The Secret World of Arrietty (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

I was captivated by the beauty of “The Secret World of Arrietty” and also found the story to delightful, lighthearted and enjoyable.   A more accessible, non-complex family film that once again, Studio Ghibli delivers!

Image courtesy of © 2012 GNDHDDTW. 2012 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Secret World of Arrietty

MOVIE RELEASE DATE: 2010

DURATION: 95 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz, 24-Bit), Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Original Production Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English ESL, SDH, French

COMPANY: Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

Release Date: May 22, 2012

Originally created by Mary Norton

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa

Storyboard by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Unit Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Music by Cecile Corbel

Art Director: Noboru Yoshida, Youji Takeshige

Animation Director: Akihiko Yamashita, Megumi Kagawa

Sound Director: Hiroshi Kasamatsu

Producer: Toshio Suzuki

Production by Studio Ghibli

Featuring the following voice talent:

Mirai Shida/Bridgit Mendler as Arrietty

Ryunosuke Kamiki/David Henrie as Sho (Shawn)

Keiko Takeshita/Gracie Poletti as Sadako (Aunt Jessica)

Kirin Kiki/Carol Burnett as Haru (Hara)

Shinobu Ōtake/Amy Poehler as Homily (Arietty’s Mother)

Tomokazu Miura/Will Arnett as Pod (Arriety’s Father)

Tatsuya Fujiwara/Moises Arias as Spiller

Based on the acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers,” by Mary Norton, “The Secret World of Arrietty” is an imaginative tale of “little people” living furtively among us, and the unlikely friendship that forms when their hidden world is discovered. The heartwarming family adventure features beautiful, stylized animation and timeless themes of friendship, courage and determination.

In 2010, Studio Ghibli (the popular anime studio known for creating “Ponyo”, “Spirited Away”, “Princess Mononoke”, “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, “Castle in the Sky”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” to name few) released the film “The Secret World of Arriety”, a film adaptation of the popular children’s fantasy novel “The Borrowers” (1952) by English author Mary Norton.

The film broke records in Japan, surpassing it’s previous film “Ponyo”, opening on 1,522 theaters (a record for a Studio Ghibli film) and earn over $145 million in the box office.  The film is the 4th biggest earning anime film in Japan of all time and won “Animation of the Year” in 2011 at the 34th Japan Academy Prize.

“The Secret of Arriety” is a Studio Ghibli film directed by Hiromasa Yonebashi (“Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade”, “Ponyo”, “Spirited Away”, “Spriggan”) and a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki (“Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, “Castle in the Sky”, “Howl’s Moving Castle”, “My Neighbor Totoro” to name a few) and Keiko Niwa (“Tales from the Earthsea”, “Ocean Waves”, “From Up on Poppy Hill”).

The US release would feature music and vocals by French singer and harper Cecile Corbel and would feature the voices of Disney Channel actress Bridgit Mendler (“Good Luck Charlie”, “Lemonade Mouth”), Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”, “Saturday Night Live”), Will Arnett (“30 Rock”, “Arrested Development”), Carol Burnett (“The Carol Burnett Show”), David Henrie (“Wizards of Waverly Place”, “How I Met Your Mother”) and Moises Arias (“Hannah Montana”, “Astro Boy”).

“The Secret World of Arrietty” begins with a 12-year-old boy named Shawn (voiced by David Henrie), who has temporarily moved to his aunt Jessica’s (voiced by Gracie Poletti) home as he rests and waits to have heart surgery.  Meanwhile, as he stays at the home, he will be taken care of by the caretaker, Hara.

When he steps onto the lawn, he sees the family cat named Nina looking at something.  When Shawn goes to check, he sees a small girl hiding from him.

The young girl happens to be Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler), a 14-year-old borrower who was retrieving a plant to bring home to her mother, Homily (voiced by Amy Poehler). When her father Pod (voiced by Will Arnett) arrives from home, he tells the family that a new “being” (human) has moved into the house and Arriety tells her family that she had seen the boy when she was out.  But the parents warn her that the rule of a Borrower is that they must never be seen by a human and if they do, they must move away as humans curiosity can lead to trouble for them.

Because Arrietty has reached an age where she can now go on borrowing adventures with her father, her first mission is to retrieve a sugar cube and tissue paper.

And as Arrietty and her father go on a mission to retrieve those items, she does quite well, but while she is trying to get the tissue paper, Shawn who is laying down on his bed, looks directly at her and starts talking to her.  Shocked by this, Arrietty fails in her mission and now because Arrietty was seen by a human, her father warns her to not have communication with him ever again.

But feeling bad that she was seen by a human, what shocks her even more is that Shawn has stopped by to bring her the sugar cube that she had dropped.  As she tells her parents, her father begins to become concerned that because Shawn knows of their whereabouts, they will need to move.

Upset that Shawn has brought the sugar cube, she climbs up to Shawn’s room and tells him that she needs no help in “borrowing” and also tells him that they must stop communication.  But as the two talk, a crow tries to attack Arriety and she is saved by Shawn.

Meanwhile, the caretaker of the home, Hara hears the noises from Shawn’s room and attacks the crow.  When she asks him what prompted the crow to go to his room, he tells her that it must be building a nest but Hara suspects that perhaps Shawn has had contact with the little people and Hara would do anything to capture them.

VIDEO:

Magical, beautiful and everything that you can expect from Studio Ghibli. I was completely in awe when I watched “The Secret World of Arrietty”.  The painted backgrounds are so detailed, so beautiful to look at and of course, that Studio Ghibli style of character design.

In this day and age, we tend to put so much into CG animated films and whenever I watch a Studio Ghibli fan, I always find it amazing of how gorgeous their films are.  From the first animated film that I watched back in the early ’90s (which was “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”) to the latest release of “The Secret World of Arrietty”, Studio Ghibli continues to show this creative style through this film. The hand painted backgrounds are absolutely beautiful, the character design continues that Studio Ghibli look and style that they are famous for and I was hypnotized, captivated and loving every minute of the film.

Presented in 1080p High Definition, detail can be seen on the painted backgrounds. Vibrant during the day scenes, amazingly detailed to the little kitchenware used by the Borrowers, its one thing I expected from Studio Ghibli and nothing less and once again, they have delivered.

There are no compression artifacts, edge enhancement, aliasing, banding or any problems in picture quality for “The Secret World of Arietty” whatsoever. This film looks absolutely magnificent on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Secret of World of Arrietty” is presented in English 5.1 DTS Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit) and in Japanese and French 5.1 Dolby Digital.

First the good. As one can expect from the Japanese casting, the voice acting is fantastic and the English dub track is equally magnificent.

And you want an immersive soundscape? “The Secret World of Arrietty” delivers. From the ambiance of the home on top of the hills with nothing but nature, you can hear the birds chirping, the insects, Nina the cat growling, the breeze flowing through their, great use of directional sound.  Indoors, the same thing as the Borrowers, Arrietty and her father can hear the ticking of the clocks, the scurrying of the rats and its absolutely immersive.

