even its predecessor, with it animation and visuals being heavily reminiscent of chibis.

'' Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!'' is the first Jetix original show to be produced by Japanese artists and use an anime concept for the characters, including a transformation sequence for the series' main protagonist, Chiro.

'' Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and its sequel series ''The Legend of Korra'' are other examples of American series influenced by anime so heavily that they started discussions among fans and viewers about what anime is and whether a non-Japanese animation should be called anime. ''Avatar'' creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed an anime influence in a magazine interview; that of "Hayao Miyazaki, especially '' Spirited Away'' and ''Princess Mononoke''" as well as '' My Neighbor Totoro''. Other studios from which inspiration was drawn include Studio 4°C, Production I.G, Polygon Pictures and Studio Ghibli.

The same strong resemblance can be seen in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', a reboot of the '' Voltron'' franchise, this time produced completely by American artists. Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos, both known for their work on the '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'' series and its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', served as showrunners while fellow crew member Tim Hedrick served as head writer.

The American sitcom '' The Boondocks'' has many anime-style features and uses Japanese style fighting. It is shown in many scenes, as Japanese sword styles have been used. Additionally, the aesthetics are notably very similar to Japanese animation, due to the series being partially outsourced to Japanese and Korean artists, most notably Madhouse Studios. However, despite this, Madhouse was never credited with its involvement with the cartoon.

'' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' and '' Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' both have many anime-style features, especially through their animation and art style, and as such each of the cartoons have plentiful references, particularly the characters' reaction shots and the fight sequences."Comic-Con: Hulk Smashes New Team Cartoon"
IGN.com. July 23, 2011. ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' and '' Spidey and His Amazing Friends'' both go further with the anime references by including the Japanese chibi on the characters, which occurs throughout the cartoon series; there were multiple episodes that involved the characters becoming exclusively made as chibis similar to the style used in ''Teen Titans Go!'', '' Thundercats Roar'', and '' RWBY Chibi''.

'' Witchblade'' and '' Super Crooks'', from Icon Comics and Top Cow Productions, are both adapted from two separate American comic book series of the same name; ''Witchblade'' is loosely based on the film and television series; ''Super Crooks'' is a spinoff of '' Jupiter's Legacy''. The ''Witchblade ''comic book series was influenced by the magical girls and ecchi genres, which are utilized throughout the animation, whereas the ''Super Crooks'' comic book series and the resulting animated series is often compared to that of '' My Hero Academia''. ''Witchblade'' was released on April 6, 2006, and ''Super Crooks'' was released in Netflix on November 25, 2021. Both animated series were animated by Japanese studios Gonzo and Bones.

The web series ''RWBY'', produced by Texas-based company Rooster Teeth was premiered in July 2013, is produced using an anime-heavily influenced art style and has been referred to as an American anime by multiple sources. For example, when the series was licensed for release in Japan, ''AdWeek'' reported on the situation using the headline "American-made anime from Rooster Teeth gets licensed in Japan". The CEO of Rooster Teeth, Matt Hullum, commented on the licensing agreement, saying "This is the first time any American-made anime has been marketed to Japan. It definitely usually works the other way around, and we're really pleased about that." In 2013, Monty Oum, the creator of ''RWBY'', said "Some believe just like Scotch needs to be made in Scotland, an American company can't make anime because it's impossible at all. I think that's a narrow way of seeing it. Anime is an art form, and to say only one country can make this art is wrong." Furthermore, ''RWBY'' was often dubbed in Japanese version, and even got a 2016 spin-off series '' RWBY Chibi'', which depicts the characters become chibi and depicts them in situations akin to that of typical of Japanese chibi parodies. Eventually, in 2022, ''RWBY'' was given an actual Japanese animation called '' Ice Queendom'', making it one of the very first anime-based cartoons to have actually developed a true Japanese animation based on an American project.

The '' Powerpuff Girls'' cartoon series, as well as its reboot and film adaptation were all heavily influenced and stylized by anime to begin with, with the three main characters being obvious examples. For this, the franchise was revered by not just American viewers, which was its intended target audience, but also Japanese viewers as well. As a result of the cartoon's major popularity in Japan, the show was given an anime spin-off known as '' Z'' that debuted on July 1, 2006. The ''Z'' spinoff is loosely based on the original cartoon, with plot details and characters very similar to their depiction from the cartoon. ''The Powerpuff Girls'' stands as one of the very first anime-based cartoons to have actually developed a true Japanese animation based on an American project.

''Rick and Morty'' was already heavily influenced by Japanese anime, and has multiple references throughout many episodes. Due to the cartoon's resulting popularity in Japan, the series was given an actual anime adaptation, making ''Rick and Morty'' one of the few examples of an American cartoon to have a Japanese anime adaptation. The Japanese version was first released as five short films from March 29, 2020, to November 12, 2021. Each of those short films depict the characters in Japanese settings, ranging from samurai and ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' to even other anime-based projects such as ''Pacific Rim (film), Pacific Rim''. The series aired on Adult Swim starting from August 16, 2024. The series is written and directed by Takashi Sano.

The ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise, despite being an American IP, has been frequently implementing Japanese culture and anime elements since its very inception, mainly due to its ninjutsu and samurai themes. These references have been repeatedly featured in its various media, especially their animated projects, with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series), 1987, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series), 2003, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series), 2012 TV series featuring various anime-inspired aesthetics and moments, some of the most notable examples being seen in the characters' reaction shots and the action sequences. In addition, a parody of the anime series ''Voltron: Defender of the Universe'' was featured show within a show, within the 2012 series throughout its second season, titled ''Super Robo Mecha Force Five!'' The franchise's animated films ''TMNT (film), TMNT'', ''Turtles Forever'', and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'' only further their anime similarities and references by utilizing plotlines akin to that of a samurai cinema, samurai film and isekai, isekai anime. Of all the cartoons, ''Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, its film adaptation are the most strongly influenced by anime visuals and iconography, using imagery and animation similar to that of Japanese studios such as Studio Trigger. Most recently, in 2024, ''Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV series), Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', while a sequel series following ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'', follows the movie's similar anime-style animation formatting. Ultimately, the franchise even has its own anime series, that of ''Mutant Turtles: Superman Legend'', a two-part original video animation made as part of marketing on the success of the 1987 cartoon series. However, until relatively recently, the anime remains obscure and completely unavailable to find on American stores or media sources, therefore it was one of the more lesser known adaptations from the franchise.

