Before they joined forces to create Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki worked on a few projects together. In the early ’70s the duo teamed up on two short films. Takahata directed and Miyazaki wrote the scripts (among other duties) for Panda! Go Panda! and Rainy Day Circus. Both films have been joined together for a Blu-ray coming out in June. The movies are about what happens when Pandas show up at a family’s house. They were produced during the time when China was loaning Pandas to zoos. Kids were wild about pandas. The films are being brought together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original release. Here’s the press release from GKIDS and Shout! Factory:
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| Panda! Go Panda! THE BELOVED ANIMATED FILM DIRECTED BY ISAO TAKAHATA AND WRITTEN BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD FROM GKIDS ON JUNE 21, 2022 |
 The delightful animated film, Panda! Go Panda!, will be available in a Blu-Ray™ + DVD combo from GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory, on June 21, 2022. Included in the upcoming release are both Panda! Go Panda! (1972), Rainy Day Circus (1973), and tons of special features, released collectively as Panda! Go Panda! With these bonus features, a conversation between the film’s director, Academy Award® nominated Isao Takahata, and the film’s writer, Academy Award® winner Hayao Miyazaki, will be made available for the first time in North America. Fans of this release can pre-order now at GKIDS.com and ShoutFactory.com. First known as Panda Kopanda (translation: Panda, Baby Panda), it initially premiered in Japan at the height of the panda craze in September 1972. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Panda! Go Panda! is a charming early-career classic from animation legends Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki before they went on to co-found the legendary Studio Ghibli. Synopsis Mimiko is a cheerful, young girl who is left on her own while her grandmother is away. When little Panny Panda and his father Papanda stumble into her home, Mimiko welcomes them in as her new family. Adventures ensue as Mimiko discovers the challenges of taking care of her new cuddly friends. Special Features ● “From Mimi to Heidi, From Papanda to Totoro” Interview ● Panda! Go Panda! Exhibit ~ The Impact of Hayao Miyazaki’s Image Boards ~ ● Conversation with Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki in 1994 ● Trailers and Previews About GKIDS GKIDS is the producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, the company has scored an astounding 12 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, Mirai in 2019, and Wolfwalkers in 2021. GKIDS 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; as well as the critically acclaimed television series, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION. Also, GKIDS is the founder and host of ANIMATION IS FILM, the annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions. www.gkids.com About Shout! Factory Shout! Factory, LLC is a leading multi-platform media company devoted to film and TV distribution, development, and production, as well as the preservation and revitalization of the very best in pop-culture entertainment. Founded by Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, and Garson Foos in 2003, Shout! owns and manages a large portfolio of films, contemporary and classic TV series, animation, and documentaries. The company’s creative acquisition mandate has established it as a leading independent distributor, with partners and properties including GKIDS, Sesame Street , The Carol Burnett Show, The Johnny Carson Show, IFC Films, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, ITV Studios, Major League Baseball Productions, and many others. Shout! Factory Kids focuses on live-action and animated kids and family properties, and the company releases films and television shows in other genres under the Scream Factory and Shout Select imprints. Shout! develops, acquires and distributes new films via Shout! Studios, owns and operates libraries including Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in partnership with creator Joel Hodgson) and the Roger Corman New Horizon Pictures Library, and operates the acclaimed streaming service Shout! Factory TV. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com. About TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd. TMS Entertainment USA, Inc. is a subsidiary of TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd. (better known as TMS), one of the largest anime studios in Japan. With strong focus on anime production, licensing, and distribution, TMS boasts a library of over 12,000 episodes across a total of 420 titles that include much-loved anime titles such as LUPIN THE 3rd, Dr. STONE, and MEGALOBOX. For more information, visit tmsanime.com. Follow TMS Anime to keep up with the latest announcements regarding PANDA! GO PANDA! and other titles: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube |
