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Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

January 26, 2023

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, known in Japan as Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Japanese: カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉, Hepburn: Kaubōi Bibappu: Tengoku no Tobira, lit. Cowboy Bebop: Heaven's Door), is a 2001 Japanese anime science fiction action film based on the 1998 anime series Cowboy Bebop created by Hajime Yatate. Multiple staff from the original series worked on the film, including director Shinichirō Watanabe; writer Keiko Nobumoto; character designer/animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto; and composer Yoko Kanno. Both the original Japanese and English voice cast also reprised their roles.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byShinichirō Watanabe
Screenplay byKeiko Nobumoto
Based onCowboy Bebop
by Hajime Yatate
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyYōichi Ōgami
Edited byShūichi Kakesu
Music byYoko Kanno
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Entertainment Japan
Release date
  • September 1, 2001 (2001-09-01)
Running time
115 minutes[1]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office$3 million[2]

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is set between episodes 22 and 23 of the original series.[3] The plot centers on a mysterious terrorist planning to destroy the human population on Mars using an unknown pathogen. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop work to find the terrorist and discover the pathogen's source before the attack can take place.

The film was conceived by Watanabe as an extension of his work on the television series, which he treated as a series of miniature films. So as not to alienate fans of the series, a large amount of aesthetic material was incorporated, while also adjusting it to make it accessible to newcomers. Increased budget and production facilities enabled the use of filming styles associated with live action films and a higher animation quality than the series. Arabic thematic elements were incorporated to contrast against the series, which entailed Watanabe traveling to Morocco for research. The Arabic atmosphere was also used in Kanno's music.

The film was produced by studios Sunrise, which had previously developed the original series; Bones, a later studio founded by former Sunrise staff; and Bandai Visual. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was released to theaters in Japan on September 1, 2001, and in the United States on August 11, 2002. It went on to gross over $3 million worldwide, and when released on DVD, it ranked high on Japanese and US charts. The film received generally positive reviews from mainstream and anime critics, and was nominated for the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film.

Plot

On Mars in 2071, it's been 49 years after Earth was mostly abandoned after a catastrophe. Humanity has settled on other planets and moons in the solar system. The film's protagonists are legalized bounty hunters who travel together on the spaceship Bebop. They are Spike Spiegel, a former associate of the Red Dragon crime syndicate; Jet Black, a former police officer and owner of the Bebop; Faye Valentine, a woman who was once a fugitive from bounty hunters; Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV (Ed for short), a bubbly, energetic girl with genius computer skills; and Ein, an artificially enhanced "data dog" with human-level intelligence.

Days before Halloween, a man explodes a truck in Mars' capital city, spreading what is assumed to be a new pathogen that kills or sickens over 300 people. In response, the Mars government issues a massive bounty for the culprit's capture. Faye, who was pursuing Lee Sampson, a hacker who was apparently driving the truck, sees the terrorist and the Bebop crew decide to take on the bounty. Each follows different lines of inquiry. Ed, using a tattoo on the attacker's wrist, manages to identify him as Vincent Volaju, a former member of a military squad apparently killed in the Titan War.

In reality, Vincent was the only survivor of a test involving the pathogen, having been immunized with a test vaccine: left with dissociative amnesia and hallucinations of glowing butterflies, his inability to tell dreams from reality eventually drove him insane. Jet learns that the truck was the property of Cherious Medical Pharmaceutical Company, who illegally manufactured the pathogen as a biological weapon. Looking for information on the pathogen, Spike is given a sample by a man named Rashid, who was the former lead on its development. Spike also encounters Elektra Ovilo, an agent of Cherious Medical.

Upon examination, the "pathogen" proves to be a type of protein-based nanomachine that mimics human lymphocytes then breaks down into protein after death, making it undetectable. Attempting to infiltrate Cherious Medical, Spike fights with Elektra, planting a listening device on her. Elektra, who is sent by Cherious Medical to kill Vincent, is tailed by Spike, who attempts to take down Vincent on a train.Vincent easily defeats Spike, severely wounding him and throwing him from the train before releasing another cloud of the nanomachines: everyone in the train dies except Elektra, who was unknowingly immunized when she had been in a relationship with Vincent prior to the test on Titan. Elektra secretly gives a friend in the company a sample of her blood to prepare a stock of vaccine.

During this time, Faye relocates Sampson, who has been working with Vincent, but fails to catch him. Ein and Ed manage to find him again, but the two run off before Faye can get there. She arrives just as Vincent breaks one of the nanomachine containers with him, killing Sampson. Although Faye is also infected, Vincent gives her some of his blood through a kiss, immunizing her. After Spike recovers and has a final talk with Rashid, he and Elektra are captured by Cherious Medical, who want to suppress all knowledge of the nanomachines' existence. The two escape from Cherious Medical, grabbing the newly produced vaccine on the way. In turn, Faye escapes after Vincent goes to trigger an attack on the city that will eventually kill everyone on Mars.

