CreatorVC Plans Icons of Anime Documentary, Invites Fans' Comments in Survey

CreatorVC, the producer of long-form documentaries on the live-action films Aliens (Aliens Expanded) and The Thing (The Thing Expanded), announced in a press release on Thursday it is working on a documentary about the impact of anime in the West. The documentary will be titled Icons of Anime: The Western Awakening.

CreatorVC is inviting anime fans to participate in a survey that will help shape the documentary. This survey is at iconsofanimedoc.com and will run until August 7.

The documentary is described below. The full synopsis is available here, listing the anime titles and artists that the documentary will cover.

Speed Racer. Star Blazers. Robotech. Akira. Ghost in the Shell. Each of those titles hit the West like a tsunami. Anime dazzles the eye with stunning visuals, grips the heart with emotional authenticity, and challenges the mind with unparalleled diversity. Those who discover anime become united in their passion for this engaging world of entertainment.

In just two generations, anime went from underground entertainment to global phenomenon. How did cultural and economic trends shape the art form? Why did certain titles have an impact? What did anime bring to America that we didn't already have? Icons of Anime will seek to answer these questions and many more in the way CREATORVC does best: a multi-hour deep dive that covers every angle of its subject, steered by Emmy-nominated animation director, comic book artist, and veteran anime fan Tim Eldred.

Eldred, who previously directed Space Battleship Yamato: The Making of an Anime Legend, is writing and directing the documentary. The documentary's Executive Producer is confirmed as David Weiner and the producer is Daniel Richardson.

The documentary also stated the staff will "hear from the creators and those they inspired." The staff will talk to experts from Japan and America as well as fans, and will "ask today's groundbreaking filmmakers about their own experience with anime and how it influenced their work."

CreatorVC's past productions include In Search of Darkness, a series of five lengthy documentaries on the horror film genre. More recent CreatorVC documentaries have included 2024's Aliens Expanded (282 minutes) and 2026's The Thing Expanded (312 minutes).

Source: Press release