While this film is not the type to use LFE, there are some moments that do use a bit of lower frequency sounds but for this animated film, dialogue and music is crystal clear and great use of the surround channels for ambiance.

The other positive is unlike “Ponyo” which Disney didn’t give the Japanese soundtrack a lossless audio soundtrack, with “The Secret World of Arrietty”, a Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is included.

As for the bad, there isn’t any.  Aside it not having as many action sequences compared to “Nausicaa”, “Spirited Away” and “Ponyo”, this is not one of those type of films.   But still, “The Secret World of Arrietty” sounds wonderful and fans should be pleased with the lossless soundtracks!

Subtitles are in English ESL, SDH and in French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

If there was only one downer of this Blu-ray release, it is that”The Secret World of Arrietty” has very little special features.  Included are:

• Original Japanese Storyboards - Watch the entire film but this time with the video showcasing the original storyboards.
• Cecile Corbel’s “Arrietty’s Song” Music Video - The Japanese version of Cecile Corbel’s “Arriety’s Song”
• Bridgit Mendler’s “Summertime” Music Video – (3:01) Bridgit Mendler, voice actress of Arrietty in the US version, sings the film’s ending theme.
• The Making of “Summertime” – (2:02) The making of Bridgit Mendler’s music video.
• Trailers & TV Spots – The Japanese trailers and TV spots.

EXTRAS:

A DVD of “The Secret World of Arrietty” is included with this Blu-ray release. The DVD is in Widescreen (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, with subtitles in English ESL, SDH and French.  A slipcover is included.

“The Secret World of Arrietty” is an enjoyable, delightful and non-complex film that is visually captivating and looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray!

While one of the things that people will notice is that the film has the Studio Ghibli quality in look and also in character interaction, this is a Hiromasa Yonebashi directed film and a film written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa.  It’s a film that is not complex, not about the environment, nor is it polemic film that is driving to drive a message to the viewer.  And is more accessible for younger viewers, compared to the more serious Studio Ghibli films such as “Spirited Away”, “Princess Mononoke”, “Grave of the Fireflies” or even “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”.

But “The Secret World of Arrietty” is lighthearted and is pretty much on scale with other Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki films such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Whispers of the Heart”.  Captivating and enjoyable films that is not entirely geared towards older viewers, a film that I can enjoy with my young son and other parents can watch with their families.  It’s essentially a family film and in some way, as a fan of Studio Ghibli films, I love the fact that the studio tends to change things up once in awhile.

I can understand if some people who prefer Studio Ghibli’s more epic storylines with a deeper message and I’m sure Studio Ghibli will continue to make those movies as they do with these lighthearted films, but with “The Secret World of Arrietty”, this is a film that I enjoyed because it’s touching, heartwarming and just overall delightful and no worries of complexity, it’s straight-forward and even my 9-year-old loved it!

And the Blu-ray is magnificent!  But not perfect.  Video and audio quality is fantastic, although this is not one of those action-intense films, the film makes up with its visual flair and ambiance.  The main low-point of this Blu-ray release is that there are not as many special features included.

Fortunately, this Blu-ray release comes with a DVD, so as summer vacation is around the corner, parents can use the DVD for those long commutes or something the children can watch during the summertime.

Overall, I was captivated by the beauty of “The Secret World of Arrietty” and also found the story to delightful, lighthearted and enjoyable.   A more accessible, non-complex family film that once again, Studio Ghibli delivers!

Castle in the Sky (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

A magnificent Hayao Miyazaki film with animation, the quality that Studio Ghibli is known for. If you have never seen this classic animated film, this special edition of “My Neighbor Totoro” features a ton of special features and is the definitely worth owning! A magnificent DVD release!

Image courtesy of © 1986 Nibariki-G. © Disney. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Castle in the Sky

DURATION: 125 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescren (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English Dolby Digital Sound, Japanese and French Language Tracks, Subtitles: English and French

COMPANY: Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Fantasy Action Violence and Peril)

Release Date: March 2, 2010

Originally Story by Hayao Miyazaki

Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Music by Joe Hisaishi

Art Director: Nizo Yamamoto, Toshiro Nozaki

Animation Director: Norihiko Sudo, Tetsu Kimura, Tsutomu Iida

Producer: Isao Takahata

Executive Producer: Yasuyoshi Tokuma

Anime Production by Studio Ghibli

Featuring the following voice talent:

Keiko Yokozawa/Anna Paquin as Sheeta

Mayumi Tanaka/James Van Der Beek as Pazu

Nou Terada/Mark Hamill as Muska

Sukekiyo Kameyama/Andy Dick as Henri (Anli)

Kotoe Hatsui/Cloris Leachman as Dola

Ichiro Nagai/Jim Cummings as General

Hiroshi Ito/John Hostetter as Boss (or Mentor)

Yoshito Yasuhara/Mandy Patinkin as Louie

Introduce your entire family to Castle In The Sky: Special Edition, featuring a timeless story of courage and friendship with stunning animation from acclaimed Academy-Award®-winning* director Hayao Miyazaki. Plus, this 2-Disc Special Edition DVD included never-before-seen bonus features that transport you deeper into the film’s amazing world! This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer’s apprentice, finds a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky, wearing a glowing pendant. Together, they discover both are searching for a legendary floating castle, Laputa, and vow to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta’s neck. Their quest won’t be easy, however. There are greedy air pirates, secret government agents and astounding obstacles to keep them from the truth—and from each other. Add Castle In The Sky: Special Edition to your DVD library, and this magical and uplifting classic will thrill and amaze your family for years to come!

“Castle in the Sky”, the 1986 animated film which was the first from Studio Ghibli and the winner of the Animage Anime Grand Prix was written and directed by legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

The film known to many fans as “Laputa: Castle in the Sky” (and “Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta” in Japan) was the second Miyazaki film after his 1984 post-apocalyptic film “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” and was released on DVD in 2003. The film has been re-released as a special edition with more content in 2010 with the latest release of “Ponyo” on Blu-ray and DVD and also a re-release of “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” on DVD.

“Castle in the Sky” revolves around a girl named Sheeha (voiced by Keiko Yokozawa/Anna Paquin) who is being taken somewhere by people in suits led by a Colonel Muska (voiced by Minori Terada/Mark Hamill).

Meanwhile, the airship that she is riding on has been hijacked by pirates led by an older woman named Dola (voiced by Kotoe Hatsui/Cloris Leachman) who seem to be after her.  With all the turmoil that is going on inside the airship, she escapes outside but loses her grip and falls.

As she falls off the aircraft and is unconscious, she looks to be falling to her death but then her necklace begins to glow blue and gently floats her down to a village.

Meanwhile, a boy named Pazu (voiced by Mayumi Tanaka/James Van Der Beek) is headed to the mine where he works but then sees Sheeta floating towards the ground.  He immediately goes to see her closely and saves her from her fall.