''G.I. Joe'', despite it being primarily and notably an American cartoon, film, and toy line franchise, is notable for having quite a handful of anime influences in their animations. The first and most notable example, ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', both the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983 TV series), first and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985 TV series), second seasons, as well as the G.I. Joe: The Movie, film adaptation, were all outsourced in Japan by the studio Toei Animation, who was also known for making ''The Transformers (TV series), The Transformers''. The second, ''G.I. Joe: Sigma 6'', was actually the closest known G.I. Joe property to ever be translated into Japanese animation in any form despite it still being an American cartoon; it was animated by the Japanese studio Studio Gonzo, Gonzo, and it was produced by 4Kids Productions in America. Third, ''G.I. Joe: Resolute'' was a web series produced by Titmouse, Inc., and the animation was noted to be extremely similar to that of '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'' and the works of Madhouse Studios, especially its character designs and fight scenes. Finally, the most recent one to date, ''G.I. Joe: Renegades'', despite it being primarily an American cartoon, had plenty of anime references, particularly its frequent usage of Ninja culture and stylized fight choreography.

''ThunderCats'', both its ThunderCats (1985 TV series), 1985 and Thundercats (2011 TV series), 2011 cartoons, are outsourced and produced by Japanese animators, like that of Studio 4°C, and thus both cartoons have several references to anime all throughout. The most recent one, ''Thundercats Roar, Roar'', made in 2020, even has a chibi-stye animation similar to the style used in ''Teen Titans Go!''.

''Ballmastrz: 9009'' is an American-Japanese television series aired on Adult Swim and its animation produced by Titmouse, Inc., Williams Street, and Studio 4°C. When the animators were discussing the artistic direction of the series, Chris Prynoski, president of Titmouse said that the show's animation was made "like it was drawn by High School kids who try to draw anime". For the ''Ballmastrz: Rubicon'' special, series creator and voice actor Christy Karacas intended for the special to "dive into the actual anime world," using the teams from the Japanese animation studio Studio 4 °C for this express purpose.

The Mexican-American ''Onyx Equinox'', created by Sofia Alexander, and the American ''High Guardian Spice'', created by Raye Rodriguez, are both Western cartoons that were released on Crunchyroll, a streaming platform that typically features Japanese anime shows and manga. Both series are notably extremely similar to Japanese anime, taking visual cues from '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', and ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'', and were also produced by South Korean animation company DR Movie.

Disney Channel and Disney XD's ''Kim Possible'', ''Tron: Uprising'', ''Gravity Falls'', ''Star vs. the Forces of Evil'', ''Amphibia (TV series), Amphibia,'' and ''The Owl House'' are all American-made cartoons, but it is notable for having some obvious anime influences regardless, in part due to the six being partially influenced by anime such as ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Dragon Ball Z'', as well as the animation art style of Hanna-Barbera and Chuck Jones cartoons and the futuristic setting and styling of Tron (franchise), the ''Tron'' franchise; each animation are characterized by large, expressive eyes, colorful hair on several characters (particularly to match the cartoon's otherworldly setting), animation patterns, sleek appearances, fluid movements, and their storylines heavily mirroring that of isekai works. ''Amphibia'', ''Gravity Falls'', and ''The Owl House'' in particular were animated by the collaborations of Rough Draft Korea; a studio known for making many famous cartoons, as well as Sunmin Image Pictures, Sugarcube Animation, Digital eMation and Yearim Productions. ''The Owl House'' creator Dana Terrace had said that the visual style was inspired by paintings by Remedios Varo, John Bauer (illustrator), John Bauer, and Hieronymus Bosch, as well as Russian architecture. James Turner, a British illustrator most well known for his work on the ''Pokémon'' series of games (having created several Pokémon designs and worked as the art director for ''Pokémon Sword and Shield''), provided artwork during the initial stages of ''Amphibia''. ''Amphibia's'' visuals were inspired by Jim Henson's 1982 film ''The Dark Crystal'' and the The Hobbit (1977 film), 1977 animated adaptation of ''The Hobbit''. Also, the look of the ''Tron: Uprising'' series was inspired by ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series), Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', ''ThunderCats (2011 TV series), ThunderCats'', and ''Aeon Flux''. Director Charlie Bean explained 'the idea was to create a distinct style for the CG show not seen elsewhere on television or in film.' To ensure this goal would manifest itself, he worked closely with art director Alberto Mielgo, character designer Robert Valley, who was also the animation artist for the Gorillaz music videos, and lead vehicle designer Daniel Simon, who was previously responsible for many vehicle designs in the ''Tron: Legacy'' feature film, including the light cycles.

''Steven Universe'', as well as its Steven Universe: The Movie, television film adaptation and ''Steven Universe Future, Future'', are notable for possessing anime aesthetics resembling that from ''Dragon Ball Z'' and especially the works of Osamu Tezuka and Harvey Kurtzman. Most notably, the protagonist team, the Crystal Gems, are directly inspired and modeled after magical girls, and there are plenty of references to anime throughout the original and sequel shows. There was even an episode in the fourth season, "Mindful Education", that had animation assistance from Japanese animation company Studio Trigger. Furthering the cartoon's similarity to Japanese animation, the manga series ''Land of the Lustrous'' and its Land of the Lustrous (TV series), television series adaptation animated by Orange (animation studio), Orange are shown to be somewhat based on ''Steven Universe'', particularly in terms of plot, characters, and visuals. However, this similarity and whether or not it is a direct adaptation of the show itself, or whether they are related at all, has been heavily debated and used as a point of contention to fans and critics alike.

''OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes'' (2017-2019), made by ''Steven Universes co-developer Ian Jones-Quartey, is another example of a Western cartoon being heavily similar to actual Japanese anime. The show's animation and aesthetics are extremely similar to that of anime and video games, with plenty of references for both. The cartoon is actually partially outsourced to Japanese and Korean artists, with the title sequence produced by the co-founder of Studio Trigger, Hiroyuki Imaishi, and its animation produced in South Korea by Digital eMation and Sunmin Image Pictures.

Of all the cartoon installments to the ''Spider-Man in television, Spider-Man'' franchise, including Spider-Man (1981 TV series), the 1981 Spider-Man series, '' Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'', ''Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', ''Spider-Man Unlimited'', ''Spider-Man: The New Animated Series'', ''The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series), The Spectacular Spider-Man'', ''Ultimate Spider-Man'', '' Spidey and His Amazing Friends'', and ''Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood '', all of which were already somewhat stylized in an anime format and have been frequently mistaken as a genuine anime as a result, it is Spider-Man (2017 TV series), the 2017 Spider-Man series in particular that is the most thematically and visually similar to anime, especially through the character design, action sequences, and reaction shots. Its animation style is especially similar to that of other anime-inspired works, taking visual cues from ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'', ''High Guardian Spice'', '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', its sequel ''The Legend of Korra'', and '' Voltron: Legendary Defender''. However, every single one of the specific Spider-Man cartoons are done in a Western art style and are made in the United States.

ND Stevenson and the crew of ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' were strongly influenced by anime, especially those with magical girls.

''DC Superhero Girls'' was already heavily stylized and inspired by anime despite the web series and DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year, franchise DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis, consisting of DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year, direct-to-video and DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High, television films all primarily having a Western art style and animation format. However, the DC Super Hero Girls (TV series), 2019 reboot is even further inspired by anime through the art style and fluid animation alone, which was because of the creator Lauren Faust using the similar art style she used for another one of her anime-inspired, and most famous, ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic''.

''Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go'' is an American-Canadian animated reboot series based on the ''Thomas & Friends (franchise), Thomas and Friends'' franchise, with its animation style being easily comparable to that of Japanese anime. While it is unknown as to whether this similarity is intended, the cartoon series’ fluid animation, facial expressions, and visual design in particular can be noticed on some Children's anime and manga, kodomomuke works.

''My Adventures with Superman'' was primarily an American production, but was thematically and visually inspired by Japanese anime, with its animation and aesthetics heavily reminiscent to that of a shonen anime. The show was animated by Studio Mir in South Korea, the same studio that animated other notable anime-inspired shows like ''The Legend of Korra'', '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', ''Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts'', ''Dota: Dragon's Blood'', ''Skull Island (TV series), Skull Island'', and the The Boondocks (season 4), fourth and final season of ''The Boondocks (TV series), The Boondocks''. It was sometimes known as the American version of ''One-Punch Man'' and '' My Hero Academia'', and the series has been frequently compared to the two and various other similar anime projects. Major influences for the series include the 1986 comic book limited series ''The Man of Steel (comics), The Man of Steel'', as well as the works of Dan Jurgens, Jon Bogdanove, and Louise Simonson. Additionally, Superman's transformation sequence is particularly inspired by ''Pretty Cure'', specifically Cure Mermaid from ''Go! Princess PreCure''.

The ''Hazbin Hotel'' cartoon series and its web spinoff ''Helluva Boss'' have been frequently interpreted by viewers and fans as an anime despite both shows being made in the United States and is therefore a Western cartoon. According to series creator Vivienne Medrano, both animated series got their primary influence from other American cartoons, such as The Walt Disney Company, Disney's movies and Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals. That said, both also possess plentiful anime references, particularly in terms of animation, visual effects, character design, and iconography, making ''Hazbin Hotel'' and ''Helluva Boss'' recent examples of American cartoons being comparable to that of actual Japanese anime.

Film

Even though it derived from an Little Nemo, American comic strip, ''Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' was animated by the Japanese company Tokyo Movie Shinsha and thus is often considered an anime film, although it was a joint production of Japanese and American animators and production companies. Despite being infamously trapped in development hell for much of the 1980s, many notable people were involved with the film's production at some point before dropping out, with the workers coming from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros. Animation, and Studio Ghibli. Those who expressed interest in or were involved at some stage of the film's development included George Lucas, Chuck Jones, Ray Bradbury, Isao Takahata, Brad Bird, Jerry Rees, Chris Columbus, Ken Anderson (animator), Ken Anderson, Frank Thomas (animator), Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Oliver Johnston, Paul Julian (artist), Paul Julian, Osamu Dezaki, Andy Gaskill, Roger Allers, the Sherman Brothers (Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman), Hayao Miyazaki (who was working at TMS Entertainment, TMS at the time), and Gary Kurtz.

The production on ''The Animatrix'' began when the Wachowskis visited some of the creators of the anime films that had been strong influences on their work, and decided to collaborate with them.Helen McCarthy, McCarthy, Helen. ''500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide''. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 40. — 528 p. — After the success of ''The Animatrix,'' companies such as Lionsgate Films, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., DC Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Legendary Television, Skydance Television, Disney+, Netflix, Lucasfilm, 343 Industries, and Amazon Prime Video all decided to take advantage of its success by using other films and comics to make their own adaptations directly influenced by Japanese animation, such as ''Hellboy Animated'', ''Van Helsing: The London Assignment'', ''Revisioned: Tomb Raider'', ''Batman: Gotham Knight'', ''Ultraviolet: Code 044'', ''Halo Legends'', ''Underworld: Endless War'', ''Love, Death & Robots'', ''Pacific Rim: The Black'', ''Bright: Samurai Soul'', ''Star Wars Visions'', ''What If...? (TV series), What If?'', ''The Boys Presents: Diabolical'', and ''Terminator Zero''.

Universal Home Video and Japanese animation studio Gonzo even personally tried to replicate the same animation process that was used from ''The Animatrix'', which led to the creation of ''Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo'' and ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury''. The two projects were notably produced through collaborations with Mahiro Maeda and Peter Chung, both of whom had worked in ''The Animatrix''.

Japanese anime has majorly influenced Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks productions. Glen Keane, the animator for successful Disney films such as ''The Black Cauldron (film), The Black Cauldron'' (1985), ''The Little Mermaid (1989 film), The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast (1991 film), Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''Aladdin (1992 Disney film), Aladdin'' (1992), and ''Tangled'', has credited Hayao Miyazaki as a "huge influence" on Disney's animated films ever since ''The Rescuers Down Under'' (1990). Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, the directors of Disney films such as ''Beauty and the Beast'', ''Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film), Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1996), and ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' (2001), are fans of anime and have cited Miyazaki's works as a major influence on their own work. Miyazaki's influence on Disney dates back to ''The Great Mouse Detective'' (1986), which was influenced by Miyazaki's ''Lupin III'' film ''Castle of Cagliostro'' (1979) and which in turn paved the way for the Disney Renaissance. It was especially inspired by the adventures of the 1994 Disney movie ''The Lion King Doraemon.'' In particular, Roger Allers had stated in an interview that he went to Japan before 1988, the year the production of ''The Lion King'' started, and that he was very impressed by the adventures in Doraemon, and that ''The Lion King'' was greatly influenced by ''Doraemon''. Fujiko Fujio, despite the controversy, later thanked Disney in 1995 for being impressed by Disney's ''The Lion King'' and praising ''Doraemon''.

Controversy surrounded another Disney film, ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'', which was alleged to have plagiarized the Studio Gainax anime series ''Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'' (1990). ''Atlantis'' directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise denied the allegation, but nevertheless acknowledged Miyazaki's films as a major influence on their work.

Miyazaki's work deeply influenced Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, who described how Miyazaki's influence upon his life and work began when he first saw ''Castle of Cagliostro''. Pete Docter, director of the popular Pixar films ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001) and ''Up (2009 film), Up'' (2009) as well as a co-creator of other Pixar works, has also described anime, specifically Miyazaki, as an influence on his work.Interview with Up Director Peter Docter
By Beth Accomando. KPBS (TV), KPBS. Published May 29, 2009. Jennifer Lee (filmmaker), Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck cited the influence of Miyazaki's anime productions on ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'' (2013), stating that they were inspired by their sense of "epic adventure and that big scope and scale and then the intimacy of funny quirky characters." Chris Sanders (director), Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois described Miyazaki's flight and pacifist themes as an influence for creating ''How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film), How to Train Your Dragon'' (2010). Joel Crawford (director), Joel Crawford, the director of ''Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' (2022), cited ''Akira (1988 film), Akira'' (1988) as an influence on the design of the characters and action within the film. Additionally, the film utilized 2D animation to "highlight the personal touch of hand-drawn animation that is found in traditional anime", as noted by ''Variety (magazine), Varietys Jazz Tangsay.

