Publisher's Synopsis
In 1995, DIC Entertainment inked a licensing deal with Toei and Kodansha. Marvel was building the $3.3 billion in market capitalization that would eventually bankrupt it. Disney acquired Capital Cities. Pixar released Toy Story. Cartoon Network was building the original productions that would lead to Toonami. George Lucas had re-released Star Wars and was dreaming of prequels and a Japanese man with an interest in insects was about to invent something called a "pocket monster."
All of them had one thing in common. Her name was Sailor Moon.
Now nearly thirty years later, the impossible, the improbable and the incredible untold story can finally be told!
Reconnect with the power of love and justice and discover the thrilling secret history of the worldwide anime revolution with this one-of-a-kind chronicle of Naoko Takeuchi's international triumph and the most influential animated television series in history!
Journalist, author and former DIC Entertainment interactive marketing consultant Shane Lochlann Black brings together entertainment executives, national correspondents and bestselling authors, including three-time Emmy(R) Award winning former DIC Entertainment Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward, Irwin Toy CEO George Irwin and key personalities in the English-language anime fan communities across the United States and Canada to look back at the struggles and victories of one man and his vision for the future of animated children's television.
Did Disney own Sailor Moon for five years and not know it? What is the secret connection between Sailor Moon and the Power Rangers? Was it really a Cartoon Network show that helped properties like The Avengers and World of Warcraft build multi-billion dollar markets worldwide? Was a 14-year-old superhero really part of the second-largest corporate merger in history? Did Sailor Moon really help make Cartoon Network the #1 cable channel in America?
By 2017, the worldwide anime market exceeded $60 billion. Wonder Woman, Black Widow and Rey from Star Wars rule the box office. Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen and Beatrice Prior are iconic literary characters. Girl heroes are everywhere.
Was it all because of Sailor Moon?
