DISNEY'S ASIAN SECRET; JAPAN'S MASTER ANIMATOR SIGNS U.S. DISTRIBUTION DEAL.

Byline: David Bloom Daily News Staff Writer

When the Walt Disney Co. calls someone the Walt Disney of Japan, maybe animation fans ought to pay attention.

The animation giant is talking about Hayao Miyazaki, nine of whose animated films from the past two decades it will release in American video markets or theaters in coming months.

The first one, ``Kiki's Delivery Service ,'' hit video stores Tuesday and features Miyazaki's wonderful animation style and a flight of narrative fancy that's perfect for children yet still engaging for adults.

The film was a big Japanese hit, something Miyazaki has a habit of making.

``The Princess Mononoke,'' which Disney subsidiary Miramax plans to release in theaters next year, has grossed at least $150 million so far, second only to ``Titanic'' in Japanese box-office history.

Miyazaki also created ``My Neighbor Totoro,'' another highly recommended children's film infused with magical beasts and striking art that has been available on video in the United States since 1994, selling half a million copies so far. Rights to distribute ``Totoro'' also will revert to Disney from 20th Century Fox under the deal.

``Miyazaki is a pioneer and a visionary who can take a story and bring it brilliantly to light through phenomenal animation and imagery,'' said Michael Johnson, president of Disney subsidiary Buena Vista Home Entertainment Worldwide. Johnson championed the deal at Disney after seeing a Miyazaki film several years ago in Tokyo.

``We know animation,'' Johnson said. ``When I first saw Miyazaki's films, I wanted to find a way to make them available around the world.''

Fantasy world

``Kiki'' follows a 13-year-old witch as she leaves her family for a year of training on her own in a big city in a universe somewhat like ours, but not quite.

In it, dirigibles and early TVs, Clipper ships and double-decker prop planes, '40s-era cars and quill pens all combine to give the film a slightly disorienting, if pleasing alternate-world feel. That feel is further heightened by Miyazaki's lifelike style, reminiscent of the Tintin series and some recent French comic book artists.

To revoice the film for American audiences, Buena Vista brought in a name-brand American cast, including young actress Kirsten Dunst as Kiki, the late Phil Hartman as her wisecracking cat and Janeane Garofalo as an artist friend.

The conversion to English isn't total however. Written credits and some minor details in the film itself are in Japanese, though in other places, signs in German, English and other languages contribute to the tale's overall dislocation of reality.

Unlike most Japanese animation, or anime, Miyazaki's work is much slower, quieter and sweeter. Like ``Totoro,'' the 104-minute ``Kiki'' is long for an animated feature and sometimes feels like it, given its deliberate pacing. But Miyazaki's films contain many charms, as quirky fantasy bumps up gently against slices of average life.

``His films are truly universal and timeless in their appeal,'' Johnson said. ``They transcend cultural borders, and I know of animators everywhere who speak of his influence on their work.''

Revered work

Miyazaki, who personally draws thousands of each film's frames of animation, is a stunning visual artist. For instance, one of ``Kiki's'' stars is the gorgeous European-looking city in which it is largely set, replete with a dazzling clock tower and mansard-roofed buildings.

Other tours de force are a sequence with a flock of Canadian geese, his handling of wind and water, and an accident involving the helium-filled dirigible.

Disney has ambitious plans for Miyazaki's films.

``We want to take `Kiki's Delivery Service' and have it transcend the anime category by packaging and marketing it differently so that it reaches a much wider audience, beginning with families,'' Johnson said.

But securing the deal with Miyazaki took almost as long as creating one of Miyazaki's films. He had been courted by other studios in the past but had resisted deals because of concerns about preserving his films' artistic integrity, Johnson said.

As part of Miyazaki's deal, Disney's own name won't appear explicitly anywhere in connection with his films. Subsidiaries Buena Vista and Miramax will handle the video and theatrical releases.

The films themselves won't be cut or otherwise modified, except for the addition of top-flight American casts. For ``Mononoke,'' which updates a 14th-century Japanese fable, the company has signed Gillian Anderson, Claire Danes and Minnie Driver for character voices, Johnson said.

``We really view these films as masterpieces and don't want to take too many liberties with them,'' said Johnson. ``There are moments of reflection in there that are often missing in American films. Many Disney animators idolize him.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) no caption (``Kiki's Delivery Service'')

(2) Animator Hayao Miyazaki's films are being distributed by Disney, the company he chose after turning down offers from other studios.