Pazu, takes her home and Sheeta learns about how Pazu has been looking for a floating island known as Laputa.  A place that his father had found long ago but no one believes in.  Meanwhile, the pirates begin looking for Sheeta and Pazu helps to hide her but during the escape, she trips and her disguise as a boy becomes unveiled.

During a train chase, both she and Pazu are chased down and nearly fall to their deaths but once again, Sheeta’s necklace saves the two from death.

As Pazu and Sheeta escape, they go into a hiding spot in a cave and learn from Pazu’s friend that the crystal was made by those who are from Laputa.  The reason why people want the necklace is for sheer power.  And now because the military has seen the power of the necklace, now the military and the pirates want to get a hold of the necklace.

How long can Pazu manage to keep their opposition away from them?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Castle in the Sky” is presented in (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 televisions.  Because this is the first Studio Ghibli film from 1986, of course this is a classic animation that looks different from any Miyazaki film today or within the last decade.   But for the most part, detail in the artistic backgrounds are well done and are well-shaded. Character designs maintain that Miyazaki look that people are familiar with.

“Castle In the Sky” features a variety of scenery from the blue skies up high in the sky, to the lush green grassy areas to the earth toned village and detail for the mountainous areas.    Then there is the underground scene that resembles old Aztec art with vines covering the stone walls.  There is also a vibrant color pallet used for the film.  “Castle in the Sky” looks absolutely great for a film that is near 25-years-old.

Of course, for a film this old, it’s not pristine.  The film has its share of a little grain and dust and scratches can be seen (if you are focusing on it). But for the most part, having seen this film back in the early ’90s via VHS, it’s great to see a better looking version of the

As for the audio, audio is clear and understandable. The film is presented in remastered English Dolby Digital Surround Sound and also includes the Japanese and French language tracks. It’s important to note that there are some differences between the Japanese film and the American release when it comes to Joe Hisaishi’s musical score and the biggest difference is that the Japanese characters of Sheeta and Pazu sound much younger than the American counterpart (which the Disney release making the two main characters  in their mid-teens).

Subtitles are in English and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Castle in the Sky” comes with the following special features on a second DVD disc. Included are:

• Introduction by John Lasseter – (:49) An intro by PIXAR’s John Lasseter (note: This intro is on disc one).
• Original Japanese Storyboards - Watch the entire film but this time with the video showcasing the original storyboards.
• The World of Laputa – (2:19) Hayao Miyazaki talks about going to Wales for inspiration to make “Castle in the Sky” and wanting to recreate the world of John Ford’s “How Green was My Valley”.
• Creating Castle in the Sky - (3:42) Hayao Miyazaki talks about wanting to create a sci-fi adventure that he dreamed about as a child and where the name “Laputa” came from and more.
• Character Sketches – (2:41) Hayao Miyazaki talks about Sheeta and Pazu and how he came up with the characters and their names.
• Producer’s Perspective: Meeting Miyazaki – (3:14) Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki talks about how he met Hayao Miyazaki.
• Scoring Miyazaki – (7:17) A featurette about Joe Hisaishi’s scoring Miyazaki films and more.
• Original Japanese Trailers – (1:50) Three original Japanese theatrical trailers.
• Behind the Microphone – (4:12) Featuring the English dub voice talent talking about their role, their appreciation for Miyazaki and his films. Also, behind-the-scenes of the talent recording their voices.
• Ponyo – Creating Ponyo – (3:56) Hayao Miyazaki talks about the creation of “Ponyo” and wanting to create a film for young children.
• Kiki’s Delivery Service – Creating Kiki’s Delivery Service – (2:27) Hayao Miyazaki discussing the creation of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and what inspired Miyazaki for the creation of the city in the film.
• My Neighbor Totoro: Creating My Neighbor Totoro – (2:59) Miyazaki talks about how he came up with the idea to create “My Neighbor Totoro”.
• Enter the Lands – Visit the land featuring various small animated Studio Ghibli characters (from all films). Click on a character from that film (note: only “Ponyo”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Castle in the Sky” are available) to get a Q&A or a small video info. of that film and its characters.

EXTRAS:

Also, included is a postcard featuring  Sheeta and Pazu (the image used on the front cover).

I first watched “Castle in the Sky” back in 1993 and after watching “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, at the time, I can easily remember how I was expecting another action-based film but with a serious message and how much I enjoyed the film and loved the musical score from Joe Hisaishi that it was one of the first Japanese import soundtracks I purchased as a teenager.

“Castle in the Sky” is definitely Miyazaki’s most accessible work.  It has elements of adventure, sci-fi, action, robot battles and also contains an important message when it comes to nature, greed and war.

Watching the film again, although Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s artistic work has greatly improved with the beautiful “Ponyo”, just to think that back in 1986 of how detailed the artwork was for “Castle in the Sky” and just the sheer enormity of the land, the sky and just how this world that Miyazaki created was used in this film.  It’s definitely one of his most epic animated films and for the most part, it has been a true classic that has stood the test of time.

With the 2010 release of “Ponyo”, “My Neighbor Totoro and “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, “Castle in the Sky” is the most serious of the four films and is also rated PG as there are people shooting guns and firing cannons at each other.  So, it has its share of violence that some parents may not want their children to see.

“Castle in the Sky” is Miyazaki’s sci-fi action film that continues to shine nearly 25 years later.  Definitely recommended!

Kiki’s Delivery Service (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

A magnificent Studio Ghibli film with gorgeous animation and painted backgrounds and a heartwarming story.   Definitely a Hayao Miyazaki classic, this special edition of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” features plenty of special features and is definitely worth owning! A magnificent DVD release!

Image courtesy of © 1989 Eiko Kadono-Nibariki-GN.  © Disney. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Kiki’s Delivery Service

DURATION: 105 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescren (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English Dolby Digital Sound, Japanese and French Language Tracks, Subtitles: English and French

COMPANY: Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

Release Date: March 2, 2010

Originally Created by Eiko Kadono

Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Music by Joe Hisaishi

Character Design: Katsuya Kondo

Art Director: Hiroshi Ohno

Animation Director: Katsuya Kondo, Shinji Otsuka, Yoshifumi Kondo

Director of Photography: Juro Sugmiura

Producer: Hayao Miyazaki, Toru Hara

Anime Production by Studio Ghibli

Featuring the following voice talent:

Minami Takayama/Kirsten Dunst as Kiki

Kappei Yamaguchi/Matthew Lawrence as Tombo

Minami Takayama/Janeane Garofalo as Ursula

Rei Sakuma/Phil Hartman as Jiji

Discover Kiki’s Delivery Service: Special Edition, a fantastic coming-of-age tale full of magic, adventure and self-discovery from the sensational imagination of Academy-Award®-winning* director Hayao Miyazaki. And now you can explore even more of Kiki’s amazing world through never-before-seen bonus features—exclusively in this 2-Disc Special Edition DVD! Kiki is an enterprising young girl who must follow tradition to become a full-fledged witch. Venturing out with only her black cat, Jiji, Kiki flies off for the adventure of a lifetime. Landing in a far-off city, she sets up a high-flying delivery service and begins a wonderful experience of independence and responsibility as she finds her place in the world.  Bring home Kiki’s Delivery Service: Special Edition for your family’s DVD library and share Kiki’s high-flying adventure again and again!