After the group reunites, it is determined that Vincent will spread the nanomachines by exploding the giant jack-o'-lantern balloons used in the Halloween parade. Jet has a troop of old crop dusters spread the vaccine over the city while Faye heads for the weather control center and causes it to rain on the city, aiding the spread of the vaccine. Spike and Elektra separately head to confront Vincent. Spike arrives first and the two battle to a standstill, then the nanomachines are released and Spike is temporarily weakened by them (before he gets cured with the vaccine). As Vincent prepares to kill Spike, Elektra arrives and shoots Vincent. Having wanted to die since Titan, Vincent does not defend himself and thanks Elektra for their time together before dying.

Voice cast

Main article: List of Cowboy Bebop characters

Development

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was first announced in September 1999: the majority of the series' staff were carried over along with Watanabe, including producer Masahiko Minami, character designer/animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto, and writer Keiko Nobumoto. The original Japanese cast also returned.[3][8] The writing process was finished and production began in July 2000.[9] It was produced by the studios Sunrise, Bones and Bandai Visual.[3] While Sunrise worked on the original series, Bones was founded in 1998 after the series' completion by Minami, Kawamoto and Hiroshi Ōsaka.[10] The length of the film's production allowed the team to ensure its high quality.[11]

The idea for a film was in the mind of director Shinichirō Watanabe during the development of the original Cowboy Bebop series, which he had originally envisioned as a film.[12] Watanabe treated each episode of the series as a miniature film, so to progress onto a feature-length film seemed natural to him. So as not to disappoint fans, the film incorporated as much of the series as possible while making it accessible to newcomers.[13] He had thought up some of the story and the character of Vincent during the production of the series.[12] After the series ended and there was demand for a continuation from both fans and sponsors so the decision was made by the series creators to make a film.[14][15] Watanabe said "When the original 26-episode series concluded, a lot of fans and sponsors wanted me to continue. That's why I made this movie."[15]

Watanabe was aiming towards a live-action look for the film despite its medium, using camera tricks, visual effects and character expression impossible in the series while keeping "the Bebop flavor".[16] According to Kōichi Yamadera, the Japanese voice actor for Spike, the only real changes made by the team in the portrayal were to show off the characters, including Spike, in different ways: Spike, in particular, displayed more of his inner thoughts and showed a gentler side than he did in the series, as there was more time available to express such details.[13] Watanabe personally chose the voice actors for Elektra and Vincent. Vincent was partially intended as a type of villain that could not be done in the series, even though Watanabe felt he was not "particularly unique".[16]

Because of increased running time, budget and facilities, the team were able to include more cels in animations, as well as longer and more intricate action sequences.[13] The film included difficult sequences that Watanabe could not do along with the rest of the film, so two guest directors were brought in for them: Hiroyuki Okiura, who handled the opening sequence, and Tensai Okamura, who created a cinematic Western shown at a drive-in theater during the film. Watanabe wanted to give the film an Arabic feel, in contrast to the series which often used New York and Hong Kong for inspiration. To this end, Watanabe went on a research trip to Morocco.[16] The character Rashid was based on the guide who had shown the research team round the city.[3] Working on the film was different for Watanabe when compared to the series in a positive way: while he had to put the entire story in a twenty-minute episode for the series, the team were able to create a longer, more detailed narrative.[17]

Music

Main article: Music of Cowboy Bebop

The music for Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was composed by Yoko Kanno, composer for the original series, and performed by her band Seatbelts.[8] She used the same mixture of music genres (western, opera, jazz) as with the TV series, but also added Arabic elements in keeping with the film's thematic feel. She used Arabic and English for the music lyrics. Alongside these, the soundtrack made use of a large number of rock instruments.[11][18] Five tracks from the film were released on the Seatbelts mini-album Ask DNA, released on July 25, 2001.[19][20] The soundtrack's official release, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door OST Future Blues, was released on August 22, 2001. Both these albums were reissued in December 2012.[19]

Release

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was first released in cinemas in Japan on September 1, 2001. After the film's international release, this date was subject to debate in the western fanbase due to its proximity to the September 11 attacks.[21] It was first shown to the west at the 2002 AnimeCon, where it was announced that the original English cast would reprise their roles.[22][23] Its Japanese subtitle, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", was changed for the western release due to sharing its name with the 1973 Bob Dylan song of the same name. Instead of creating a new subtitle, the team settled with using "The Movie",[11] though a November 2018 rerelease of the film by Funimation features the original subtitle. It was jointly released in the United States by Sony Pictures through their Destination Films label and Samuel Goldwyn Films and internationally by Tristar Pictures. During its initial screening at the event, it sold out completely, prompting a second screening later in the event.[22] The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States, opening on April 4, 2003. During its opening weekend, it reached 19th place in the box office chart, bringing in $12,338 per screening.[24] The film's total gross in America was $1,000,045. Its worldwide gross totals $3,007,903.[2]

