Anime Inspired Hollywood Movies to Add to Your Watchlist

Image credits: Madhouse/Sony Pictures

While Hollywood often focuses on remakes, the Japanese anime industry never seems to have run out of original ideas. Below are the top Hollywood movies inspired from anime.
 

Inception

Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Inception draws its inspiration from the 2006 Japanese psychological thriller Paprika. It is about a research psychologist who uses a device that permits therapists to help patients by entering their dreams. When Sony distributed it in the USA, it became a critics’ favourite, though it couldn’t reach out to a wider audience. 

Pacific Rim

Another anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, a 1995 series that redefined the mechanics vs. monsters genre shares much in common with Pacific Rim. The series made such an impact that it still makes revenue based on the merchandises. 

Image credits: Khara, Inc./SYWY WIRE

A Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan

Director Daren Aronofsky was so impressed by the anime ‘Perfect Blue’ that he based two movies, A ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and ‘Black Swan’ on it after buying the rights. The two psychological thrillers are as emotionally violent as the original one. Perfect Blue blurs the line between reality and dreams. Sounds familiar? The creator, Satoshi Kon is also credited for Paprika.

The Matrix

The Wachowskis have admitted that they were influenced by Ghost in the Shell, the ground breaking Japanese anime that first envisioned the dystopian cyber world. In 2017, a live adaptation of this was made starring Scarlett Johansson. 

Image credits: Bandai Visual company

The Lion King

“While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give” -Mufasa. The live adaptation that came out later had resurrected not just the timeless classic but also the controversies around it. Disney's Lion King has too many similarities with Kimba: The White Lion. The resemblances were such that the Japanese cartoonist creator protested against the release in Japan for not giving due credits to the creator.

Image credits: ©Disney Studios/ Mushi Production/ India Today

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