The Adventures of Milo and Otis

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Template:Short description Template:Pp-pc Template:Infobox film

Template:Nihongo is a 1986 Japanese<ref name="allcinema">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> adventure comedy-drama film about two animals: Milo, an orange tabby cat, and Otis, a pug. The original Japanese version, narrated by Shigeru Tsuyuki and with poetry recitation by Kyōko Koizumi, was released on July 12, 1986. Fuji TV's international subsidiary, Fujisankei Communications International removed 15 minutes from the original film and released a shorter English-language version, written by Mark Saltzman<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and narrated by Dudley Moore, in North America by Columbia Pictures on August 25, 1989.

Plot

On Nippon Farm, a mother cat has given birth to kittens. One of the kittens is named Milo (Template:Nihongo in the Japanese version), and has a habit of being too curious and getting himself into trouble. He meets a pug puppy named Otis (Template:Nihongo in the Japanese version), and they soon become friends. One day, when Milo is hiding inside a box floating in the river, it breaks loose from the dock, and he accidentally drifts downstream. Otis runs after Milo, who himself goes on many adventures, escaping one obstacle after another.

Milo encounters a bear, escapes from a raven and Deadwood Swamp, steals a dead muskrat from a fox, follows a railroad called Nippon Bearway to the home of a deer who shelters him, sleeps in a nest with an owl, stays for a while with a pig and her piglets, catches a fish and is robbed of it by a raccoon, is mobbed by seagulls, and evades another bear, then a snake, before falling into a deep pit.

For his part, Otis follows Milo throughout, usually only an hour behind and less than a mile out of range. Finally, the two catch up with one another. While Milo is in the hole, Otis pulls him out by means of a rope. Milo and Otis are reunited, and soon find mates of their own: Joyce, a white cat, for Milo; and Sondra, a French pug, for Otis. Afterward, they briefly part ways and raise offspring of their own. Later, Milo, Otis, Joyce, and Sondra (along with their litters) happily find their way back together through the forest to their farm.

Characters

All characters are voiced by the narrator, Shigeru Tsuyuki (Japanese) and Dudley Moore (English).

  • Milo (Chatran)
  • Otis (Poosky)
  • Milo's mother (Chatran's mother)
  • Gloria
  • Frog
  • Gloria's chick
  • Bears
  • Raven
  • Sea Turtle
  • Fox
  • Deer
  • Owl
  • Pig
  • Raccoon
  • Seagulls
  • Snake
  • Joyce
    • some of her kittens
  • Sondra
    • some of her puppies

Production

Director and screenwriter Masanori Hata and assistance director Kon Ichikawa edited the film together from 74 hours of footage (Template:Convert of film), shot over a period of four years.<ref name="AHA"/>

Soundtrack

The original Japanese soundtrack, released as The Adventures of Chatran: Original Soundtrack, was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto and included Template:Nihongo, a theme song performed by Keiko Yoshinaga. During the promotion of the film in Japan, the song Template:Nihongo, originally recorded by Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi for the Fuji TV anime series High School Kimengumi, was used in commercials for the film.<ref name="film-credits">Template:Cite AV media From the film credits.</ref>

The musical score for the English-language version was composed by Michael Boddicker. Music was borrowed from Elmer Bernstein's score to To Kill a Mockingbird (specifically the two cues, "Roll in the Tire" and "Peekaboo" with minor changes in the music), and John Williams' score to The Witches of Eastwick. The song "Walk Outside", written by Dick Tarrier, is performed by Dan Crow in the opening shots and end credits.

The English-language version of the film also contained music by classical composers including:

Video game adaptation

In 1986, to tie in with the original Japanese version of the film, a video game was released for the Japan-exclusive Famicom Disk System.<ref name="famitsu famicom">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Release

The film was shown during the film market at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival before opening on 200 screens in Japan on July 12, 1986.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Reception

Box office

It was the number-one Japanese film on the domestic market in 1986, earning Template:¥ in distribution income that year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It grossed a total of Template:¥ ($90,822,000) in Japan.<ref name="kogyotsushin">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="recettes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the time, it was the third highest-grossing film ever in Japan, beaten only by E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Antarctica (1983).<ref name="kogyotsushin"/>

In the United States, The Adventures of Milo and Otis grossed Template:US$,<ref>Template:Mojo title Retrieved 3 June 2013</ref> adding up to a combined Template:US$ grossed in Japan and the United States.

Adjusted for inflation, the film grossed the equivalent of Template:US$ in Japan Template:As of<ref name="recettes"/> and Template:US$ in the United States as of Template:Inflation/year, for a combined inflation-adjusted Template:US$ in Japan and the United States.

In terms of box office admissions, the film sold Template:Nowrap tickets in Japan, Template:Nowrap tickets in the United States,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Template:Nowrap tickets in Germany and France,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> for a combined {{#expr:7.5+3.2+1.3}} million tickets sold in Japan, North America and Mainland Europe.

Home media

In 2010, the film's DVD version sold 810,334 units and grossed $5,464,010 in the United States.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was released on Blu-ray on January 24, 2012.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Critical reception

Reviews for the US version were positive, with an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews and an average rating of 6.9/10.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Animal welfare allegations

When the film was released, some animal welfare organizations alleged to have had a number of complaints from people who had seen the film and were concerned that it could not have been made without cruelty.<ref name="Gillespie">Template:Cite news</ref> The Tasmanian and Victorian branches of the RSPCA also alleged abuse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The film was reported to have the approval of the American Humane Society.<ref name="Gillespie"/> The American Humane Association attempted to investigate cruelty rumors through "contacts in Europe who normally have information on movies throughout the world." While noting that the contacts had also heard the allegations, they were unable to verify them. The organization also reported, "We have tried through humane people in Japan, and through another Japanese producer to determine if these rumors are true, but everything has led to a dead end." The same report noted that several Japanese Humane Societies allowed their names to be used in connection with the film and that the film "shows no animals being injured or harmed."<ref name="AHA">Milo and Otis, American Humane Association; archived version</ref>

In October 1998, the Japanese magazine Josei Jishin published allegations of animal cruelty during the production of Koneko Monogatari (The Adventures of Milo and Otis). The claims were made by Mikio Hata (畑 三喜雄), the younger brother of director Masanori Hata, who was also credited as the film's animal director.<ref name="lite-ra">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the issue dated 6 October 1998, Mikio Hata stated:

"My brother was the main culprit, but everyone there, including me, was an accomplice... Chatran died... it was an accident... you could even say he was killed..."<ref name="lite-ra"/>

A follow-up on 20 October 1998 included anonymous staff testimony supporting his claims, such as anesthesia overdoses, cliff-throwing, and proposed surgical interventions on animals including sewing piglets together.<ref name="lite-ra"/>

At the time, Masanori Hata denied the accusations in a rival magazine, Josei Seven (Shogakukan), as corroborated by a 2014 summary in *Excite / Lite‑ra*.<ref name="excite">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards

  • The Japanese Academy (1987)
    • Won: Popularity Award - Most Popular Film
    • Nominated: Award of the Japanese Academy - Best Music Score (Ryuichi Sakamoto)
  • Young Artist Awards (1990)
    • Nominated: Young Artist Award - Best Family Motion Picture – Adventure

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist 

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