The film was released on DVD in Japan on February 7, 2002, immediately reaching the top of the DVD/VHS charts. Sunrise and Bandai Visual underestimated the possible sales, with the first print being used up soon after release, prompting a second print for mid-February.[25] Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released it on DVD in the United States on June 24, 2003.[26] In 2006, it was ranked as the sixth best-selling anime DVD in the United States.[27] It did not receive a theatrical release in the United Kingdom, instead being released as a direct-to-DVD feature.[28] It was released in the UK on June 27, 2003.[1] The film was later released on Blu-ray disc in Japan on July 25, 2008.[29] It was released in North America by Image Entertainment on June 28, 2011.[30]

In celebration for the series's 20th anniversary in 2018, the film was shown in United States theaters by Funimation Films on August 15 (with Japanese audio and English subtitles) and on August 16 (with the English dub).[31]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66% based on 76 reviews, with an average rating of 6.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "This may be strictly for anime junkies, but they'll find much to like about Cowboy Bebop's casual violence and cool dialogue."[32] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".[33] The film was nominated at the Online Film Critics Society Awards 2003 in the Best Animated Film category, though it lost the award to Finding Nemo.[34] Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies praised the music of the movie, calling it "the show's secret weapon", and stated that "the movie's only real fault is that it's about half an hour too long".[35]

Critic reviews have generally been positive. Andy Patrizio of IGN gave the film a score of 9 of 10, saying that the developers "did a superb job of fleshing out the story", as well as praising it for "not succumbing to melodrama like many of its live-action counterparts". He also commented that the film's subject matter of terrorism in the face of the September 11 attacks "smacked way too close to home". The music also received praise.[36] Mike Crandol of Anime News Network echoed many of these sentiments. His main criticism stemmed from the fact that Jet, Faye and Ed were relegated to supporting roles, and that it was difficult getting them all into the story. He also said that the team had outdone themselves with the animation quality in a few scenes, such as the final fight between Spike and Vincent.[37] Robert Koehler of Variety, reviewing an undubbed subtitled release, praised the visuals and writing, although he found some sections a little long.[38] Charles Solomon writing in the Los Angeles Times however praised the film for its running time, saying it gave screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto time to explore the characters.[39]

Other reviews were more mixed. Lawrence van Gelder of The New York Times gave the film a mixed review, saying that he enjoyed the experience, but found it a little frivolous when compared to both its subject matter and events at the time. His ultimate impression from the English-dubbed version was that the film could easily have been set in present-day New York.[40] Peter Bradshaw writing in The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and praised the film's visuals, but said that the plot wasn't very interesting and failed to keep him interested.[41] Jamie Russell, writing for the BBC, gave it 4 out of 5 stars, saying it was "good enough to deserve mention in the same breath as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Spirited Away". The most praise went to the use of live-action camera angles. Though he found the film's story sometimes slowed noticeably, the soundtrack and visual references to other notable action films made it "an example of anime at its very best."[42] Other newspapers of the time including the Toronto Star, Chicago Tribune and generally shared opinions with other reviewers: several praised the plot and animation, while others were mixed. Others, including the Toronto Star and Newark Star-Ledger, noted its connection to science fiction films.[43]

