Two new Blu-rays headed for U.K. release

In a little less than four weeks, Studio Ghibli fans in the United Kingdom will be able to add two classic Hayao Miyazaki films to their Blu-ray collections.

StudioCanal, a French-based production and distribution company, recently announced plans to release Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro) and My Neighbour Totoro (Tonari no Totoro) on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2012.  Both films were directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in Japan in 1979 and 1988, respectively.  Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka) was also rumored to be getting a Blu-ray release on the same day, but it appears as though that is not the case, as no official announcement has been made and the title is not currently listed on online stores.

Counting "pre-Ghibli" films Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika), ten Studio Ghibli Blu-rays will be in available in the United Kingdom by the end of November.  This clearly beats the six titles that will be shelves in North America after Grave of the Fireflies is released next month.  However, since the U.K. releases are typically Region B-locked, fans in North America will either have to wait patiently for Disney to play catch up or resort to importing the titles directly from Japan.

Although a future Disney release My Neighbor Totoro on Blu-ray in North America is pretty much guaranteed, the chances of Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro in high-definition are a little less certain.  Manga Entertainment released a "Special Edition" DVD version of the film in 2006, but their ownership of the home video license is said to have expired in the last few years.  Maybe, if we're lucky, a studio such as GKIDS or Sentai Filmworks will pick up the license, if available, and release this film on Blu-ray in North America once and for all.

First season of Lupin III coming to DVD

Although not exactly Studio Ghibli news, Discotek Media has announced via Facebook that they've licensed the first season of Lupin III for DVD release in spring 2012.

L to R: Jigen, Lupin, Fujiko, and Goemon (source)

The Lupin III television series debuted in Japan in 1971, inspired by the manga series by Kazuhiko Kato a.k.a Monkey Punch.  The storyline follows master thief Lupin III, grandson of Arsène Lupin from the Maurice Leblanc novels, and his exploits alongside a group of criminal friends.  The television series ran for three seasons (1971-1985) and inspired a string of popular films, including what is probably the most famous of the group, The Castle of Cagliostro (1979).

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (source)

Although common knowledge to Studio Ghibli fans, Hayao Miyazaki served as director of several episodes of the first and second seasons of the series (alongside future creative partner Isao Takahata) and made his directorial debut with The Castle of Cagliostro.  Long before his feature film work, Miyazaki was making a name for himself in television animation with several series, including Future Boy Conan and Sherlock Hound, and many see his contributions to the Lupin III series and film as transitional works that would eventually lead to the birth of Studio Ghibli.

Jigen and Lupin III in a scene from the first season. (source)

There's no word yet from Discotek Media regarding whether the first season DVD release will feature a dub or subtitles only, but more information should become available as we near the release date.  I'm personally a big fan of The Castle of Cagliostro, so any news is good news when it comes to more Lupin III heading our way!