Streamline Pictures was an American media company. Founded by screenwriter Carl Macek and animation historian Jerry Beck, it was one of the earliest distributors of English-dubbed Japanese animation.
History Founding Founded in Los Angeles, California, in late 1988, Streamline Pictures was one of the first North American companies that was created primarily with the intention of distributing translated anime uncut and faithful to the original content. The founders of Streamline were television writer and producer Carl Macek, who had worked for Harmony Gold USA on the series Robotech, and animation historian Jerry Beck. At one point or another, Gregory Snegoff, Steve Kramer, Ardwight Chamberlain, Tom Wyner, and Mike Reynolds, all of whom served as series staff writers (and voice actors) on Robotech, worked as independent writers and voice actors for Streamline.
High-profile releases
The first high-profile release by Streamline was the film Laputa: Castle in the Sky from director Hayao Miyazaki, premiering at the Roxy Screening Room in Philadelphia on March 24, 1989. The company was also known for its theatrical release of the film Akira at The Biograph in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. on December 25, 1989, as well as its 1992 video dubbing of The Castle of Cagliostro (earlier screened with subtitles at the Film Forum in New York City in April 1991). Streamline also dubbed My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service, both adapted and directed by Gregory Snegoff, in 1988 for Tokuma Shoten, although these were only used as in-flight films by Japan Airlines at the time. As a fan of Miyazaki's films, Macek did not think Laputa (of which Streamline was the distributor) had received the quality of dubbing that a Miyazaki film deserved. He thought that it could have been done better, so Tokuma Shoten gave him the opportunity to prove his words. For his first project, he asked to dub My Neighbor Totoro, one of his favorite Miyazaki works. The Streamline dub of My Neighbor Totoro was released theatrically in the U.S. by Troma Films in 1993, but its dub of Kiki's Delivery Service appeared only on the 1990s Japanese laserdisc release of that title. Since then, however, all three afore-mentioned films by Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli have been redubbed by Disney.
Tokuma Shoten was pleased with the quality of the initial work, and it immediately hired Streamline to produce the English language version of Kiki's Delivery Service. Soon after its release, the film was bought by Japan Airlines, who showed it during their flights between Japan and the U.S. Streamline also licensed and dubbed other popular anime series and films, such as Fist of the North Star, Wicked City, Lensman, Vampire Hunter D and Golgo 13: The Professional.
Home video market Streamline, in being the first company dedicated to making anime accessible to the English-speaking world, was notable for releasing a wide variety of anime that fit in a wide variety of genres, many of which do not fit completely in any genre such as Twilight of the Cockroaches. During the 1990s VHS era, before the common availability of hybrid DVDs, anime distributors released anime via subtitled or dubbed tapes with the subtitled editions being noticeably more expensive than the dubs which were expected to sell better. Streamline is also notable in being the only such company to eschew this practice and release only dubs of its anime. The only exceptions were the later Akira subtitled release and their Robotech Collection, which included episodes of the original Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada episodes on the same tape along with their Robotech counterparts. Since then, these three titles were re-released by ADV Films through Harmony Gold.
Criticism Because of Macek's notoriety with a certain branch of fandom, Streamline became one of the early catalysts of the sub vs. dub debate. Macek's philosophy towards anime dubbing, as stated in several interviews, most notably published by Protoculture Addicts and Animag, has become largely synonymous with the negative connotation concerning "Americanized dubs".
Later years Streamline Pictures stopped producing new anime releases in 1997, but continued to distribute its complete library in North America. In 1996, the company began to release foreign films under its "Independent Filmworks" label until 2000 when the company closed. The company's Modelworks division was sold in 1998 and the "Streamline Pictures Modelworks" division became a separate company operating under the name "Avatar Creations".
Today, rights to much of the Streamline film and television library (such as Akira and The Castle of Cagliostro) have either reverted to the Japanese rights holder and licensed to other companies, while others have never been re-released due to licensing issues and lack of demand.