References

  1. ^ a b "Cowboy Bebop". British Board of Film Classification. from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Cowboy Bebop (2003)". Box Office Mojo. from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e . CowboyBebop.org. Archived from the original on November 17, 2002. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  4. ^ "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) - Shinichiro Watanabe - Cast and Crew - AllMovie". AllMovie. from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  5. ^ "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie". TV Guide. from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  6. ^ Miss Mecha Zero. . bigshinyrobot.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  7. ^ "Dave Wittenberg". crystalacids.com. from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Further Cowboy Bebop details released". Anime News Network. September 25, 1999. from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  9. ^ "Cowboy Bebop Movie Begins Production". Anime News Network. July 28, 2000. from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  10. ^ "Cowboy Bebop Helmer Shinichiro Watanabe, BONES Plan New TV Anime". Anime News Network. October 16, 2012. from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  11. ^ a b c . Anime on DVD.com. February 14, 2006. Archived from the original on June 5, 2003. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  12. ^ a b . The Animatrix official website. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c "From the Small Screen to the Big Screen". Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (DVD). Culver City, California: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. 2003.
  14. ^ Bricken, Robert (January 2003). "Behind the Bebop - Murder, Mars and All That Jazz". Anime Invasion. Wizard (#5).
  15. ^ a b Solomon, Charles (March 30, 2003). "Dirty Harry in Space?". Los Angeles Times. from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c . Cowboy Bebop: The Movie website (English). Archived from the original on March 7, 2003. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  17. ^ . The Daily Texan. February 14, 2006. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  18. ^ Khan, Ridwan (March 2002). . Animefringe. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  19. ^ a b Green, Scott (November 13, 2012). "Out of Print "Cowboy Bebop" Soundtracks Reissued". Crunchyroll. from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  20. ^ "More Details and corrections on Cowboy Bebop Soundtracks". Anime News Network. July 30, 2001. from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  21. ^ Beck, Jerry (October 28, 2005). The Animated Movie Guide (1 ed.). Chicago Review Press. p. 60. ISBN 1-55652-591-5.
  22. ^ a b "Anime Cons continue to grow". ICv2. August 29, 2002. from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  23. ^ "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie English Cast Announced". Anime News Network. July 16, 2002. from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  24. ^ "Weekend Box Office Numbers". Anime News Network. April 8, 2003. from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  25. ^ "Anime Briefs: March 2002". Animefringe. March 2002. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  26. ^ "Columbia Tristar has Cowboy Bebop movie ... it seems". Anime News Network. January 25, 2002. from the original on September 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  27. ^ "Top Selling Anime DVD Movies". Anime News Network. January 31, 2006. from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  28. ^ "Animejin News - 12th July 2002". AnimeJin. July 12, 2002. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  29. ^ . Bandai Visual. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  30. ^ "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie". High-Def Digest. from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  31. ^ Valdez, Nick (July 13, 2018). "'Cowboy Bebop: The Movie' is Returning to U.S. Theaters". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  32. ^ "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  33. ^ "Cowboy Bebop the Movie: Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Metacritic. from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  34. ^ . Online Film Critics Society. 2003. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  35. ^ McCarthy, Helen (2009). 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide. Harper Design. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-06-147450-7.
  36. ^ Patrizio, Andy (July 16, 2003). "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie". IGN. from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  37. ^ Crandol, Mike (February 4, 2002). "Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door (movie)". Anime News Network. from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  38. ^ Koehler, Robert (August 14, 2002). "Review: 'Cowboy Bebop – The Movie'". Variety. from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  39. ^ Solomon, Charles (April 4, 2003). . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010.
  40. ^ van Gelder, Lawrence (April 4, 2003). "Futuristic Cowboys From Mars on a Mission". The New York Times. from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  41. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (June 27, 2003). "Cowboy Bebop". The Guardian. from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  42. ^ Russell, Jamie (June 17, 2003). "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2003)". BBC. from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  43. ^ Mays, Jonathan (April 4, 2003). "Feature: Cowboy Bebop Theatrical Reviews". Anime News Network. from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Cowboy Bebop: The Movie.