In 1989, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli began work on their fifth film (their fourth theatrical film) titled “Majo no Takkuybin” (translates to “Witch’s Delivery Service” but known as “Kiki’s Delivery Service”) directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is an adaptation of a 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono.  The film was a winner of the Animage Anime Grand Prix that same year and nearly a decade later, the film was the first Studio Ghibli film released by Disney (on VHS) back in 1998 and on DVD in 2003.

With the release of Miyazaki’s latest film “Ponyo”, Disney is re-releasing DVD’s of the “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, “Castle in the Sky” and “My Neighbor Totoro” but this time in a special edition format in 2010 which includes more content.

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” is a coming of age animated film in which Kiki (voiced by Minami Takayama/Kirsten Dunst) is a 13-year-old witch-in-training.  She has come to the age where she must live in a new town by herself and try to establish herself as a full-fledged witch.  So, Kiki leaves her home along with her mother’s broom and Jiji (a talking black cat, voiced by Rei Takuma/Phil Hartman).

But Kiki is not too familiar with the broom and she has her share of troubles trying to control it during flight.  As she and Jiji try to overcome some challenges due to her lack of experience of controlling the broom, she manages to settle in the city of Koriko and is immediately taken in by a very pregnant baker named Osono (voiced by Keiko Toda/Tress MacNeille) into the family’s home but in return, Kiki must work by delivering baked goods to customers.

As Kiki tries to get accustomed to learning how to fly on her broom, the biggest test that she faces is learning how to deal with a variety of customers.  Some that are good and some who are downright rude.  But also must deal with lost merchandise and even when there are times that business is slow.  But she also deals with her own insecurities of whether or not she can become a full-fledged witch and not having her family there with her.  Meanwhile, she meets Tombo (voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi/Matthew Lawrence), a boy who is also 13-years-old and interested in flying.  At first the two don’t get along but eventually they become friends.

But one day, Kiki’s witch power starts to diminish and literally loses her power.  Her cat Jiji also is unable to talk and now Kiki has become a normal girl.  Now Kiki is very insecure about herself until she becomes friends with a young artist named Ursula (voiced by Minami Takayama/Janeane Garofalo) who becomes a mentor to Kiki and helps inspire her.

Will Kiki regain her witch powers and become a full-fledged witch?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” is presented in widescreen (1:85:1) – enhanced for 16×9 televisions. Similar to “My Neighbor Totoro”, Studio Ghibli continues its beautifully painted scenery with detail galore.  With Miyazaki inspired with a variety of cities and mishmashing European and Japanese architecture, Studio Ghibli was able to create this beautiful city with so much detail when it comes to the bricks that make up a building.  The plants and flowers that cover certain buildings.  There is a lot of detail and for the animation, capturing that feeling of flight when Kiki rides her broom through the air.  Absolutely well-done animation for a film back in 1989.

As for the audio, audio is presented in remastered English Dolby Digital Surround Sound and comes with English, Japanese and French language tracks.  Dialogue is clear and understandable for each of the soundtracks. The sound of the wind and the leaves rustling can be heard quite clearly.  I preferred to have my home theater receiver’s audio set at stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape but for the most part, dialogue and Joe Hisaishi’s beautiful musical score can be heard clearly through the front and center channels.

For those who watch the Japanese soundtrack will love the pairing of “Ranma 1/2″ voice actress Minami Takayama (Kiki and Ursula) and Kappei Yamaguchi (Tombo), interesting enough that “Ranma 1/2″ voice actress Noriko Hidaka was also the lead in Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro”.  For the English dub, Kirsten Dunst did a very good job as the voice of Kiki and Phil Hartman as Jiji, one of his final acting roles before his death in 1998.

Subtitles are in English and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” comes with the following special features on a second DVD disc. Included are:

• An Introduction by John Lasseter – Intro by PIXAR’s John Lasseter (note: This intro. is on disc one).
• Original Japanese Storyboards - Watch the entire film but this time with the video showcasing the original storyboards.
• Creating Kiki’s Delivery Service – (2:26) Hayao Miyazaki talks about the creation of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and how he ended up being the director and the cities that inspired the creation of the village.
• Kiki & Jiji - (3:28)Producer Toshio Suzuki talks about Miyazaki before the making of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” while Miyazaki talked about his inspiration for the character of Kiki.
• Flying with Kiki & Beyond - (2:50) Miyazaki talks about the challenges of creating the animation for the flying sequences and trying to make the scenes look natural.
• Producer’s Perspective: Collaborating with Miyazaki – (1:48) Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki talks about working with Miyazaki.
• The Locations of Kiki – (28:34) An excerpt from a Japanese documentary on the scenery of “Kiki’s Delivery Service”
• Scoring Miyazaki – (7:17) A featurette about Joe Hisaishi’s scoring Miyazaki films and more.
• Original Japanese Trailers – The original Japanese theatrical trailers for “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.
• Behind the Microphone – (5:00) Featuring the English dub voice talents talking about their role, their appreciation for Miyazaki and his films. Also, behind-the-scenes of the talent recording their voices.
• Ponyo – Creating Ponyo – (3:56) Hayao Miyazaki talks about the creation of “Ponyo” and wanting to create a film for young children.
• My Neighbor Totoro: Creating My Neighbor Totoro – (2:57) Hayao Miyazaki discussing the creation of “”My Neighbor Totoro”.
• Castle in the Sky: Character Sketches – (2:37) Miyazaki talks about the characters of “Castle in the Sky” and discussing how his audiences are loyal to his films over time.
• Enter the Lands – Visit the land featuring various small animated Studio Ghibli characters (from all films). Click on a character from that film (note: only “Ponyo”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Castle in the Sky” are available) to get a Q&A or a small video info. of that film and its characters.

EXTRAS:

Also, included is a postcard featuring Kiki flying high in the air (similar to the image used for the cover).

Similar to “My Neighbor Totoro”, I first watched “Kiki’s Delivery Service” back in 1993 during a Japanese animation club screening at a local mall.  Granted, the film was in Japanese but during that time, many people would gather and watch a lot of animation in Japanese but for Miyazaki films, they were absolutely magical and just beautiful to look at. I can easily remember not knowing too much of what was being said but you can easily understand the storyline.

Here we are over 15-years-later when I first watched the film and even now, I still find “Kiki’s Delivery Service” to be a very magical and beautiful film.  The coming of age storyline of Kiki trying to get her life as a witch started in a bigger city and dealing with life challenges and personal insecurities is the main theme of this film and a theme that everyone can relate to.

