Disney to Join With Japanese Companies to Produce Animated Films

U.S. entertainment giant Walt Disney says it will team up with several Japanese companies to produce animated features targeting Asian markets.
Japan's leading daily, the Nikkei, reports Thursday that Walt Disney's Japanese unit will work with Toei Animation, Madhouse and Jinni Animation as part of the deal.
The Nikkei says the partnerships with Japanese animation studios will enable Burbank California-based company to tap local talent and computer graphics technology to produce programs widely acceptable to different countries and cultures.
It says Disney's distribution network would enable its Japanese partners to expand their overseas audience as they face growing competition from other Asian countries where labor is cheaper.