January 26, 2023
cowboy, bebop, movie, known, japan, cowboy, bebop, knockin, heaven, door, japanese, カウボーイビバップ, 天国の扉, hepburn, kaubōi, bibappu, tengoku, tobira, cowboy, bebop, heaven, door, 2001, japanese, anime, science, fiction, action, film, based, 1998, anime, series, cowb. Cowboy Bebop The Movie known in Japan as Cowboy Bebop Knockin on Heaven s Door Japanese カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉 Hepburn Kaubōi Bibappu Tengoku no Tobira lit Cowboy Bebop Heaven s Door is a 2001 Japanese anime science fiction action film based on the 1998 anime series Cowboy Bebop created by Hajime Yatate Multiple staff from the original series worked on the film including director Shinichirō Watanabe writer Keiko Nobumoto character designer animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto and composer Yoko Kanno Both the original Japanese and English voice cast also reprised their roles Cowboy Bebop The MovieTheatrical release posterDirected byShinichirō WatanabeScreenplay byKeiko NobumotoBased onCowboy Bebopby Hajime YatateProduced byMasuo Ueda Masahiko Minami Minoru TakanashiStarringKōichi Yamadera Megumi Hayashibara Unshō Ishizuka Aoi Tada Ai Kobayashi Tsutomu Isobe Renji Ishibashi Mickey CurtisCinematographyYōichi ŌgamiEdited byShuichi KakesuMusic byYoko KannoProductioncompaniesSunrise Bones animation production Bandai VisualDistributed bySony Pictures Entertainment JapanRelease dateSeptember 1 2001 2001 09 01 Running time115 minutes 1 CountryJapanLanguageJapaneseBox office 3 million 2 Cowboy Bebop The Movie is set between episodes 22 and 23 of the original series 3 The plot centers on a mysterious terrorist planning to destroy the human population on Mars using an unknown pathogen The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop work to find the terrorist and discover the pathogen s source before the attack can take place The film was conceived by Watanabe as an extension of his work on the television series which he treated as a series of miniature films So as not to alienate fans of the series a large amount of aesthetic material was incorporated while also adjusting it to make it accessible to newcomers Increased budget and production facilities enabled the use of filming styles associated with live action films and a higher animation quality than the series Arabic thematic elements were incorporated to contrast against the series which entailed Watanabe traveling to Morocco for research The Arabic atmosphere was also used in Kanno s music The film was produced by studios Sunrise which had previously developed the original series Bones a later studio founded by former Sunrise staff and Bandai Visual Cowboy Bebop The Movie was released to theaters in Japan on September 1 2001 and in the United States on August 11 2002 It went on to gross over 3 million worldwide and when released on DVD it ranked high on Japanese and US charts The film received generally positive reviews from mainstream and anime critics and was nominated for the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film Contents 1 Plot 2 Voice cast 3 Development 3 1 Music 4 Release 5 Critical response 6 References 7 External linksPlot EditOn Mars in 2071 it s been 49 years after Earth was mostly abandoned after a catastrophe Humanity has settled on other planets and moons in the solar system The film s protagonists are legalized bounty hunters who travel together on the spaceship Bebop They are Spike Spiegel a former associate of the Red Dragon crime syndicate Jet Black a former police officer and owner of the Bebop Faye Valentine a woman who was once a fugitive from bounty hunters Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV Ed for short a bubbly energetic girl with genius computer skills and Ein an artificially enhanced data dog with human level intelligence Days before Halloween a man explodes a truck in Mars capital city spreading what is assumed to be a new pathogen that kills or sickens over 300 people In response the Mars government issues a massive bounty for the culprit s capture Faye who was pursuing Lee Sampson a hacker who was apparently driving the truck sees the terrorist and the Bebop crew decide to take on the bounty Each follows different lines of inquiry Ed using a tattoo on the attacker s wrist manages to identify him as Vincent Volaju a former member of a military squad apparently killed in the Titan War In reality Vincent was the only survivor of a test involving the pathogen having been immunized with a test vaccine left with dissociative amnesia and hallucinations of glowing butterflies his inability to tell dreams from reality eventually drove him insane Jet learns that the truck was the property of Cherious Medical Pharmaceutical Company who illegally manufactured the pathogen as a biological weapon Looking for information on the pathogen Spike is given a sample by a man named Rashid who was the former lead on its development Spike also encounters Elektra Ovilo an agent of Cherious Medical Upon examination the pathogen proves to be a type of protein based nanomachine that mimics human lymphocytes then breaks down into protein after death making it undetectable Attempting to infiltrate Cherious Medical Spike fights with Elektra planting a listening device on her Elektra who is sent by Cherious Medical to kill Vincent is tailed by Spike who attempts to take down Vincent on a train Vincent easily defeats Spike severely wounding him and throwing him from the train before releasing another cloud of the nanomachines everyone in the train dies except Elektra who was unknowingly immunized when she had been in a relationship with Vincent prior to the test on Titan Elektra secretly gives a friend in the company a sample of her blood to prepare a stock of vaccine During this time Faye relocates Sampson who has been working with Vincent but fails to catch him Ein and Ed manage to find him again but the two run