Although, the film is not exact to Eiko Kadono’s original novel and at one point she was very unhappy with the direction of how the film was going, fortunately Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki was able to convince her of why he included these personal obstacles in the film (it’s important to note that the novel was written episodically and the film covers just a few episodes).

I am aware of the DVD’s reception back in 1998 when Disney originally dubbed the film.  Bare in mind that anime fans were not as easily encouraging towards English dubbing of their favorite Japanese animation during that that time period, compared to today.  There are slight differences in dialogue between the Japanese and its English counterpart in that Jiji in the Japanese version featured a female voice actress and also with certain dialogue which Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki did approve.

Overall, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is a Studio Ghibli classic that is such a lovely and magical tale.  Featuring gorgeous animation and painted backgrounds, the storyline is heartwarming and captivating.  If you are wanting to catch up on Hayao Miyazaki films, definitely give “Kiki’s Delivery Service” a try.  It’s definitely recommended!

Ponyo (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

I had one word going through my mind throughout the film and that was “wow!”.   What an amazing looking film utilizing hand drawn backgrounds and Miyazaki literally pouring his heart and soul into this film. Although a film that he created for young children, this is a family film that people of all ages can enjoy.  Simply magnificent, “Ponyo” is indeed a Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece!

Image courtesy of © NIBARIKI/GNDHDDT.  Disney.  All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Ponyo

DURATION: 103 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz, 24-Bit), Japanese and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

COMPANY: Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

Release Date: March 2, 2010

 

Originally created by Hayao Miyazaki

Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Music by Joe Hisaishi

Art Director: Noboru Yoshida

Animation Director: Katsuya Kondo

Sound Director: Eriko Kimura

Director of Photography: Atsushi Okui

Executive producer: Koji Hoshino

Producer: Toshio Suzuki

Production by Studio Ghibli

Featuring the following voice talent:

Hiroki Doi/Frankie Jonas as Sosuke

Yuria Nana/Noah Cyrus as Ponyo

George Tokoro/Liam Neeson as Fujimoto

Tomoko Yamaguchi/Tina Fey as Risa (Lisa)

Betty White as Noriko

Emi Hiraoka/Janessa Rose as Kumiko

Kazuko Yoshiyuki/Lily Tomlin as Toki

Kazushige Nagashima/Matt Damon as Koichi

Tomoko Naraoka/Cloris Leachman as Yoshie

Yuki Amami/Cate Blanchett as Grandmamare

Walking on the beach near his home, a five-year old boy named Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas) finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle. He releases the tiny creature and, sure that she is no ordinary fish, names his new friend Ponyo (Noah Lindsey Cyrus). As Ponyo and Sosuke grow closer, she reveals to him that she is the daughter of a powerful wizard (Liam Neeson) and a sea goddess (Cate Blanchett), and magically transforms herself into a real human girl. But by crossing from her watery world onto land, Ponyo has created a dangerous imbalance in nature. As the moon begins to draw closer to the earth, sea levels rise and a giant tsunami threatens to destroy Sosuke’s home. Ponyo’s father marshals all his might to find his missing daughter, as the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to try and save the world.

In 2008, Studio Ghibli released their latest Hayao Miyazaki film “Ponyo” (aka “Gake no Ue no Ponyo”) in Japan and followed with a U.S. release in August 2009.  The film which is Miyazaki’s eighth film for Studio Ghibli has amassed several awards including the Japanese Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.  The film which is budgeted around $34 million dollars made over $199 million worldwide.  Where his 1988 film “My Neighbor Totoro” was Miyazaki’s tale for older children, this time around for “Ponyo” he wanted to create a film for young children and was inspired from Hans Christian Anderson’s”The Little Mermaid”.

And now this magnificent film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray (which includes the DVD) on March 2nd.

“Ponyo” is a film about a young five-year-old boy named Sosuke (voiced by Hiroki Doi/Frankie Jonas) who lives with his mother Lisa (voiced by Tomoko Yamaguchi/Tina Fey).  His father Koichi (voiced by Kazushige Nagashima/Matt Damon) is in the military and is on a ship leaving Lisa to take care of Sosuke and bring him to nursery school, while she works at a retirement home.  The two live on the highest peak of a seaside town right near a cliff.

Meanwhile in the water, a man named Fujimoto (voiced by George Tokoro/Liam Neeson) is a human who has the ability to live undersea and also has great power and taking Ponyo (a fish with a face of young girl) and her siblings out on a trip.  While riding on a submarine, Ponyo swims away and sleeps on a jellyfish but accidentally gets caught up in the pollution that is trapped in the ocean and is stuck inside a bottle.  Although, she is able to escape the ships dragging the undersea waste, she is unable to breath because of the bottle.

Sosuke notices the bottle and thinks its a goldfish that is stuck inside the bottle and frees her by breaking the bottle.  He accidentally cuts himself on the glass but Ponyo licks the blood from his finger and instantly heals him.  Excited about his new “goldfish” which he names “Ponyo”, he brings her along with him while his mother drives him to the nursery.

He tries to even feed her part of his sandwich and interesting enough, Ponyo eats the ham from his sandwich.  As he has fun with his new fish friend, her father Fujimoto wants his daughter back and using his magical powers, he is able to retrieve her from Sosuke.

But when he brings Ponyo back home, she enjoys her time with Sosuke so much that she immediately starts talking about how she wants to be with him and also eat more ham.  But most of all, wanting to be human.  But Fujimoto is not thrilled about humans because of how they have polluted the oceans but Ponyo loves Sosuke and wants to be with him and wants to be human which allows her to grow arms and limbs.  Fujimoto realizes that Ponyo has had a taste of human’s blood and immediately uses his power to revert her back to being a fish.  Concerned about Ponyo, Fujimoto goes to visit his wife and Ponyo’s mother Granmamare (voiced by Yuki Amami/Cate Blanchett).

But while Ponyo is incapacitated, her siblings come to use their magic and she ends up finding a way to become human.  But unfortunately, she is unaware of the consequences by offsetting nature by releasing too much magic into the ocean and now the imbalance has caused hurricane like conditions in the seaside town.  With the town being flooded, Lisa and Sosuke try to make it back home as quickly as they can.  But Sosuke notices a young girl running along with the waves.  He realizes that the girl is Ponyo and she has come to stay with him.

But despite the happiness that Sosuke and Pony have found with one another, the imbalance caused by Ponyo turning human has led the moon to come out of its orbit and affecting the waves at a terrible level.  With Lisa concerned about the people at the retirement home, she knows that she must check up on them and knowing that their home is high up on the cliff and that the children are safe in the house, she leaves Sosuke to take care of the house and stay with Ponyo.

The following morning, with the water risen so high near the patio of Sosuke’s home, he now worries about his mother who has not returned home.  Thus begins the adventure between Sosuke and Ponyo as they go search for his mother Lisa.