The DC Animated Movie Universe and Marvel Animated Features franchises of direct-to-video animations possesses plentiful anime-style or anime-based films, in no small part due to many of the films actually having their animation outsourced and produced by Japanese studios, such as Madhouse, Inc., TMS Entertainment, and Studio 4°C; notable examples of this distinction include ''Marvel Animated Features#Hulk vs., Hulk vs.,'' ''Marvel Animated Features#Planet Hulk, Planet Hulk,'' ''Marvel Animated Features#Thor: Tales of Asgard, Thor: Tales of Asgard,'' ''Marvel Animated Features#Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow'', ''Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'', ''Justice League Doom'', ''Green Lantern: First Flight'', ''Green Lantern: Emerald Knights'', ''Superman vs. The Elite'', ''Superman: Unbound'', ''Catwoman: Hunted'', and many installments of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

Video games

''Pac-Man (franchise), Pac-Man'', a Japanese video game franchise, has an Pac-Man (TV series), American cartoon that was produced by Hanna-Barbera. Made in 1982, the cartoon was very faithful to the source material in terms of plotline, characters and their names, and references to the original games. It also stands out as the very first List of television series based on video games, cartoon based on a video game. The cartoon's success also led to a Halloween special and a Christmas Comes to Pac-Land, Christmas special that follows the same animation style and character design.

''Captain N: The Game Master'' is a crossover (fiction), crossover cartoon series that focuses upon several video games that were originally created in Japan, including ''Kid Icarus'', ''Mega Man (video game), Mega Man'', ''Castlevania'', ''Donkey Kong'', ''Metroid (video game), Metroid'', ''The Adventures of Bayou Billy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''The Legend of Zelda'', and ''Wizards & Warriors'', among others; the animation itself has been heavily styled by anime despite being an American media project.

While the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise is originally a Japanese IP, it also has popular influence in Italy, Canada, and the United States, which led to animated co-productions in the form of ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'', ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'', ''Super Mario World (TV series), Super Mario World'', and most recently, ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''. Meanwhile, in Mario's home country, Japan, List of non-video game media featuring Mario#Anime, numerous anime projects and a Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!, 1986 anime film have depicted the titular character and his brother, some of which actually follow the plot lines from the original video games.

While the ''Sonic the Hedgehog (franchise), Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise is originally a Japanese IP, it also has popular influence in Italy, France, Canada, and the United States, which led to animated co-productions in the form of ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' (1993–1996), the Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series), TV series of the same name (1993–1994), ''Sonic Underground, Underground'' (1999), ''Sonic Boom (TV series), Boom'' (2014–2017) and ''Sonic Prime, Prime'' (2022–2024). Meanwhile, in Sonic's home country, Japan, two anime, animated projects exist in form of the Sonic the Hedgehog (OVA), anime movie of the same name (1996), and ''Sonic X, X'' (2003–2005).

While ''Mega Man'' is a Japanese property to begin with, there are two animated television series featuring the titular character and is based on the franchise, ''Mega Man (1994 TV series), Mega Man'' (1994), an American cartoon co-produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and Ashi Productions, and ''Mega Man: Fully Charged, Fully Charged'' (2018), an American-Canadian Computer-generated imagery, CGI cartoon co-produced by Man of Action Studios, Dentsu Entertainment USA, and DHX Media, DHX Studios Vancouver. Both cartoons notably draw inspiration from the Mega Man#Original series, "Classic" series from the original video games.

While ''Street Fighter'' is a Japanese property to begin with, one particular animated television series based on the franchise, ''Street Fighter (cartoon), Street Fighter'' (1995), was primarily made in the United States and Canada. The cartoon was produced by Japanese artists, most notably Madhouse Studios and Bandai Namco Filmworks, Sunrise, Inc., allowing itself for plentiful anime references and visuals, while also making references to the Street Fighter (1994 film), first movie and the earlier games.

While ''Final Fantasy'' is also a Japanese property to begin with, one particular animated movie based on the franchise, ''Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, The Spirits Within'' (2001), was primarily made in the United States by Chris Lee (producer), Chris Lee and the franchise's creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and stands as the first full-length Photorealism, photorealistic computer-animated feature film ever made. Lee even compared ''The Spirits Within'' to that of Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'', which by comparison was the first full-length cel animated film.

''Resident Evil'' is originally a Japanese property, but is frequently mistaken to be American due to the popularity and prevalence of the franchise in the United States, which led to the creation of the Resident Evil (film series), film franchise and later the Resident Evil (TV series), Netflix series of the same name. However, there are several English-language Computer-generated imagery, CGI-animated films to the franchise, making them easily labeled as anime due to all the films being primarily of Japanese origin. The anime-styled films ''Biohazard 4D-Executer'', ''Resident Evil: Degeneration, Degeneration'', ''Resident Evil: Damnation, Damnation'', ''Resident Evil: Vendetta, Vendetta'', and ''Resident Evil: Death Island, Death Island'', as well as the Netflix animated series ''Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, Infinite Darkness'', are all made in Japan and primarily marketed for American audiences. Unlike the film series or the Netflix series, all of the animations are set within the same universe as the original video game series.

''Mortal Kombat'' has had several animated movies, many of which were aesthetically similar to that of anime, with some recent examples including ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms'', ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match'', ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'', and ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind''.

''Tak and the Power of Juju (TV series), Tak and the Power of Juju'' is an American cartoon series loosely based on Tak and the Power of Juju, the 2003 video game of the same name and has quite a handful of anime visuals and aesthetics.

''Devil May Cry'' is originally a Japanese franchise, with its very animated adaptation being that of Devil May Cry: The Animated Series, an actual anime miniseries produced by Madhouse Inc., Madhouse Studios in 2007. However, eighteen years later, due to the franchise's popularity in America, Adi Shankar, one of the producers of the similarly anime-styled ''Castlevania (TV series), Castlevania'', developed Devil May Cry (TV series), an American-South Korean anime-based series based on ''Devil May Cry'', which was animated by Studio Mir in South Korea, the same studio that animated other notable anime-inspired shows like ''The Legend of Korra'', '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', ''Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts'', ''Dota: Dragon's Blood'', ''Skull Island (TV series), Skull Island'', and the The Boondocks (season 4), fourth and final season of ''The Boondocks (TV series), The Boondocks''. The series was released on Netflix.

The American videogame ''Dante's Inferno (video game), Dante's Inferno'', loosely based on Dante Alighieri's ''Divine Comedy'', particularly ''Inferno (Dante), Inferno'', was adapted into a 2010 Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, anime-based movie that was developed by the combined efforts of American, Japanese, and South Korean artists. Several known Korean and Japanese animation studios have done their part to contribute to this film, such as Production I.G, Dong Woo Animation, Manglobe, and Digital eMation.