off before Faye can get there She arrives just as Vincent breaks one of the nanomachine containers with him killing Sampson Although Faye is also infected Vincent gives her some of his blood through a kiss immunizing her After Spike recovers and has a final talk with Rashid he and Elektra are captured by Cherious Medical who want to suppress all knowledge of the nanomachines existence The two escape from Cherious Medical grabbing the newly produced vaccine on the way In turn Faye escapes after Vincent goes to trigger an attack on the city that will eventually kill everyone on Mars After the group reunites it is determined that Vincent will spread the nanomachines by exploding the giant jack o lantern balloons used in the Halloween parade Jet has a troop of old crop dusters spread the vaccine over the city while Faye heads for the weather control center and causes it to rain on the city aiding the spread of the vaccine Spike and Elektra separately head to confront Vincent Spike arrives first and the two battle to a standstill then the nanomachines are released and Spike is temporarily weakened by them before he gets cured with the vaccine As Vincent prepares to kill Spike Elektra arrives and shoots Vincent Having wanted to die since Titan Vincent does not defend himself and thanks Elektra for their time together before dying Voice cast EditMain article List of Cowboy Bebop characters Character Japanese voice actor 3 English dub actor 4 5 Spike Spiegel Kōichi Yamadera Steve Blum 6 Jet Black Unshō Ishizuka Beau BillingsleaFaye Valentine Megumi Hayashibara Wendee LeeEdward Wong Aoi Tada Melissa FahnVincent Volaju Tsutomu Isobe Daran NorrisElektra Ovilo Ai Kobayashi Jennifer HaleRashid Mickey Curtis Nicholas GuestLee Sampson Yuji Ueda Dave Wittenberg 7 Development Edit Director Shinichirō Watanabe Cowboy Bebop The Movie was first announced in September 1999 the majority of the series staff were carried over along with Watanabe including producer Masahiko Minami character designer animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto and writer Keiko Nobumoto The original Japanese cast also returned 3 8 The writing process was finished and production began in July 2000 9 It was produced by the studios Sunrise Bones and Bandai Visual 3 While Sunrise worked on the original series Bones was founded in 1998 after the series completion by Minami Kawamoto and Hiroshi Ōsaka 10 The length of the film s production allowed the team to ensure its high quality 11 The idea for a film was in the mind of director Shinichirō Watanabe during the development of the original Cowboy Bebop series which he had originally envisioned as a film 12 Watanabe treated each episode of the series as a miniature film so to progress onto a feature length film seemed natural to him So as not to disappoint fans the film incorporated as much of the series as possible while making it accessible to newcomers 13 He had thought up some of the story and the character of Vincent during the production of the series 12 After the series ended and there was demand for a continuation from both fans and sponsors so the decision was made by the series creators to make a film 14 15 Watanabe said When the original 26 episode series concluded a lot of fans and sponsors wanted me to continue That s why I made this movie 15 Watanabe was aiming towards a live action look for the film despite its medium using camera tricks visual effects and character expression impossible in the series while keeping the Bebop flavor 16 According to Kōichi Yamadera the Japanese voice actor for Spike the only real changes made by the team in the portrayal were to show off the characters including Spike in different ways Spike in particular displayed more of his inner thoughts and showed a gentler side than he did in the series as there was more time available to express such details 13 Watanabe personally chose the voice actors for Elektra and Vincent Vincent was partially intended as a type of villain that could not be done in the series even though Watanabe felt he was not particularly unique 16 Because of increased running time budget and facilities the team were able to include more cels in animations as well as longer and more intricate action sequences 13 The film included difficult sequences that Watanabe could not do along with the rest of the film so two guest directors were brought in for them Hiroyuki Okiura who handled the opening sequence and Tensai Okamura who created a cinematic Western shown at a drive in theater during the film Watanabe wanted to give the film an Arabic feel in contrast to the series which often used New York and Hong Kong for inspiration To this end Watanabe went on a research trip to Morocco 16 The character Rashid was based on the guide who had shown the research team round the city 3 Working on the film was different for Watanabe when compared to the series in a positive way while he had to put the entire story in a twenty minute episode for the series the team were able to create a longer more detailed narrative 17 Music Edit Main article Music of Cowboy Bebop The music for Cowboy Bebop The Movie was composed by Yoko Kanno composer for the original series and performed by her band Seatbelts 8 She used the same mixture of music genres western opera jazz as with the TV series but also added Arabic elements in keeping with the film s thematic feel She used Arabic and English for the music lyrics Alongside these the soundtrack made use of a large number of rock instruments 11 18 Five tracks from the film were released on the Seatbelts mini album Ask DNA released on July 25 2001 19 20 The soundtrack s official release Cowboy Bebop Knockin on Heaven s Door OST Future Blues was released on August 22 2001 Both these albums were reissued in December 2012 19 Release EditCowboy Bebop The Movie was first released in cinemas in Japan on September 1 2001 After the film s