VIDEO:

Magical, beautiful and everything that you can expect from Hayao Miyazaki.  I was completely in awe when I watched this film.  In this day and age, we tend to put so much into CG animated films and rarely do we see hand drawn quality animation anymore.  I’m so glad that Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli continues to show this creative style through this film. The hand painted backgrounds are absolutely beautiful, the character design continues that Miyazaki look and style but looks absolutely fluid during its more action-oriented scenes.

Presented in 1080p High Definition, detail can be seen on the painted backgrounds.  Vibrant during the day scenes with trees that are full of detail and water reflecting the trees, cliffs showcasing the detail as shadows and detail showcasing the curvature and the little pieces of grass that are placed within the rocks.   The scene with the storm and the crashing features Miyazaki’s handiwork as he created the water and his waves all by himself.  It’s an amazing sight to see.

There are no compression artifacts, edge enhancement, aliasing, banding or any problems in picture quality for “Ponyo” whatsoever.  “Ponyo” achieves perfection!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Ponyo” is presented in English 5.1 DTS Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit) and in Japanese and French 5.1 Dolby Digital.  First the good.  The English dub track is fantastic.  You want an immersive soundscape, “Ponyo” delivers.  From the sound of the ocean, bubbles popping, the rush of the waves, the sounds of trees rustling, the sound of rain, sea animals swimming in the water and most of all, a beautiful musical score by Joe Hisaishi.  This soundtrack is absolutely divine.   Great use of front and center channels with dialogue and music that is crystal clear.  The surround channels and the use of LFE as the sound effects bring “Ponyo” to life.  This lossless soundtrack is perfect!

Now the bad.  There is no lossless Japanese audio soundtrack.  The Japanese Blu-ray release has a lossless soundtrack but what happened to it for this Blu-ray release?  There is no doubt that audiophile purists who want the original Japanese soundtrack are going to be upset by this and one can hope that if Disney does bring out a Miyazaki release on Blu-ray in the near future, that a lossless soundtrack is included for both the English and Japanese audio.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Ponyo” has a good number of special features in 1080p High Definition and 480i Standard Definition.  Audio is in English 2.0 Dolby Digital and subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.  Special features include:

• Meet Ponyo – (3:22) Executive producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy talk about working with Hayao Miyazaki and give a quick introduction to “Ponyo”.
• Original Japanese Storyboards - Watch the entire film but this time with the video showcasing the original storyboards.
• A Conversation with Hayao Miyazaki & John Lasseter - (3:31) PIXAR’s John Lasseter and a friend of Hayao Miyazaki talk about “Ponyo”.
• Creating Ponyo – (3:58) Hayao Miyazaki talks about how he came up with the concept of “Ponyo” and him wanting to create a film for children.
• Ponyo & Fujimoto – (2:59) Hayao Miyazaki talks about the name “Ponyo” and the character Fujimoto.
• The Nursery - (2:00) Studio Ghibli Producer Toshio Suzuki talks about Miyazaki wanting to create a children’s nursery and both men made Miyazaki’s dream happen by creating the Studio Ghibli Nursery.
• Producer’s Perspective: Telling the Story- (2:27) Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki talks about how Miyazaki works and creating the storyboards and story for “Ponyo” and more.
• The Locations of Ponyo – (9:32) An excerpt from a Japanese documentary on Miyazaki’s animated films and visiting the areas that inspired Miyazaki to create the village of “Ponyo”.
• Scoring Miyazaki – (7:19) A featurette about Joe Hisaishi’s scoring Miyazaki films and more.
• Original Japanese Trailer – (3:22) The original Japanese theatrical trailers.
• Behind the Microphone – (6:04) Featuring the English dub voice talent talking about their role, their appreciation for Miyazaki and his films and interviews with the All-star talent.
• My Neighbor Totoro – Creating My Neighbor Totoro – (3:00) Miyazaki talking about the creation of his film “My Neighbor Totoro”.
• Kiki’s Delivery Service – Creating Kiki’s Delivery Service -  (2:27) Hayao Miyazaki discussing the creation of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and what inspired Miyazaki for the creation of the city in the film.
• Castle in the Sky: Character Sketches – (2:37) Miyazaki talks about the characters of “Castle in the Sky” and discussing how his audiences are loyal to his films over time.
• Enter the Lands – Visit the land featuring various small animated Studio Ghibli characters (from all films).  Click on a character from that film (note: only “Ponyo”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Castle in the Sky” are available) to get a Q&A or a small video info. of that film and its characters.

EXTRAS:

A DVD of “Ponyo” is included with this Blu-ray release.  The DVD is in Widescreen (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Japanese and French with subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish.

Once again, Miyazaki continues to prove to us that hand-drawn animation is absolutely beautiful and there is no need to join the pack and create a CG animated film.  “Ponyo” succeeds on all levels – storyline, animation, music and its soundtrack.  I absolutely loved this film!

Before I saw the film, I figured that people were so used to Miyazaki’s more serious work and for him to try to go back to something similar to “My Neighbor Totoro” was going to be difficult in this day and age but with “Ponyo”, he managed to pull it off.  The world he creates is magical, the characters are just enjoyable to watch.  From every scene, I was literally just loving the animation and the painted backgrounds and to find out that Miyazaki actually drew the sea and the waves himself using 170,000 separate images is amazing.

In terms of any deep messages on society or ecology, in “Ponyo”, we see how trash and waste has been collecting on the ocean floors and Ponyo being stuck in a bottle lying in a wasteland under the sea.  For Fujimoto, as he tries to maneuver underwater, waste and garbage is everywhere.  So, it was great to see Miyazaki convey how people have mistreated the ocean with their garbage and incorporating it to the storyline.

The Blu-ray is absolutely beautiful when it comes to picture quality, lossless audio and also contains a good number of special features.  If there was only one thing that prevents this Blu-ray release from reaching perfection is the lack of a lossless Japanese audio soundtrack.  But both English and Japanese vocals are well-done with the English track featuring all-star talent with Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Betty White, Cloris Leachmen, Lily Tomlin and Matt Damon providing their voices for this film.   Even Jonas Brothers sibling Frankie Jonas (as Sosuke) and Miley’s younger sister Noah (as Ponyo) do a great job as the primary vocals.  The Japanese soundtrack features two of Japan’s top celebrities with George Tokoro lending his voice for Fujimoto and Tomoko Yamaguchi as Lisa.  And also Hiroki Doi (Sosuke) and Yuria Nana (Ponyo) do a wonderful job providing the main voices for the Japanese audio track as well.

Overall, Hayao Miyazaki is truly a remarkable filmmaker and “Ponyo” is a true masterpiece.  Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli show no signs of waning and they manage to capture the magic that I have felt when I was younger when I first watched Ghibli classics such as “Nausicaa”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”.  This Blu-ray release is highly recommended!

My Neighbor Totoro (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

A magnificent Hayao Miyazaki film with gorgeous animation and painted backgrounds and an enjoyable film for the entire family.  If you have never seen this classic animated film, this special edition of “My Neighbor Totoro” features a ton of special features and is definitely worth owning!  A magnificent DVD release!

