The work of Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli puts him in an elite class of animators. Sure he always gets compared to Walt Disney, but Walt wasn’t animating all the classic Disney titles. Miyazaki was writing scripts, designing character and directing the films. His films are masterpieces and ought to be the part of any Blu-ray collection. Now fans can pick up Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo in limited edition SteelBooks with both the Blu-ray and DVD of the films. Remember that a SteelBook is the best way to say that you really enjoy a movie. Here’s the press release from Shout! Factory and GKIDS with the bonus features:
ACCLAIMED ANIMATED FEATURES FROM STUDIO GHIBLI
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE & PONYO
ARRIVE IN LIMITED EDITION STEELBOOK™
BLU-RAY+DVD MAY 12, 2020
FROM GKIDS, DISTRIBUTED BY SHOUT! FACTORY
Studio Ghibli and GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Factory, will release Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo, from the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, on May 12 in limited edition SteelBook packaging with striking new art. The Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo SteelBooks will house Blu-ray & DVD combo packs, presenting the films alongside hours of bonus features and a booklet with stunning art and statements from the filmmakers.
With this release, films from one of the world’s most coveted animation collections can come home to collectors in limited edition SteelBook packaging for the first time in North America.
Howl’s Moving Castle
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, comes the Academy Award®-nominated fantasy adventure for the whole family.
Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world. Featuring the voices of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer, Josh Hutcherson and Billy Crystal.
Bonus Features:
· Feature-Length Storyboards
· Original Theatrical Trailers
· TV Spots
· Interview with Diana Wynne Jones
· Miyazaki’s Visit to Pixar
· Explanation of CG
· The Birth Story of the Film Soundtrack
· Behind the Microphone
· 8-page Booklet with Producer’s Statement and more
Ponyo
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a heartwarming family adventure.
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea. Featuring the voices of Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White.
Bonus Features:
· Feature-Length Storyboards
· Original Theatrical Trailers
· TV Spots
· The Five Geniuses Who Created Ponyo
· Press Conference: Theme Song Announcement
· Behind the Microphone
· Opening Event at Hibiya Scala-Za Theatre
· Interview with Hayao Miyazaki
· Interview with Toshio Suzuki
· Theme Song Music Video
· Hayao Miyazaki Press Conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan
· Creating Ponyo
· Ponyo & Fujimoto
· The Nursery
· Scoring Miyazaki
· Producer’s Perspective: Telling the Story
· The Locations of Ponyo
· 8-page Booklet with Producer’s and Director’s Statements and Lyrics
About GKIDS
GKIDS is a producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, the company has scored an astounding eleven Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, and Mirai in 2019. GKIDS also handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others. GKIDS also produces the annual LA-based film festival, ANIMATION IS FILM, which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression that the medium is capable of.
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.
