 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Japanese. (June 2024)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 | |
Native name | 株式会社キティフィルム |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki-gaisha Kiti Firumu |
| Company type | Kabushiki gaisha |
| Industry | Production company |
| Founded | 1972; 54 years ago (1972) |
| Founder | Hidenori Taga |
| Defunct | 1996; 30 years ago (1996) |
| Fate | Reincorporated as Kitty Group; properties now split between various companies |
| Headquarters | Japan |
Kitty Films Co., Ltd. (キティフィルムKabushiki-gaisha Kiti Firumu) was aproduction company established in 1972 in Japan. They were a pioneer in releasing full anime television series in a single set. The sound recording work by Ken'ichi Benitani on their 1979 film,Almost Transparent Blue, was co-nominated (with Benitani's work on another film) for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording at the 3rdJapan Academy Film Prize ceremony in 1980.
The company was first established in 1972 as Kitty Music Corporation under Hidenori Taga, producing TV drama soundtracks. Their first was for the 1972 filmHajimete no Tabi.
By 1979, the company began to branch off into live action with the filmsAlmost Transparent Blue andLady Oscar (a live-action adaptation of the mangaThe Rose of Versailles).[1][2][3]Almost Transparent Blue received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording for Ken'ichi Benitani at the 3rdJapan Academy Film Prize ceremony in 1980 (shared nomination with Benitani's work onThe Man Who Stole the Sun).[4]
Kitty's entry into anime production began with the 1981 television anime seriesUrusei Yarsura, based onRumiko Takahashi'smanga of the same name. They would go on to produce most of the animated versions ofMaison Ikkoku andRanma ½, as well. The actual animation of Kitty's works was handled by several independent anime studios.Studio Pierrot did the animation for the first half ofUrusei Yatsura,Studio Deen animated the second half (except for several of the OVAs) and all ofMaison Ikkoku andRanma ½, whileMadhouse handled the finalUrusei Yatsura movie, some of the laterUrusei Yatsura OVAs,Legend of the Galactic Heroes, andYAWARA! a fashionable judo girl!. Kitty was a pioneer in releasing complete collections of series, beginning with the limited-run 50-disclaserdisc collection ofUrusei Yatsura in May 1987, which sold out quickly and led to many other companies releasing series in laserdisc and (later) DVD box sets.[5]
Unfortunately, the company had suffered financial troubles from early on, which started to come to a head towards the end of theRanma TV series in 1992. Hidenori Taga had in fact helped finance Kitty's film division byspending money from their music branch, and that year was forced to step down due to an unknown scandal,[citation needed] while Shigekazu Ochiai transferred to Pao House Studios (he died in 1999).[citation needed] Around 1995, Kitty Enterprise was purchased byPolyGram.
Kitty continued to produce less well-known shows such asPing Pong Club (1995), but their output shrank to almost nothing by the end of the 20th century. Rumiko Takahashi did not work with Kitty again after the lastRanma OVA was released in 1996;Sunrise handled the animation duties onInuyasha, and TMS animatedRumic Theater.
Kitty also had a subsidiary animation studio that produced a few anime series and OVAs. The studio's name was Kitty Film Mitaka Studio and never became as famous or successful as its parent. The studio was eventually disbanded.
Kitty Films was eventually reincorporated as Kitty Group and mainly exists as a talent agency, having sold off the rights to most of the Kitty Films library. The Kitty Records library is currently controlled byUniversal Music Japan.
