Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-b ... lm/.115512

Miyazaki has only finished 20 minutes of storyboards for his proposed feature film, making it unlikely that the film will be completed in time for 2019 as proposed.

WOO! Things are really happening, now!

I remember becoming a big Miyazaki fan right after Howl's had come out (though I didn't see it for a while yet - not until the DVD release) and there was a sense that it may have been his last movie. I felt I had come to the party late, but this'll be the third Miyazaki film I will have gotten to enjoy 'live,' as it were.

Miyazaki will make movies till the day he dies.

I don't know what's going on with movie theater chains in the US, but it seems like a whole lotta mergers and acquisitions because every local theater near me has changed names.

The reason I mention it is that the one theater doing Studio Ghibli fest changed from the one near me to one across town. If you've made plans to catch these films in the theater double check that it's still at the theater you thought it was.

In addition to Fathom and GKid's deal, Castle of Cagliostro is also getting a US (limited) theatrical release of some sort!

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2 ... al-release

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=21711

Seems that GKids has now acquired the Ghibli library lock stock and barrel and will be re-releasing the Blu-Rays that Disney originally put out. If they end up including some of the alternate dubs or otherwise really interesting extras I might be tempted to pick up a few of them, but otherwise I'm happy with all of my current releases. The real news here is that we're finally getting My Neighbors the Yamadas!

Wow that is odd...I don't think I can recall an IP that Disney has purchased in the past that they let go. I mean I'm actually glad they are all under one label now, it was always confusing seeing some under Disney (Or BV), and some under Gkids. Hopefully now there may be a legit box set of the entire series of films at some point.

^I assume the transition will be a smooth as anything, because the people who've worked on GKids Americanizations are essentially the same people who've worked on Disney's.

It's kinda sad that Disney's involvement with Ghibli is done, 'cause they really ushered these films into the United States where they have, in their own way, become iconic. It was obviously a labor of love from everyone who worked on these films at Disney because, hell, they're Disney and could've been working on stupid lucrative things instead of giving the deluxe treatment to some (highly acclaimed) foreign films. Now that Disney is no longer even Disney in a traditional sense, but is the Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm hydra the relative smallness of their distribution of these films is all the more evident.

But I have upmost confidence in GKids becoming stewards of the Ghibli Library going forward. They've done a terrific job adapting and releasing the films that Disney passed on, and with so much overlap in the staff between Disney and GKids handling of these films that I suppose most people didn't recognize a difference. They've done a terrific job in bringing foreign animation in general into the US and the Ghibli Library will serve a great function as the centerpiece of their catalog. They're already doing a great job and I expect nothing to change.

The Ghibli merch shelf has appeared at my Barnes and Noble and holy moley there is some expensive, neat looking stuff: statuettes, plushes, puzzles, playing cards, chopsticks...

Never seen a plush of the mouse (actually Yubaba's transformed son) from Spirited Away before.

After missing the 'Mary and the Witches Flower' fathom event (because I wasn't going to take a 6 year old to a 2+ hour movie that starts at 7pm on a school night) - i found that they are doing more showings in my area including weekend showings, so i will be seeing it this weekend with the fam.

I saw Mary and the Witch's Flower last night, and was quite pleased. It's pretty modest in plot and character development, but this might be one of the most lavishly animated (not)Ghibli movies to date. It's a genuinely delightful film, and I think animation fans and families will find much joy in watching.

I've been a bit aimless with my movie and TV watching as a few things I watch (Star Wars Rebels, Dragon Ball Super) are drawing to a close and I've sprinted out in front of my usual movie watching pace.


Maybe I'll hit up my long-standing "get to it 'soon' " list of Miyazaki stuff...which includes almost everything.

Even though several ex-Ghibli people worked on it, Mary & The Witches Flower is from Studio Ponoc, not Ghibli.

^ that would be a pretty big deal for someone who doesn't have every Ghibli film on Blu-ray!


... actually, I think I'm missing three or four movies before my collection is truly complete. Should get on that...

My brother recently took a trip to Japan and visited the Ghibli Museum.
He said that unfortunately it's not very friendly to non Japanese speakers.

He did buy a Gigi (from Kiki's Delivery Service) stuffed toy for my mom (my parents own 2 black cats).

He also visited Godzilla Square and got me a cool wall hanging of Shin Godzilla & a Godzilla magnet.