international release this date was subject to debate in the western fanbase due to its proximity to the September 11 attacks 21 It was first shown to the west at the 2002 AnimeCon where it was announced that the original English cast would reprise their roles 22 23 Its Japanese subtitle Knockin on Heaven s Door was changed for the western release due to sharing its name with the 1973 Bob Dylan song of the same name Instead of creating a new subtitle the team settled with using The Movie 11 though a November 2018 rerelease of the film by Funimation features the original subtitle It was jointly released in the United States by Sony Pictures through their Destination Films label and Samuel Goldwyn Films and internationally by Tristar Pictures During its initial screening at the event it sold out completely prompting a second screening later in the event 22 The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States opening on April 4 2003 During its opening weekend it reached 19th place in the box office chart bringing in 12 338 per screening 24 The film s total gross in America was 1 000 045 Its worldwide gross totals 3 007 903 2 The film was released on DVD in Japan on February 7 2002 immediately reaching the top of the DVD VHS charts Sunrise and Bandai Visual underestimated the possible sales with the first print being used up soon after release prompting a second print for mid February 25 Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released it on DVD in the United States on June 24 2003 26 In 2006 it was ranked as the sixth best selling anime DVD in the United States 27 It did not receive a theatrical release in the United Kingdom instead being released as a direct to DVD feature 28 It was released in the UK on June 27 2003 1 The film was later released on Blu ray disc in Japan on July 25 2008 29 It was released in North America by Image Entertainment on June 28 2011 30 In celebration for the series s 20th anniversary in 2018 the film was shown in United States theaters by Funimation Films on August 15 with Japanese audio and English subtitles and on August 16 with the English dub 31 Critical response EditOn review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 66 based on 76 reviews with an average rating of 6 30 10 The website s critical consensus reads This may be strictly for anime junkies but they ll find much to like about Cowboy Bebop s casual violence and cool dialogue 32 On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 23 critics indicating generally positive reviews 33 The film was nominated at the Online Film Critics Society Awards 2003 in the Best Animated Film category though it lost the award to Finding Nemo 34 Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies praised the music of the movie calling it the show s secret weapon and stated that the movie s only real fault is that it s about half an hour too long 35 Critic reviews have generally been positive Andy Patrizio of IGN gave the film a score of 9 of 10 saying that the developers did a superb job of fleshing out the story as well as praising it for not succumbing to melodrama like many of its live action counterparts He also commented that the film s subject matter of terrorism in the face of the September 11 attacks smacked way too close to home The music also received praise 36 Mike Crandol of Anime News Network echoed many of these sentiments His main criticism stemmed from the fact that Jet Faye and Ed were relegated to supporting roles and that it was difficult getting them all into the story He also said that the team had outdone themselves with the animation quality in a few scenes such as the final fight between Spike and Vincent 37 Robert Koehler of Variety reviewing an undubbed subtitled release praised the visuals and writing although he found some sections a little long 38 Charles Solomon writing in the Los Angeles Times however praised the film for its running time saying it gave screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto time to explore the characters 39 Other reviews were more mixed Lawrence van Gelder of The New York Times gave the film a mixed review saying that he enjoyed the experience but found it a little frivolous when compared to both its subject matter and events at the time His ultimate impression from the English dubbed version was that the film could easily have been set in present day New York 40 Peter Bradshaw writing in The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and praised the film s visuals but said that the plot wasn t very interesting and failed to keep him interested 41 Jamie Russell writing for the BBC gave it 4 out of 5 stars saying it was good enough to deserve mention in the same breath as Akira Ghost in the Shell and Spirited Away The most praise went to the use of live action camera angles Though he found the film s story sometimes slowed noticeably the soundtrack and visual references to other notable action films made it an example of anime at its very best 42 Other newspapers of the time including the Toronto Star Chicago Tribune and generally shared opinions with other reviewers several praised the plot and animation while others were mixed Others including the Toronto Star and Newark Star Ledger noted its connection to science fiction films 43 References Edit a b Cowboy Bebop British Board of Film Classification Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved January 22 2015 a b Cowboy Bebop 2003 Box Office Mojo Archived from the original on July 14 2014 Retrieved May 29 2014 a b c d e Cowboy Bebop Heaven s Door About the Movie CowboyBebop org Archived from the original on November 17 2002 Retrieved June 1 2014 Cowboy Bebop The Movie 2001 Shinichiro Watanabe Cast and Crew AllMovie AllMovie Archived from the original on January 12 2017 Retrieved January 31 2016 Cowboy Bebop The Movie TV Guide Archived from the original on December 8 2015 Retrieved January 