Disney's initiative to release their new animated feature THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE in Spanish to theaters in Los Angeles has failed. Disney decided to place a Spanish dubbed GROOVE in theaters in 16 Latino communities alongside the English version [AWN 01/02/01]. This effort was the first time that Disney released a film in English and Spanish in the States at the same time. For years Disney has released Spanish dubbed or subtitled prints of their films to theaters that have requested them. Theaters that screened both versions reported that only 1/5 of the audience went to see the Spanish-dubbed print. Most theaters have dropped the Spanish version from their line-up. AMC spokesman Rick King told the LOS ANGELES TIMES that "We started out dedicating a screen for an entire week and a holiday week - so we made a pretty big commitment. We subsequently scaled back due to [lack of] demand."
Read "Mark Dindal's Place in the Sun" to learn more about THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