The Electronic Arts, EA videogames ''Dead Space (2008 video game), Dead Space'' and ''Dead Space 2'' has developed two animated films, ''Dead Space: Downfall, Downfall'' (2008) and ''Dead Space: Aftermath, Aftermath'' (2011), both of which were released direct-to-video. Both films were aesthetically influenced by anime and were distributed by Manga Entertainment, which typically produces and distributes Japanese animation.

The popular BioWare and Electronic Arts, EA videogame franchises ''Mass Effect'' and ''Dragon Age'' have both developed their own Japanese-American animated projects in 2012, ''Mass Effect: Paragon Lost'' and ''Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker''. Both anime films were made to promote the release or to give clarity to the plot holes of certain videogames as official prequels, particularly for that of ''Dragon Age: Origins'' and ''Mass Effect 3'', respectively. ''Dragon Age'' would appear in animated form again in 2022 as ''Dragon Age: Absolution'', where unlike ''Dawn of the Seeker'', the series is not an actual anime, nor was it made in Japan. However, it was produced by Red Dog Culture House, a South Korean animation studio, and the series does thematically resemble anime in many ways, particularly through the animation, character design, and fight scenes. Chronologically, ''Absolution'' is established to take place after the conclusion of ''Dragon Age: Inquisition'', as characters make reference to events in that game, but before the events of the upcoming video game ''Dragon Age: Dreadwolf''.

Other heavily anime-inspired American-made shows that were based from popular videogames are the Netflix series Castlevania (TV series), ''Castlevania'', created by Warren Ellis, its sequel ''Castlevania: Nocturne'', created by Clive Bradley (screenwriter), Clive Bradley, ''Dota: Dragon's Blood'', created by Ashley Edward Miller, and ''Arcane (TV series), Arcane'', created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee.

Brazil

Since the 2000s there have already been countless independent projects for animated series inspired by anime. One of the first attempts was an animated adaptation of the popular manga-styled comic ''Marcelo Cassaro, Holy Avenger'' after its completion in 2003, however due to financial and production problems the series was never developed. Over the years several other attempts for independent projects for animation inspired by Brazil were created, the most notable being ''Dogmons!'', ''XDragoon'' and ''Magma''.

In 2021 an independent platform for anime-inspired animations titled ''Anistage'' was created.

Among the anime-inspired Brazilian animated series that premiered on TV are ''Os Under-Undergrounds'' that debuted in May 2016, Nickelodeon (Brazilian TV channel), Nickelodeon and ''Monica Adventures, Turma da Mônica Jovem'', based on the manga-styled comic created by Mauricio de Sousa, that debuted on November 7, 2019.

Despite being a series entirely made in Japan, ''No Game No Life'' is often credited by many Brazilians as an authentic Brazilian anime, due to the Brazilian origin of its creator Yuu Kamiya.

Chile

Animated series such as ''Golpea Duro Hara'', a show which was an inspiration of the Japanese series such as ''Dragon Ball'' and ''One-Punch Man'', was released in 2018. The second season was released in 2020 on Cartoon Network.

In 2020, the Chilean-Brazilian animated film, ''Nahuel and the Magic Book'', was created and inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki's projects such as ''Future Boy Conan'' and the entire ''Studio Ghibli'' with the mixtures of other Western animated series such as ''Steven Universe'' and ''Gravity Falls'' based on its characters. It became the first Latin American feature to win the ''Tokyo Anime Award'' for Award of Excellence a year later.

Other countries in the Americas

In 2007, the Canadian anime-style animated short ''Flutter (2006 film), Flutter'' became the first work from a non-Asian nation to win the Tokyo Anime Award#Open Entries Grand Prize, Open Entries Grand Prize at the Tokyo Anime Awards.

Europe

France

The French-American international co-production ''W.I.T.C.H. (TV series), W.I.T.C.H.'', a magical girl series, has been noted as having an anime-influenced visual style. First season director Marc Gordon-Bates cited anime such as ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' as design inspiration. The animated series is based on Italian W.I.T.C.H., comics of the same name themselves drawn in line with manga conventions, as opposed to the more rounded style traditionally used by publisher and co-producer Disney. Co-executive producer Olivier Dumont noted that the high-quality animation was intended to be true to the detailed artwork of the comics series.

The producers of the French anime ''Code Lyoko'', one of the most successful works of European anime, explicitly stated in their introductory document that they were: "Influenced by the poetry and the visual impact of Japanese animation, the series proposes a graphic universe that's particularly original and strong."

The French-Canadian-American ''Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes'' series was heavily stylized by Japanese anime; however, the series was never produced in Japan. Instead, it was co-produced by American company Marvel Entertainment and French company MoonScoop Group, with the participation of M6 (TV channel), M6 and Cartoon Network Europe and is distributed by Taffy Entertainment.

The animation and style in ''Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir'' is practically influenced by various Magical girl anime. Toei Animation does some of the modeling for the series, and was originally going to be in an anime-esque art-style. Thomas Astruc, the creator of the show, stated that the production team switched to Computer-generated imagery, CGI instead because Ladybug's spots were hard to animate around that time.

Another example of example of an animation that is repeatedly defined as “anime” can be seen in ''Wakfu: The Animated Series'', a flash animation series based on Wakfu, a video game of the same title, and ''Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix'', a Netflix series inspired by the 2013 video game ''Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon'' and amalgamates elements and characters from several other Ubisoft franchises, despite both series having been made in France and America.

''Blue Eye Samurai'' is frequently mistaken to be an actual Japanese anime due to its setting being in the Edo period of Japan, as well as its animation being heavily influenced and stylized to appear as a typical anime would, such as Japanese depictions and references and the action sequences. However, it is actually a French-American co-production, and was animated by the studio Blue Spirit, a French company. The creators expressly wanted the series to "look like a moving painting" with character design drawn from puppets. Inspiration was taken from the character Zatoichi, the "Man with No Name", and the works of Akira Kurosawa.

Spain

In 2018, Movistar+ released ''Virtual Hero'', a Spanish animated series created by YouTube personality El Rubius. It was dubbed as the "first anime in Spanish history". The Netflix original "''The Idhun Chronicles''", based on ''The Idhún's Memories'' book saga written by Laura Gallego, premiered in 2021, also featuring an anime-style animation.

Other European countries

Some French, Italian and Canadian co-produced series have also been influenced by anime, such as ''Totally Spies!'', ''Martin Mystery'', and ''Team Galaxy (TV series), Team Galaxy''.

The visual style of the Italian animated series ''Winx Club'' is a mixture of European and Japanese elements, and also very similar to magical girl subgenre.

Asia

East Asia

The animated movies ''The Adventures of Jinbao'' and ''Ratchet and Clank (film), Ratchet and Clank'', despite them ostensibly being American-based, were both made in Hong Kong and China. While ''The Adventures of Jinbao'' is heavily influenced by anime to the point where several anime websites outright list it as such, it was actually made in China, and therefore is an example of a Chinese animation, donghua. Meanwhile, ''Ratchet and Clank'' also indeed has both anime aesthetics and references all throughout the film, but the animation itself is made to be more in line with the Ratchet & Clank, games rather than actual Japanese animation.

China

Chinese animation, Donghua stands for Chinese animation. Most Chinese animated series are produced in 3D such as ''Douluo Dalu'' (Soul Land), others like ''The Kings Avatar'' have gained global recognition in an emerging industry as more and more Manhua, ''Manhuas'' are being adapted.

Middle East

The Emirati-Filipino produced TV series called ''Torkaizer'' is dubbed as the "Middle East's First Anime Show", inspired from Japanese mecha media franchise ''Gundam'', and is currently in production, which is currently looking for funding.

Southeast Asia

In June 2021, the Singaporean anime-influenced TV series, ''Trese (TV series), Trese'' was released on Netflix. It is an adaptation of the Trese, Filipino komik series of the same name produced by South East Asian BASE Entertainment.

South Asia

Pakistan

A Pakistani hand drawn romantic anime film called ''The Glassworker'' is currently in production. It is directed by Usman Riaz. The trailer of the film was released in October 2016. The film will release in 2024 as described by the animation studio's website. It is also Pakistan's and South Asia's first crowd funded movie as it had raised $116,000 on Kickstarter. The reason for this high raise was due to Usman Riaz being a famous musician, speaker. The movie is hand drawn so the scenes of the movie gives it a Studio Ghibli vibe.

India

In India, ''Karmachakra'' was produced as one of the first Indian anime influenced animations under Studio Durga.

Co-productions with Japan

Occasionally, animated series are developed as outright international co-productions between Japan and one or more other countries, as opposed to having stylistic influence. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, there were Japanese-European productions such as ''Ulysses 31'', ''The Mysterious Cities of Gold'', ''Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds'', ''Sherlock Hound'', ''Treasure Island (1978 TV series), Treasure Island'', ''Maya the Honey Bee'', and ''Montana Jones''. During the same period, the Italian studio Mondo TV co-produced animated series with Japanese companies, including ''The Jungle Book (1989 TV series), The Jungle Book'', ''Robin Hood (1990 TV series), Robin Hood'', ''The Legend of Snow White'', The Legend of Zorro (anime series), ''The Legend of Zorro'' and ''Cinderella (TV series), Cinderella''.

More recent examples of Canadian and French co-productions include ''Cybersix (TV series), Cybersix'' (1999), ''Pecola'' (2001), as well as ''Oban Star-Racers'' and ''Spider Riders'', both from 2006. ''Ōban Star-Racers'' is known as one of the European animations that strongly resemble anime. While the majority of the creative directors and writers were French, the production team moved to Tokyo to collaborate with a Japanese production team. Other examples of Canadian-Japanese co-productions include ''Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures'', ''Tenkai Knights'', and ''Scott Pilgrim Takes Off''.

American comic book artist, animator, and television producer LeSean Thomas, who had worked on several anime-influenced projects through varying roles such as being the creative producer and supervising director on ''Black Dynamite (TV series), Black Dynamite'', the storyboard and animation production artist on ''The Legend of Korra'', and as the supervising character designer and series co-director on ''The Boondocks (TV series), The Boondocks'', is notable for creating two original projects which he conceived, developed, and chief directed in-house at notable Japanese anime studios in Tokyo, both of which were released and is available on Netflix: ''Cannon Busters'' (2019) and ''Yasuke (TV series), Yasuke'' (2021). Both series were co-produced by Japanese animation studios Satelight, MAPPA, and Yumeta Company. LeSean Thomas started a crowdfunding drive in 2014 through Kickstarter for an animated adaptation of ''Cannon Busters'', based on a comic book of the same name that he created, directed and executive produced in-house at Satelight in Tokyo, but the pilot was never posted online for unknown reasons. The Satelight pilot was picked up for a full series at Netflix, also produced at Satelight. Before production of the Netflix series was finished, Thomas began development of a second animated series with Mappa (studio), MAPPA based on Yasuke. According to Thomas, unwilling to create a standard biopic, he made the series heavily influenced and inspired by People of the Sengoku period in popular culture, other figures in Japanese history, such as Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi. Instead of a traditional historical animated series, ''Yasuke'' was developed as a reimagined take of feudal Japan set in a world of science fiction and fantasy genre, fantasy elements, such as Magic in fiction, magic and mecha, to set it apart from other anime.

''Batman Ninja'' (2018) and its 2025 sequel ''Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League'' are the second and third official anime, Japanese animated adaptations of Batman, next to ''Batman: Gotham Knight, Gotham Knight''; however ''Ninja'' and ''Ninja vs. Yakuza League'' both stand as actual anime depictions of Batman, as opposed to the ''Gotham Knights anime-based anthology film, anthology format and the frequent influencing and aesthetic inspirations of anime being used on many Western cartoons depicting the character, like ''Batman: The Animated Series, The Animated Series'', '' The Batman'', ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Brave and the Bold'', ''Beware the Batman, Beware'', and ''Batman Beyond, Beyond''. Both films were directed by Junpei Mizusaki, produced by Warner Bros., and animated by Kamikaze Douga and YamatoWorks, while the character design was done by Takashi Okazaki, who is famous for being the creator of ''Afro Samurai''. The first film's plot involves Batman and his List of Batman supporting characters, Bat-Family being flung through time and end up stranded in Sengoku period, feudal Japan while battling Gorilla Grodd. While there, Batman learns of Japanese history and practices the art of ninja to compensate for his technology failing. The first film also depicts medieval Japanese versions of many of Batman's List of Batman family enemies, established rogues gallery, who have each taken on the roles of daimyos warring against each other. The second film's plot involves an invasion of yakuza on Gotham City, masterminded by Ra's al Ghul, and is set literally the next day after the events of the first film. It also depicts the first anime portrayal of the Justice League, but the team is modified to have a more Japanese origin and appearance and are referred to as the titular Yakuza League.

''IGPX'' and ''FLCL'' are two separate American-Japanese projects produced through the collaborations of Production I.G, Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim, respectively. Both anime series consist of original video animations and seasons that have their own distinctive names as part of the English translations. ''FLCL'', in particular, has all its seasons renamed in English as part of its anthology format: ''FLCL Progressive, Progressive'', ''FLCL Alternative, Alternative'', ''FLCL: Grunge, Grunge'' and ''FLCL: Shoegaze, Shoegaze''. ''The Big O'' has its second season that was co-produced by Cartoon Network and Bandai Namco Filmworks, Sunrise, and was released also on Adult Swim.

''Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040'' (1998), a sequel series of ''Bubblegum Crisis'', is primarily a Japanese project, but it has also been developed and produced through the collaborations of Anime International Company, AIC and A.D. Vision, ADV Films.

''Tales from Earthsea (film), Tales from Earthsea'' (2006) is a Japanese-American film co-written and directed by Gorō Miyazaki, and is animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi and Toho, and distributed by the latter company. The film was based on a combination of plot and character elements from the first four American books of Ursula K. Le Guin's ''Earthsea'' series (''A Wizard of Earthsea'', ''The Tombs of Atuan'', ''The Farthest Shore'', and ''Tehanu''), as well as Hayao Miyazaki's graphic novel ''Shuna's Journey''; its English title is taken from the Tales from Earthsea, collection of short stories of the same name that was published in 2001.

''Highlander: The Search for Vengeance'' (2007) is an American-Japanese-Hong Kong anime film based on the British-American ''Highlander (franchise), Highlander'' franchise of movies and television shows. The film was produced through a collaboration with Imagi Animation Studios, Madhouse (company), Madhouse, and franchise creator Davis-Panzer Productions. The script was written by David Abramowitz who had previously served as a head writer on ''Highlander: The Series''.

''Stitch!'' is the Japanese anime spin-off of The Walt Disney Company, Disney's Lilo & Stitch (franchise), ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise and the successor to ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series''. It debuted in Japan in October 2008. The first show features a Japanese girl named Yuna in place of Lilo, and is set on a fictional island in the Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyus off the shore of Okinawa Island, Okinawa instead of Hawaii. Its popularity resulted in multiple anime specials, all of which have been marketed in America as part of the series as separate seasons. The ''Lilo and Stitch'' franchise evidently became so popular in Asian countries, in addition to Japan, that it created yet another spin-off, a Chinese animation, donghua in the form of ''Stitch & Ai'', which debuted in China on March 27, 2017 and has a similar plot. The second show features a Chinese girl named Wang Ai Ling in place of Yuna and Lilo and is set in Huangshan, Anhui. Victor Cook, who directed both seasons of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'', personally visited China to assist making the eighth episode of the Chinese series.

''Marvel Anime'' (''Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men, and Blade''), ''Iron Man: Rise of Technovore'', ''Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher'', ''Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers'', and ''Marvel Future Avengers'' were all anime, Japanese animated projects based on the Marvel Comics franchise created by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby among others, and their animation services were produced by Japanese studios Madhouse (company), Madhouse and Toei Animation, Toei.

''Supernatural: The Anime Series'' (2011) is a Japanese direct-to-video anime miniseries based on the Supernatural (American TV series), American television series of the same name made by Eric Kripke, and covers the first two seasons. The series was animated by Madhouse (company), Madhouse. ''Supernatural'' stands as one of the few American-based live-action television programs of any kind to have ever been adapted into Japanese animation, as well as the first.

''Monster High#Monster High: Kowa Ike Girls, Monster High: Kowa Ike Girls'' (2014) is a Japanese web anime, web animated miniseries consisting of 8 episodes, and is based on the ''Monster High'' franchise made by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel. The series was animated at Picona Creative Studio, and was broadcast as a part of TX Network, TXN's morning children's television programming block ''Oha Suta'', before being currently released on Mattel's Japanese YouTube channel. Next to the ''Transformers (franchise), Transformers'' franchise, ''Monster High'' stands as one of the few American-based toy line franchises of any kind to have ever been adapted into Japanese animation.

The French-Japanese film ''Mutafukaz'' (2017) is an anime based on the comic series and the short film of the same name. The film was developed through a co-production between Ankama, Ankama Animations and Studio 4°C and is directed by Shōjirō Nishimi and Guillaume "Run" Renard.

Another French-Japanese co-production, ''Radiant (manfra), Radiant'' (2018), is an anime television series based on the manfra of the same name. The 21-episode anime series aired on NHK Educational TV and is based on volumes 1 through 4 of the comic book. It was directed by Seiji Kishi and Daisei Fukuoka, and written by Makoto Uezu, with the animation done in RETAS software by Nerima-based studio Lerche (brand), Lerche. It was also simulcast by Crunchyroll, with Funimation producing an English dub as it aired.

''Starship Troopers'', including the Starship Troopers, novel made by Robert A. Heinlein and then the Starship Troopers (franchise), movie franchise created by Edward Neumeier and Paul Verhoeven, had already spawned several animated projects, including ''Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'', itself heavily reminiscent of anime. Additionally, ''Starship Troopers'' was also unexpectedly popular in Japan, leading to the development of three separate animations from that country. Starship Troopers (OVA), The 1988 anime miniseries of the same name is the closest known adaptation of the novel and was produced by Japanese animation studio Bandai Namco Filmworks, Sunrise. 24 years later, two Japanese-American direct-to-video computer-generated imagery, CGI animated films, ''Starship Troopers: Invasion, Invasion'' (2012) and ''Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars, Traitor of Mars'' (2017), were both designated to continue the storyline from the movie trilogy but through a different format than that of the typical live-action movies with computer-generated imagery, CGI and stop motion. Both sequel films were created by Shinji Aramaki and Joseph Chou. Even with the animations involving the franchise, they each more or less satirize Western politics and military and glorifies gratuitous violence through dark comedy in a similar manner to that from the movies.

''Blade Runner (franchise), Blade Runner'', based on the 1968 novel ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' by Philip K. Dick, has two Japanese animated adaptations that are based on the movies: ''Blade Runner Black Out 2022, Black Out 2022'', an anime short film made in 2017 by Shinichirō Watanabe, who is famous for directing other anime projects like ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Samurai Champloo, Carole & Tuesday'', and ''Space Dandy''; and ''Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Black Lotus'', a computer-generated imagery, CGI series made in 2021 by Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki, both of whom have developed projects such as ''Starship Troopers: Invasion'', ''Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars'', ''Appleseed (2004 film), Appleseed'', ''Appleseed Ex Machina'', ''Viper's Creed'', ''Halo Legends'', ''Jin-Roh'', ''Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex'', ''Eien no 831'', and ''Guardian of the Sacred Spirit''. Both animated projects notably include "familiar" characters from the ''Blade Runner'' universe.