List of titles dubbed and/or released Year dubbed/released Title Previous/Last/Current licensee or status 1989 Laputa: Castle in the Sky Tokuma Shoten; Walt Disney Pictures (as Castle in the Sky); GKIDS (as Castle in the Sky) 1989 Twilight of the Cockroaches Discotek Media 1989 My Neighbor Totoro Tokuma Shoten; 50th Street Films; Walt Disney Pictures; GKIDS 1989 Kiki's Delivery Service Tokuma Shoten; Walt Disney Pictures; GKIDS 1989 Akira Geneon Entertainment; Bandai Entertainment; Funimation 1990 Akira Production Report Geneon Entertainment; out of print 1990 Lensman Harmony Gold (as Lensman: Secret of the Lens); out of print 1990 Robot Carnival Discotek Media 1990 Zillion Funimation 1991 Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation Mellow Manor Productions 1991 The Castle of Cagliostro TMS Entertainment (as Lupin III: Cagliostro Castle); Manga Entertainment; Discotek Media/Eleven Arts 1991 Clutch Cargo Cambria Productions; BCI Eclipse 1991 Colonel Bleep Alpha Video; public domain 1991 Space Angel Cambria Productions; BCI Eclipse 1991 Comic Book Confidential Voyager Company; Home Vision Entertainment; Strand Releasing 1991 Fist of the North Star Image Entertainment; Discotek Media (as Fist of the North Star: The Movie) 1991 Zillion Special: Burning Night Funimation 1991 Mr. Happy Playboy TV; out of print 1992 Planet Busters ADV Films (as Birth); out of print 1992 Robotech II: The Sentinels Palladium Books; ADV Films; A&E Networks Home Entertainment through Harmony Gold; Funimation 1992 Nadia ADV Films (as Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water); Sentai Filmworks; GKIDS 1992 Windaria Harmony Gold; ADV Films (as Once Upon a Time); out of print 1992 Vampire Hunter D Urban Vision; Sentai Filmworks 1992 David Hand's Animaland Image Entertainment; out of print 1992 Golgo 13: The Professional Urban Vision; Discotek Media 1992 3×3 Eyes Geneon Entertainment; out of print 1992 Robotech Family Home Entertainment; ADV Films; A&E Networks Home Entertainment through Harmony Gold; Funimation 1992 Super Dimension Fortress Macross ADV Films; A&E Networks Home Entertainment through Harmony Gold; Funimation 1992 Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross ADV Films; A&E Networks Home Entertainment through Harmony Gold; Funimation 1992 Genesis Climber MOSPEADA ADV Films; A&E Networks Home Entertainment through Harmony Gold; Funimation 1992 Neo Tokyo ADV Films; out of print 1992 Silent Möbius Bandai Entertainment; out of print 1993 Dirty Pair: Affair of Nolandia ADV Films; Nozomi Entertainment 1993 The Speed Racer Show Trans-Lux/Speed Racer Enterprises; Family Home Entertainment (as Speed Racer: The Movie); out of print 1993 Doomed Megalopolis ADV Films; Media Blasters 1993 Wicked City Urban Vision; Discotek Media 1993 Lupin III: Tales of the Wolf (Lupin III's Greatest Capers) Geneon Entertainment (as Lupin the 3rd); Discotek Media (as Lupin the Third Part II) 1994 Crying Freeman ADV Films; Discotek Media 1994 Megazone 23, Part 1 Image Entertainment; ADV Films; AnimEigo 1994 Megazone 23, Part 2 ADV Films; AnimEigo 1994 Dirty Pair: Project Eden ADV Films; Nozomi Entertainment 1994 Great Conquest: The Romance of Three Kingdoms Discotek Media 1994 Dirty Pair: Flight 005 Conspiracy ADV Films; Nozomi Entertainment 1994 8 Man After Image Entertainment; Discotek Media 1994 Lily C.A.T. Discotek Media 1994 Cyber Ninja Fox Lorber Home Video; out of print 1994 Zeram Fox Lorber Home Video; Image Entertainment; Tokyo Shock (as Zeiram) 1994 8 Man Fox Lorber Home Video; out of print 1995 Crimson Wolf Image Entertainment; out of print 1995 Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo Toho (as Lupin III); Image Entertainment; Geneon Entertainment (as Lupin the 3rd: The Movie - The Secret of Mamo); Discotek Media 1995 Casshan: Robot Hunter ADV Films through Harmony Gold; Discotek Media 1995 Babel II Image Entertainment; Discotek Media 1995 Barefoot Gen Tara Releasing; Geneon Entertainment; Discotek Media 1995 Space Adventure Cobra Tara Releasing; Urban Vision; Discotek Media
Further reading A series of columns detailing the history of the company by its first employee (not counting the founders).
Reviews of Streamline releases (Akira to Crying Freeman). Reviews of Streamline releases (Dirty Pair to Fist of the North Star). Reviews of Streamline releases (Great Conquest: Romance of the Three Kingdoms to Lapüta: Castle in the Sky). Reviews of Streamline releases (Lensman to Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo). Reviews of Streamline releases (Megazone 23, Part 1 to Nadia). Reviews of Streamline releases (Neo-Tokyo to Planet Busters). Reviews of Streamline releases (The Professional: Golgo 13 to Robot Carnival). Reviews of Streamline releases (Robotech to 3×3 Eyes). Reviews of Streamline's release of Twilight of the Cockroaches. Reviews of Streamline's release of Vampire Hunter D. Reviews of Streamline releases (Wicked City). Reviews of Streamline releases (Windaria to Zillion: Burning Night, plus the book Tainted Treats).
References
External links Streamline Pictures Review Index and Company Info at Akemi's Anime World