Image courtesy of © 1998 Nibariki/Disney. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: My Neighbor Totoro

DURATION: 88 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescren (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English Dolby Digital Sound, Japanese and French Language Tracks, Subtitles: English and French

COMPANY: Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

Release Date: March 2, 2010

Created, Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Storyboards by Hayao Miyazaki

Music by Joe Hisaishi

Art Director: Kazuo Iga

Animation Director: Yoshiharu  Sato

Director of Photography: Hisao Shirai

Executive Producer: Yasuyoshi Tokuma

Producer: Toru Hara

Anime Production by Studio Ghibli

Featuring the following voice talent:

Chika Sakamoto/Dakota Fanning as Mei Kusakabe

Hitoshi Takagi/Frank Welker as Dai-Totoro

Noriko Hidaka/Elle Fanning as Satsuki Kusakabe

Shigesato Itoi/Timothy Daly as Tatsuo Kusakabe (Mei & Satsuki’s father)

Tanie Kitabayashi/Pat Carroll as Granny

Toshiyuki Amagasa as Kanta

Visionary and Academy-Award®-winning* director Hayao Miyazaki has created a heartwarming, music filled and wonderful world in My Neighbor Totoro: Special Edition, a delightfully animated family adventure. And now—exclusively in this 2-Disc Special Edition DVD—never-before-seen bonus features reveal even more of Totoro’s fantastic world! Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her fouryear- old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight, they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro—who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters—including a cat that doubles as a bus!—and takes them on an incredible journey. Bring home My Neighbor Totoro: Special Edition for your family’s DVD library and experience the timeless classic film critic Roger Ebert calls “one of the very few that come along that are magical for all ages.”

Hayao Miyazaki, the most prominent Japanese filmmaker who has created animated films that not only broke Japanese box office records but has created animated films that reflect upon nature, technology, family and more.  Compared to the accomplishments of Walt Disney, Miyazaki is a filmmaker who has amassed a respect from his fans worldwide and his animations studio, Studio Ghibli, continues to be one of the most appreciated and respected animation and production studios in the world.

In 1988, wrote and directed the animated classic “My Neighbor Totoro” (Tonari no Totoro) which won the Animage Grand Prix Award in 1988 and was brought over to the United States from Fox Video/Streamline on VHS in the ’90s and on DVD in 2002.  When their rights expired, Disney picked up the rights to the many of the Studio Ghibli films and redubbed the film featuring major Hollywood talent and re-released the film on DVD in 2006 but this time with both an English and Japanese audio track.

Here we are in 2010 and with Miyazaki’s latest film “Ponyo” being released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 2nd, Disney will also re-release Studio Ghibli classics such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, “Castle in the Sky” and “My Neighbor Totoro” special editions on DVD.

“My Neighbor Totoro” is a film that takes place in 1958 and is about the Kusakabe family which include university professor Tatsuo Kusakabe  (voiced by Shigesato Itoi/Timothy Daly) and his daughters, 10-year-old Satsuki (voiced by Noriko Hidaka/Dakota Fanning) and 4-year-old daughter Mei (voiced by Chika Sakamoto/Elle Fanning).  The family has moved to a rural area in Japan to be closer to a hospital where their mother Yasuko (voiced by Sumi Shimamoto/Lea Salonga) is trying to recover from her illness.

When the daughters check out the house, they discover the home is filled with susuwatari (dust bunnies/creatures) and try to move to dark places of the house.   They are greeted by Granny (voiced by Tanie Kitabayashi/Pat Carroll), the landlord of the house and grandmother of a young boy named Kanta (voiced by Toshiyuki Amagasa/Paul Butcher), a boy who is a neighbor and soon-to-be classmate of Satsuki.

The family carries on life in the country but for young Mei, one day while playing outside, she sees two rabbit like creatures in the grass.  When she goes to follow them, she ends up finding this very large creature which she names “Totoro” (voiced by Hitoshi Takagi/Frank Welker) and falls asleep on him.  When Satsuki finds her, she is alone but Mei tells her about this big creature she saw.  Of course, Satsuki doesn’t quite believe her at first but their father tells them that Totoro is a keeper of the forest.

One rainy night as the daughters wait for their father to return by bus and doesn’t arrive, while Mei is fast asleep on Satsuki’s back, Totoro shows up and Satsuki sees the creature for the first time as he is protecting himself with a leaf from the rain.  She offers him her father’s umbrella and happy about the umbrella, he gives her some nuts and seeds.  Meanwhile, we see what Totoro is waiting for as a big bus-shaped giant cat (voiced by Naoki Tatsuta/Frank Welker) comes to pick up Totoro.

While Satsuki and Mei are overjoyed by seeing Totoro and other creatures, they are struck by bad news when they find out their mother will not be coming home from the hospital and both girls now worry that she may die and take the possibility of that happening very hard.

But on one day, young Mei is missing and it prompts Satsuki and the entire village to search for Mei.  What has happened to her?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“My Neighbor Totoro” is just an amazing animated film which I first watched back in 1993 (in Japanese, no subtitles) and at the time, although I didn’t know what was going on, I was simply in awe with the animation.  Of how beautiful the artistic backgrounds were.  The village and its lush green, to the painted detail on the trunk of the trees to even the ground during rainy weather, I was impressed. Now, the film is 22-years-old and watching it again, the film still holds up remarkably well today.

The film is presented in widescreen (1:85:1) – enhanced for 16×9 televisions.  Colors are vibrant and one can only hope that Disney releases the film via HD on Blu-ray.

As for the audio, audio is clear and understandable.  The film is presented in English Dolby Digital Sound and also includes the Japanese and French language tracks.  It’s important to note that fans of the film have heard two different English dubs of “My Neighbor Totoro”, the FOX Streamline dub and the current Disney dub.  Both are well-done but the difference is that in the Fox dub, the characters of Mei and even Kanta sound much older.  While in the Disney dub, Kanta sounds a bit more younger.  It’s a matter of preference as both English dubs are done very well but its important to note that the Fox/Streamline version is out of print long ago and the DVD never came with the Japanese track or special features.  Nevertheless, for those new to “My Neighbor Totoro”, I’m sure they will enjoy the voice acting by the Fanning sisters.

