Top 5 Hollywood movies inspired by anime
It’s no secret that Hollywood has relied on Japanese animation for inspiration. But do you know how many successful films are not entirely original?
Anime has now become a cultural phenomenon that transcends borders and captivates viewers around the world. From Pokémon to Attack on Titan, it has a wide range of genres and therefore has something to appeal to everyone.
Anime is relatively new to Western audiences. Three Tales was the first anime film to be broadcast in the United States in 1960, followed by Instant History (1961-1963) and Astro Boy (1963-1966). However, over the past few decades it has had a profound impact on Hollywood culture.
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So, here are five of the biggest Hollywood titles inspired by popular anime series.
Top 5 anime movies inspired by Hollywood
From Disney classics to Oscar-winning films, do you know the secret source behind these five films?
1. The Lion King and Kimba, the White Lion
Ask anyone at Disney and they’ll likely say they’ve never heard of Osamu Tezuka’s Kimba, the White Lion, let alone seen it. But that doesn’t change how strikingly similar Disney’s 1994 Lion King is to 1966’s Kimba, the White Lion — even The Simpsons pointed it out.
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The similarity does not stop at the names Kimba and Simba. Allegations of plagiarism have followed the hit Disney film since it was first released.
Just like The Lion King, Kimba, The White Lion follows the journey of a young lion cub to become the king of the jungle. But it’s the anime that draws the most comparisons, with well-known scenes including Mufasa sitting on Pride Rock and his ghost appearing to Simba later in the film that almost uncannily resembles the previous anime.
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Kimba, the White Lion is available to watch on: Funimation.
2. Black Swan and Perfect Blue
The similarities between Oscar-winner Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 film Black Swan and Satoshi Kon’s 1997 film Perfect Blue aren’t as obvious as those drawn between The Lion King and Kimba, the White Lion. However, there are enough similarities to make fans wonder if it’s more than a coincidence.
Both films are psychological thrillers, featuring a female protagonist struggling with the pressures of her job (Nina from Black Swan is a ballerina and Mima from Perfect Blue is an idol). Essentially, both films feature a psychological battle that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality.
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But it’s not just that. Despite some plausible deniability regarding the story, fans can’t overlook the fact that Aronofsky holds the American remake rights to the anime. Furthermore, keen observers have noted that many scenes in Black Swan bear a striking resemblance to those in Perfect Blue, although Aronofsky denies any influence from the anime.
The perfect blue color is available for viewing: Amazon Prime Video
3. Pacific Rim and Neon Genesis Evangelion
In the 1990s, Hideaki Anno’s film Neon Genesis Evangelion helped anime recover from the industry’s great slump. More than 30 years later, she has won awards and inspired art ever since.
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So, both Pacific Rim and Neon Genesis Evangelion are sci-fi classics about machines fighting monsters. But the plot comparisons don’t stop there. The premise behind the two films is incredibly similar, as they both revolve around military alliances that have banded together to create giant robots to fight aliens.
It’s probably unfair to say that Pacific Rim is directly inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion. However, the influences are evident enough in Del Toro’s blockbuster that you can play cut and paste anime Mecca until you finally get Pacific Rim.
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Neon Genesis Evangelion is available to watch on: Crunchyroll and Netflix
2. Ingredients and paprika
Unlike the other entries on this list, Christopher Nolan is quite open about his inspiration for the anime behind 2010’s Inception – Satoshi Kon’s 2006 film Paprika.
Both films revolve around dream manipulation technology, where organizations invade people’s dreams to influence their minds. However, the films are so similar that fans have taken to Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr (and pretty much every other online platform you can imagine) to compare them. Why? Because many fans feel like the lines between inspiration and plagiarism have been crossed.
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Sweet Pepper is available to watch on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV
1. The Matrix and the Ghost in the Shell
It should come as no surprise to any anime fan that the 1999 hit film The Matrix was inspired by the 1995 anime classic Ghost in the Shell.
Although the stories are very different, both films have similar cyberpunk themes and great visual similarities. One could say that The Matrix is more like a homage to its predecessor and is full of references you can’t miss, including exploding watermelons, a green hue, and the infamous scene of a woman falling from a great height across the city.
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In fact, these two films are so similar that fans have created numerous websites, podcasts, and even side-by-side comparison videos to discuss how many creative liberties the Wachowskis took.
Ghost in the Shell is available to watch on: Amazon Prime Video and Funimation
One of the most amazing things about the creative industry is how works of art can inspire other works of art, and this goes both ways. Hollywood takes cues from animation, as seen in series like Avatar: The Last Airbender, while animation takes inspiration from the West, as seen in works like Little Witch Academia compared to The Worst Witch series. This demonstrates the limitless nature of creative media that provides fans with endless hours of entertainment (and in this case, discussion).
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How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023
Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen — and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.
If you’re out there, here’s what you need to do to access the full Crunchyroll collection – and it’s really that simple:
- Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has super-fast servers and provides a private and secure connection wherever you are in the world
- Connect to a location anywhere in the United States; Express VPN lets you choose from 24 different locations, from New Jersey to Santa Monica
- Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all your favorite anime – and maybe some you’ve never watched before
Access to Crunchyroll’s US catalog makes a difference; For example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.
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You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan, or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.
While you’re here, why not check out some of our other anime coverage here?
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