Tag Archives: Anime

Studio Ghibli film Earwig and the Witch on Blu-ray in April

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The 2020 Studio Ghibli animated feature film “Earwig and the Witch” is officially coming to Blu-ray Disc in North America on April 6th via GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory. The CG animated film, a first for the studio, was directed by Goro Miyazaki and features an English dub voice cast that includes Richard E. Grant, Kacey Musgraves, and Dan Stevens. The original Japanese language track will be included as well with this release, featuring English subtitles. Tech specs for the release have yet to be detailed but stay tuned for a possible update on that. The release will come as a “combo pack” meaning that it will include its DVD counterpart. Not only will there be a standard Blu-ray release, but there will also be a limited edition Blu-ray Disc SteelBook available (pictured below).

Both the standard Blu-ray Disc and the limited edition Blu-ray SteelBook are now available for preorder over at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included with each Blu-ray release of the film are listed below.

  • Feature-Length Storyboards
  • Creating “Earwig and the Witch”
  • Interviews with Japanese Voice Cast
  • Trailers & Teasers

Further below, after the break, you can find the official English trailer for the film and full details about the North American home video release of the film.

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Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro on 4K in January

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The 1979 Anime film “Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro” will officially be coming to the 4K UHD Blu-ray format in a “40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition” release on January 26th, 2021, via Discotek Media. The film (AKA “Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro”), based on the Monkey Punch graphic novel series, was directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, best known for Japanese animated (Anime) films like “Spirited Away” (2001). The tech specs for the release include a presentation in 4K with HDR10 form of high dynamic range as well as both the original Japanese (with English subtitles) and English Dub audio mixes — in a format yet to be specified. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available to preorder over at Amazon. The upcoming physical 4K release will include the following bonus materials listed below.

  • Interviews
  • Commentary
  • Multiple English Subtitle Tracks
  • Storyboard Version
  • Trailers
  • Much more!

1988 animated film Akira comes to 4K in December

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The 1988 (Anime) Japanese animated film “Akira” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray, in a “Limited Edition” release, on December 22nd via Funimation. The film has received remastering of the 4K visuals and remixed sound, according to the statement from Funimation below:

“AKIRA, the crown jewel of anime and science fiction, returns with remastered 4K visuals and remixed audio.”

The exact tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray have yet to be detailed but it is known that the release will come with a Blu-ray Disc counterpart in the Limited Edition set. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray listed for preorder over at Amazon and directly via Funimation. The film, directed by Katsuhiro Ôtomo, featured the (Japanese) voice talents of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, and Mami Koyama. I’ll be updating the release as soon as I can get further details about the upcoming 4K Limited Edition. It’s unclear if this version will include both the original Japanese and the English language versions of the film and what audio format it will be in. It’s also not yet been confirmed to include High Dynamic Range, but we can hope that it at least will come with HDR10? And, hopefully soon, we shall soon find out if it will. In the meantime, it is known that the bonus materials on the release will consist of the following listed below.

  • AKIRA Sound Making 2019
  • AKIRA Sound Clip by Geinoh Yamashirogumi
  • End Credits (From The Original 1988 Theatrical Release)
  • Theatrical Preview —Trailer Collection (with English Subtitles)
  • Storyboard Collection

UPDATE: Here’s a glimpse at the inside of this set in some artwork and package contents (discs).

Weathering With You 4K UHD Blu-ray November

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The 2019 Japanese animated film “Weathering With You” will be receiving a 4K physical release in the “Deluxe Limited Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray Disc set on November 17th via Shout! Factory / GKIDS. As mentioned this set will notably include an exclusive 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc in the 4-disc set, as well as the Blu-ray Disc. Plus, there will be a Blu-ray bonus disc, the original CD soundtrack, a 104-page booklet, a mini-poster, and a decal sticker (pictured further below). The film, written & directed by Makoto Shinkai, features an English dub voice cast that includes Brandon Engman, Ashley Boettcher, Lee Pace, Alison Brie, and Riz Ahmed. This collector’s edition set will feature the same tech specs for the Blu-ray: a 1080p presentation in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio with both English & Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound mixes. The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p 4K presentation in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio with both HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of High Dynamic Range as well as both English & Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound mixes. The bonus materials, in addition to those found on the standard Blu-ray releases (coming September), will include further materials that have just been finalized — as I was told by the folks at Shout! Factory, along with the full tech specs today. Those bonus materials include the following.

Weathering With You (Collector’s Edition)

For the complete Weathering With You (Collector’s Edition) UHD experience, viewers will need a 4K Ultra HD TV with HDR and a UHD Blu-ray™ player.

Bonus Features:

  • 4K UHD Presentation of Feature Film *
  • CD Soundtrack *
  • 104-page Book *
  • Feature-Length Documentary “The Making of Weathering With You” *
  • Mini-Poster *
  • Decal Sticker *
  • Interview with Director Makoto Shinkai
  • “Weather Front” Featurette
  • Talk Show: Makoto Shinkai and Yumiko Udo
  • Director Filmography Featurette
  • Trailers & TV Spots

*  Indicates items exclusive to the Collector’s Edition

You can now find this Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc set available for preorder over at Amazon and directly via Shout! Factory’s website. Below, you can find a glimpse at the contents for this collector’s edition Blu-ray set and its physical extras set (previously discussed) set to be included.

weathering_with_you_collectors_edition_bluray_contents

Further below, after the break, you can find even further details about this upcoming Collector’s Edition Blu-ray version of the film coming in November. That is not to be confused with the standard Blu-ray Disc releases (mentioned) coming in September.

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Animated Ghost in the Shell on 4K in September

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The original Japanese animated film “Ghost in the Shell“ in anime form from 1995 is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on September 8th, via Lionsgate – in celebration of its 25th anniversary. This news comes just as I had previously reported still it as a rumor earlier this month. The tech specs for the release include a 2160p 4K presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of High Dynamic Range as well as with Japanese & English language Dolby Atmos mixes and original Japanese 2.0 Stereo PCM sound mix. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that you’ll get the Blu-ray counterpart as well as a digital copy of the film. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon, as well as at retailers Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. It’s certainly worth noting that this release will also come in the form of an exclusive 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook which is now available for preorder over at Best Buy (pictured below).

ghost_in_the_shell_1995_4k_steelbookclick for a larger view

The bonus materials, featuring some new content, set to be included on the 4K UHD Blu-ray release are listed below.

4K / BLU-RAY / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Full-length audio commentary of Ghost in the Shell with Mary Claypool (Animation Writer and English Language Scriptwriter), Eric Calderon (Animation Producer and Writer), Richard Epcar (Voice of “Batou”), and Charles Solomon (Animation Historian and Critic)
  • “Accessing Section 9: 25 Years into the Future” Featurette
  • “Landscapes & Dreamscapes: The Art and Architecture of Ghost in the Shell” Featurette

ADDITIONAL ARCHIVAL BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Production Report & Digital Works Featuretes
  • Theatrical Trailer

Further below, after the break, you can find the full details about this upcoming release of the film on 4K UHD Blu-ray in the official announcement.

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