entertainment

Disney stops selling, producing 'Frozen' Blu-rays in Japan as Pierre Taki drug arrest fallout continues

17 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

It’s been less than a week since Japanese musician and actor Pierre Taki (legal name Masanori Taki) was arrested on charges of cocaine use/possession. As is the norm in the Japanese entertainment industry, companies quickly scrambled to pull products which featured the 51-year-old Taki, who’s perhaps best known as part of the pop duo Denki Groove.

Video game publisher Sega was quick to act, stopping physical shipments and online sales of its high-profile "Judge Eyes," in which, ironically, Taki plays a criminal. They were quickly followed by Square Enix, which has announced it’s patching Taki’s voice acting lines in its "Kingdom Hearts III" with another actor.

But it’s not just indigenous Japanese companies that are going to great lengths to distance themselves from Taki. Disney is now taking similar steps, since Taki voices comic relief snowman Olaf in "Frozen" (a role he reprises in the crossover "Kingdom Hearts III").

Taki’s arrest became pubic knowledge on March 13, and one day later, Disney store branches in Tokyo had removed their "Frozen"-related merchandise, such as Blu-rays and soundtrack CDs. Disney has also issued a statement saying that it has halted the production of Frozen Blu-rays and DVDs for the Japanese market, and is suspending both their direct sales and shipments to retailers.

"Frozen" is the third-highest-grossing movie of all time in Japan, with its roughly 25.5 billion yen only bested by "Titanic" and "Spirited Away," and its immense popularity means its only a matter of when, not if, Disney will resume selling merchandise in Japan. However, producers have already officially booted Taki from the Japanese-dub cast of "Frozen 2," requiring them to recast the role of Olaf. Once they do, it’s possible that the family-friendly company will decide to replace Taki’s lines in the original "Frozen" with new readings from his "Frozen 2" replacement, simultaneously maintaining continuity between the two movies and completely removing Taki’s involvement in the franchise.

Source: Livedoor News/Sports Hochi via Otakomu

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Real-life Olaf takes Twitter by (snow)storm

-- Hate Frozen? Then you’ll love these photos of the Disney hit’s Olaf being murdered in pastry form

-- As anime Your Name comes out on home video, did it manage to beat Frozen at the box office?

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

17 Comments
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Boy he has been given the cold shoulder, frozen out of the industry, not going to be snowed under with job offers now. Should have let it go, let it go and just have said NO. The film does make more sence now.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I understand new products being halted, but to pull existing things off the shelf is just stupid. Are they going to start erasing all his work from existence? He just did some cocaine...

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Pathetic!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Ironic as the movies is covered in "powder" Think thats Taki in the middle on the right of the pic.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Oh, good grief! Seriously? They do this in a nation that is 'supposed to be' a democracy? Japan is not a democracy! It is a 'my way or the highway' fascist state run by childish bureaucrats who make the laws up to suit themselves as they go.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

This really gets up my nose.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Funny I’ve never seen them do this when actors/musicians are arrested for sexual assault or rape. If only japan cared as much about crimes with actual victims as much as they cared about a guy doing drugs.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Jenna Mary Ellen KellyToday  10:59 am JST

“Funny I’ve never seen them do this when actors/musicians are arrested for sexual assault or rape.”

You amazingly somehow missed the recent Arai Hirofumi case and numerous others.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I believe Freddy Mercury did far more cocaine than Pierre Taki, but people are rushing to watch a movie about his life. Brass bands in schools will be playing his music etc. etc.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Oh, good grief! Seriously? They do this in a nation that is 'supposed to be' a democracy? Japan is not a democracy! It is a 'my way or the highway' fascist state run by childish bureaucrats who make the laws up to suit themselves as they go.

Haha what?? I already stated that I think it’s a stupid move, but I’m pretty sure you only have Disney to blame for this, not some evil government bogeyman...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Being found out as a junkie in Japan is like a pedo who got caught with underage porn in the west. Similar heavy punishment but different priorities.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Oh no, someone intoxicated themselves in an non-approved manner. The horror. The horror.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

This guy is no Kevin Spacey, his content should be pulled.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

So are Disney not going to sell anything created by people who do cocaine?

Start with Alladin then. Robin Williams did a heap of blow back when almost everyone in LA was doing it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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