''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'', both created by English author J. R. R. Tolkien, have both been adapted into animated projects as early as in 1967; five of those animations have been completed through the efforts of Rankin-Bass and American animators Ralph Bakshi and Gene Deitch, and all of them were actually partially outsourced by British and Japanese artists and animators. The first was ''The Hobbit (1967 film), The Hobbit'', a short film meant to be part of a larger scale animated project, but had never materialized. The first official animated adaptation was ''The Hobbit (1977 film), The Hobbit'' in 1977, made by Rankin Bass. The second was ''The Lord of the Rings (1978 film), The Lord of the Rings'' in 1978, made by Bakshi as the first part of what was originally intended to be a two-part adaptation of the story. The third, ''The Return of the King (1980 film), The Return of the King'' was a 1980 television special again made by Rankin-Bass. All three animated films were heavily anime-based, despite being made in the United States for an American audience. Recently, in 2024, the closest, if not the first time, the franchise had ever been translated into Japanese animation was ''The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, The War of the Rohirrim'', which was a New Zealand-American-Japanese co-production. The film was repeatedly confirmed to be an anime as opposed to the previous animated projects. The anime film is set to be around 200 years before Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings (film series), The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003) and ''The Hobbit (film series), The Hobbit'' (2012–2014) film trilogies. ''The War of the Rohirrim'' was produced by New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Animation, Sola Entertainment, WingNut Films and Domain Entertainment.

A Japanese-Filipino produced anime television series ''Barangay 143'' is currently airing on GMA Network.

''Altered Carbon: Resleeved'' (2020) is a Japanese anime film based on the Altered Carbon, British novel and the Altered Carbon (TV series), subsequent American television series of the same name made by Richard K. Morgan and Laeta Kalogridis, respectively. The film is meant to be a prequel to the show, and covers events that occurres before the first season began. ''Altered Carbon'' is the second known American-based live-action television program of any kind to have ever been adapted into Japanese animation.

In April 2020, a studio named Manga Production from Saudi Arabia announced the release of ''The Journey (2021 film), The Journey'' and ''Future's Folktales'', co-produced with Toei.

''Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'' (2022) is a Polish-Japanese animated miniseries that is adapted from the Cyberpunk 2077, Polish video game of the same name, made by CD Projekt, and the Cyberpunk (role-playing game), American tabletop science fiction role-playing game of the same name, made by Mike Pondsmith and R. Talsorian Games. The series was animated by Studio Trigger and was released on Netflix on September 13, 2022. The anime serves as a prequel to the game and takes place about a year before the events of the ''Cyberpunk 2077'' game.

''Suicide Squad Isekai'' (2024) is the first DC Comics animated project to be a full-fledged anime television series, and not done in an anthology short film format like with ''Batman: Gotham Knight''. The anime series depicts the Suicide Squad, titular team being deployed into a kingdom filled with mythical creatures and magic by Amanda Waller, director of A.R.G.U.S.. The team spends the whole series trying to meet their mission deadline before Waller activates the bombs she placed inside each of them.

Controversy and debate regarding the true definition of anime

The advent of Japanese anime stylizations appearing in Western animation questioned the established meaning of "anime". Defining anime as style has been contentious amongst critics and fans, with John Oppliger stating, "The insistence on referring to original American art as "anime" or "manga" robs the work of its cultural identity."

On the other hand, series like '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', its The Legend of Korra, sequel and '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'' have opened up more debates on whether these works should be called "anime", and whether the culturally abstract approach to the word's meaning may open up the possibility of anime produced in countries other than Japan. While some Westerners strictly view anime as a Japanese animation product, some scholars suggest defining anime as specifically or quintessentially Japanese may be related to a new form of orientalism with some fans and critics arguing that the term should be defined as a "style" rather than as a national product, which leaves open the possibility of anime being produced in other countries.

Animation such as ''Oban Star-Racers'' and ''Code Lyoko'', like ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', are examples over which some critics and fans debate about the term anime and whether it is defined as a "style" rather than as a national product, which leaves open the possibility of anime being produced in other countries.

One of the key points that differentiated anime from a handful of Western cartoons is the potential for visceral content. Once the expectation that the aspects of visual intrigue or animation are just for children is put aside, the audience can realize that themes involving violence, suffering, sexuality, pain, and death can all be storytelling elements utilized in anime just as much as other media projects.

Satire and parody involving anime

At the same time, as anime itself became increasingly popular in America, its styling has been inevitably the subject of both satire and serious creative productions. ''South Park''s "Chinpokomon" and "Good Times with Weapons" episodes, ''Futurama''s episode "Reincarnation (Futurama), Reincarnation", ''Eureka (2006 TV series), Eureka''s episode List of Eureka episodes#Season 4, "Do You See What I See", Adult Swim's ''Perfect Hair Forever'', Comedy Central's ''Drawn Together'' and Drawn Together: The Movie, its associated film, Nickelodeon's ''Kappa Mikey'', and Cartoon Network's ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' are a few notable examples of Western satirical depictions of Japanese culture and anime. in Toonzone However, sometimes, anime tropes have even been satirized inside its own medium, with such examples including ''Gintama'', ''KonoSuba'', ''Ouran High School Host Club'', ''Ghost Stories (Japanese TV series), Ghost Stories'', ''Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt'' and ''Pop Team Epic''.

In advertising

The American fast-food Taco Bell advertisement ''Fry Force'' has many anime-style features, particularly from Japanese mecha anime ''Gundam''. It is shown in many scenes, as ''Gundam'' fighting styles have been used. At the same time, McDonald's had also created its own anime-styled advertisement, ''WcDonald's'', created through the collaborations of Pierrot (company), Studio Pierrot.

The Odyssey Interactive ''Omega Strikers'' action sport video game has a heavy anime influence on its launching advertisement video because it was made by the Japanese animation studio Studio Trigger, Trigger. The commercial was made specifically in celebration of the premiere launch of its video game.

The Bulgarian juice company Florina had anime-style mascots of the juice flavours named ''Flo Force'', advertised in many youth activities.

Pepsi was featured in commercials and advertisements in the ''Tiger and Bunny'' universe, with one particular character, Blue Rose, being frequently depicted as referencing or sponsoring the company in various ways. The commercials started off as a fourth wall, meta depiction within the anime series, but the popularity of Blue Rose resulted in these commercials becoming used as actual advertisements in for the titular soda company.

''Dragon Ball Z'' has been referenced in multiple advertisements, including one sponsored by Ford Motor Company, with the particular advertisement named ''Dragon Car Z'', and another sponsored by KFC.

Fanta sponsored a commercial depicted in the ''One Piece'' universe where the characters Monkey D. Luffy and Tony Tony Chopper start rapping about the soda drink. This led to eight specific designs being made on the soda bottles that were marketed in stores for a limited time.

Windows 7 developed its own advertisement, “Nanami Madobe's Windows 7 Build-It-Yourself PC Commercial!!", which primarily features Japan's titular Windows 7 mascot character, voiced by Nana Mizuki. The commercial's popularity led to it being sold on DVD.

See also

* Dubbing
* Original English-language manga
* La nouvelle manga
* Limited animation
* Orientalism
* Anime music videos
* Anime and manga fandom, Anime and manga Fandom
* Anime song

References

Sources

*
* {{cite book , last1=Ruh , first1=Brian , title=Stray dog of Anime : the films of Mamoru Oshii , date=2014 , location=New York, NY , isbn=978-1-137-35567-6 , edition=Second

Anime-influenced animation,
Anime and manga terminology
Japan in non-Japanese culture