31 2016 Miss Mecha Zero Big Shiny Robot Cowboy Bebop The Movie shown at the Aero Theater with special guests Steve Blum and Peter Ramsey bigshinyrobot com Archived from the original on January 12 2017 Retrieved January 31 2016 Dave Wittenberg crystalacids com Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved January 31 2016 a b Further Cowboy Bebop details released Anime News Network September 25 1999 Archived from the original on April 5 2014 Retrieved January 6 2015 Cowboy Bebop Movie Begins Production Anime News Network July 28 2000 Archived from the original on April 23 2015 Retrieved January 6 2015 Cowboy Bebop Helmer Shinichiro Watanabe BONES Plan New TV Anime Anime News Network October 16 2012 Archived from the original on November 3 2014 Retrieved June 1 2014 a b c Cowboy Bebop Panel Anime on DVD com February 14 2006 Archived from the original on June 5 2003 Retrieved January 6 2015 a b Animatrix Director Kid s Story and A Detective s Story The Animatrix official website Archived from the original on January 2 2013 Retrieved January 19 2015 a b c From the Small Screen to the Big Screen Cowboy Bebop The Movie DVD Culver City California Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment 2003 Bricken Robert January 2003 Behind the Bebop Murder Mars and All That Jazz Anime Invasion Wizard 5 a b Solomon Charles March 30 2003 Dirty Harry in Space Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 30 2021 Retrieved December 17 2021 a b c The Director s Voice Shinichiro Watanabe Interview Cowboy Bebop The Movie website English Archived from the original on March 7 2003 Retrieved January 6 2015 Cowboy Bebop director Watanabe talks anime The Daily Texan February 14 2006 Archived from the original on July 15 2009 Retrieved January 6 2015 Khan Ridwan March 2002 Animefringe Reviews Cowboy Bebop Knockin On Heaven s Door Original Soundtrack Future Blues Animefringe Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved June 1 2014 a b Green Scott November 13 2012 Out of Print Cowboy Bebop Soundtracks Reissued Crunchyroll Archived from the original on November 16 2012 Retrieved January 8 2015 More Details and corrections on Cowboy Bebop Soundtracks Anime News Network July 30 2001 Archived from the original on April 23 2015 Retrieved January 8 2015 Beck Jerry October 28 2005 The Animated Movie Guide 1 ed Chicago Review Press p 60 ISBN 1 55652 591 5 a b Anime Cons continue to grow ICv2 August 29 2002 Archived from the original on June 3 2015 Retrieved January 6 2015 Cowboy Bebop The Movie English Cast Announced Anime News Network July 16 2002 Archived from the original on April 21 2015 Retrieved January 8 2015 Weekend Box Office Numbers Anime News Network April 8 2003 Archived from the original on April 1 2015 Retrieved January 8 2015 Anime Briefs March 2002 Animefringe March 2002 Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved January 8 2015 Columbia Tristar has Cowboy Bebop movie it seems Anime News Network January 25 2002 Archived from the original on September 8 2014 Retrieved January 8 2015 Top Selling Anime DVD Movies Anime News Network January 31 2006 Archived from the original on October 31 2014 Retrieved January 8 2015 Animejin News 12th July 2002 AnimeJin July 12 2002 Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved January 8 2015 Cowboy Bebop Knockin on Heaven s Door Blu ray Disc Bandai Visual Archived from the original on July 10 2009 Retrieved May 3 2009 Cowboy Bebop The Movie High Def Digest Archived from the original on November 1 2014 Retrieved January 8 2015 Valdez Nick July 13 2018 Cowboy Bebop The Movie is Returning to U S Theaters ComicBook com Archived from the original on July 15 2018 Retrieved July 15 2018 Cowboy Bebop The Movie Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on November 16 2007 Retrieved November 22 2007 Cowboy Bebop the Movie Knockin on Heaven s Door Metacritic Archived from the original on April 3 2015 Retrieved January 8 2014 2003 Awards 7th Annual Online Film Critics Society 2003 Archived from the original on June 2 2017 Retrieved January 8 2015 McCarthy Helen 2009 500 Essential Anime Movies The Ultimate Guide Harper Design p 18 ISBN 978 0 06 147450 7 Patrizio Andy July 16 2003 Cowboy Bebop The Movie IGN Archived from the original on December 13 2021 Retrieved January 8 2014 Crandol Mike February 4 2002 Cowboy Bebop Knockin on Heaven s Door movie Anime News Network Archived from the original on October 17 2020 Retrieved January 8 2014 Koehler Robert August 14 2002 Review Cowboy Bebop The Movie Variety Archived from the original on October 5 2015 Retrieved January 8 2014 Solomon Charles April 4 2003 A space cowboy who doesn t pull his punches Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on August 10 2010 van Gelder Lawrence April 4 2003 Futuristic Cowboys From Mars on a Mission The New York Times Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved January 8 2014 Bradshaw Peter June 27 2003 Cowboy Bebop The Guardian Archived from the original on September 19 2020 Retrieved December 17 2021 Russell Jamie June 17 2003 Cowboy Bebop The Movie 2003 BBC Archived from the original on November 21 2014 Retrieved February 27 2013 Mays Jonathan April 4 2003 Feature Cowboy Bebop Theatrical Reviews Anime News Network Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Retrieved October 4 2015 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Cowboy Bebop The Movie Cowboy Bebop The Movie at AllMovie Cowboy Bebop The Movie at Box Office Mojo Cowboy Bebop The Movie at Metacritic Cowboy Bebop The Movie at Rotten Tomatoes Cowboy Bebop The Movie at IMDb Cowboy Bebop The Movie film at Anime News Network s encyclopedia Portals Anime and manga Film Speculative fiction Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cowboy Bebop The Movie amp oldid 1134238615, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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