Subtitles are in English and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“My Neighbor Totoro” comes with the following special features on a second DVD disc.  Included are:

• Original Japanese Storyboards - (1:26:16) – Watch the entire film but this time with the video showcasing the original storyboards.
• Creating My Neighbor Totoro – (2:59) Hayao Miyazaki talks about how he came up with the concept of “My Neighbor Totoro”.
• Creating the Characters - (4:22) Producer Toshio Suzuki talks about the characters of “My Neighbor Totoro” and how “E.T. was an influence.
• The Totoro Experiencing – (2:00) Producer Toshio Suzuki talks about how the film didn’t do well in the box office but when it aired on television, it did remarkably well.
• Producer’s Perspective: Creating Ghibli – (1:22) Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki talks about how the named “Ghibli” came about.
• The Locations of Totoro – (28:34) An excerpt from a Japanese documentary on “My Neighbor Totoro” and visiting the areas that inspired Miyazaki to create the village of Totoro.
• Scoring Miyazaki – (7:17) A featurette about Joe Hisaishi’s scoring Miyazaki films and more.
• Original Japanese Trailer – (1:50) The original Japanese theatrical trailer.
• Behind the Microphone – (5:41) Featuring the English dub voice talents talking about their role, their appreciation for Miyazaki and his films.  Also, behind-the-scenes of the talent recording their voices.
• Ponyo – Creating Ponyo – (3:56) Hayao Miyazaki talks about the creation of “Ponyo” and wanting to create a film for young children.
• Kiki’s Delivery Service – Creating Kiki’s Delivery Service -  (2:27) Hayao Miyazaki discussing the creation of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and what inspired Miyazaki for the creation of the city in the film.
• Castle in the Sky: Character Sketches – (2:37) Miyazaki talks about the characters of “Castle in the Sky” and discussing how his audiences are loyal to his films over time.
• Enter the Lands – Visit the land featuring various small animated Studio Ghibli characters (from all films).  Click on a character from that film (note: only “Ponyo”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Castle in the Sky” are available) to get a Q&A or a small video info. of that film and its characters.

EXTRAS:

Also, included is a postcard featuring Satsuki and Totoro at the bus stop.

I absolutely love “My Neighbor Totoro”.  From when I first saw it in Japanese (which I didn’t understand at the time) at a Japanese animation club screening back in 1993 and now watching it over 15-years-later and watching it alongside with my son.  There is this captivating quality with Miyazaki’s characters, his enjoyable to sometimes serious screenplays and Studio Ghibli always delivering when it comes to quality.

And when you consider how a lot of animated films today are 100% CG animated, when you see a Miyazaki film, you know that he doesn’t follow the mainstream.  He makes the kind of films that he wants and for the most part, every film that I have seen from Studio Ghibli, I’ve been more than satisfied.

I remember watching “My Neighbor Totoro” and enjoying the lively moments from the beginning but having seen his animated films “Nausicaa”, “Laputa: Castle in the Sky” and even “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, as his films are happy and humorous, by the final half of the film, the story definitely shifts to a serious tone and in this film, it does get a bit serious when both Satsuki and Mei facing the probability of their mother dying in the hospital.  These are genuine emotions that these two young girls feel but at the same time, what transpires afterward was captivating and how the film ends, Miyazaki definitely knows how to wrap up a film and make you feel content and satisfied with overall story.

“My Neighbor Totoro” is a wonderful family film and by no means is it scary.  For the parents, this film is among the more lighter-toned Miyazaki films out there.  Miyazaki has mentioned in interviews that he created “My Neighbor Totoro” for the children while his latest film “Ponyo” was more of him wanting to create a film for even younger children.  But for the most part, if you want to introduce a Miyazaki film to your children, “My Neighbor Totoro” is a great place to start.

But the big question for many people is if “My Neighbor Totoro” is worth the investment, especially if you own the 2002 and 2006 DVD releases.  If you own the 2006 Disney DVD, there are a large number of special features on this 2010 release that are not included in the 2006 DVD but if you are not into special features, then its probably not worth buying it again.  But for those who have never owned the DVD, let alone only have that old Fox/Streamline VHS or DVD, then yes its definitely worth it!  I know there are some fans who prefer the original dub from the old Fox/Streamline years but that release was pretty much barebones.  Yes, I still have my old copy of “My Neighbor Totoro” and I did enjoy the original dub a lot but personally, with this newer release, you get the Japanese audio track and plenty of special features that were not included in the 2006 DVD release as well.

Overall, this 2010 “My Neighbor Totoro” DVD release is fantastic.  A great film with a lot of new bonus content.  Highly recommended!

STARTING POINT: 1979-1996 TRACES THE FIRST HALF OF THE CAREER OF FAMED ANIMATION DIRECTOR HAYAO MIYAZAKI NEW FROM VIZ MEDIA

Comprehensive Edition Will Debut As Miyazaki’s Latest Animated Film Hits Theatres In North America This Summer

San Francisco, CA, July 17, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the publication of the first of a new collection of essays, interviews, memoirs and manga from legendary animation director, Hayao Miyazaki, titled STARTING POINT: 1979-1996. STARTING POINT: 1979-1996 has an estimated street date of August 4th and will carry an MSRP of $29.99 US and $34.99 Canada.

The book will cover the first-half of Miyazaki’s legendary career, during which he rose from humble beginnings to create some of the most seminal animated features ever made, including Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind, Castle In The Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Porco Rosso, as well as his launch of Studio Ghibli. A fitting introduction is offered by John Lasseter, the Chief Creative Officer at Pixar and Walt Disney. Ponyo is Miyazaki’s newest feature film and will be released by Walt Disney in North America this August.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the world’s most beloved animation directors. In September 2005 he was awarded the Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement, and his Studio Ghibli received the Festival’s Osella Award for overall achievement in 2004. His notable films include Spirited Away, winner of the 2002 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film, as well as Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle, all of which have received tremendous acclaim in the U.S. Miyazaki’s other achievements include the highly regarded manga series NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND, which is also published domestically by VIZ Media (rated ‘T’ for Teens). VIZ Media also publishes many other Hayo Miyazaki books including the for CASTLE IN THE SKY, HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE, SPIRITED AWAY, PRINCESS MONONOKE and more. VIZ Media also publishes many of Hayo Miyazaki’s beautiful and engaging Art Books and Picture Books.

“Hayao Miyazaki is known and loved around the world for his imaginative films that continue to delight children and adults,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & Marketing for VIZ Media. “STARTING POINT presents, in Miyazaki’s own words, his philosophies towards life, his work, the animation industry both in Japan and abroad, and his creative inspirations and motivations. He also offers lots of stories, many of them quite humorous, which show the extent of his complete dedication to animated film and the people with whom he works. We invite fans to enjoy this chronicle of the life of a man whose own dreams have come true.”

In the first two decades of his career, filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki laid the groundwork for his legendary movies. STARTING POINT is a collection of essays, interviews, and memoirs that go back to the roots of Miyazaki’s childhood, the formulation of his theories of animation, and the founding of Studio Ghibli.
Before directing such acclaimed films as Spirited Away, Miyazaki was just another salaried animator, but with a vision of his own. Follow him as he takes his first steps on the road to success, experience his frustrations with the manga and animation industries that often suffocate creativity, and realize the importance of bringing the childhood dreams of the world to life.

VIZ Media will also be releasing the PONYO PICTURE BOOK and THE ART OF PONYO, both due to release on August 4, 2009. Volumes 1 and 2 of THE PONYO FILM COMIC will be released on August 11th, with other volumes to follow.

For more information on any VIZ Media titles, please visit www.viz.com.