From Up on Poppy Hill coming to Blu-ray

Although still in theaters in many cities across the United States, plans for a home video release of Goro Miyazaki's 2011 film From Up on Poppy Hill in North America are already underway.

 

According to Amazon.com, From Up on Poppy Hill will be released as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack in North America on September 3, 2013, courtesy of GKIDS and New Video Group.  The film has been out on Blu-ray in Japan since June 20, 2012.

 

There are no additional details available concerning bonus features yet, but that information should be announced in the coming months.  For the time being, those interested can pre-order their copy today or visit GKIDS' Facebook page for an active list of theaters currently showing the film.

From Up on Poppy Hill nominated for ASPA

Gorō Miyazaki's 2011 film From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka Kara) has been nominated for an Asia Pacific Screen Award in the category of "Best Animated Feature Film."

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards, now in their sixth year, aim to "recognize and promote the cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the vast Asia Pacific region."  The organization is headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and credits their awards as "the region’s highest accolade in film," holding an annual ceremony in November since 2007.  This year's event is scheduled to take place on November 23, 2012 in Brisbane and will be streamed live online.

Studio Ghibli shares their nomination in the "Best Animated Feature Film" category with fellow Japanese productions A Letter to Momo (Momo e no Tegami), Rainbow Fireflies (Niji-Iro Hotaru: Eien no Natsu Yasumi), and Wolf Children (Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki).  Happy Feet Two, the sole film from Australia, rounds out the nominations.

GKIDS will handle theatrical and home video distribution of From Up on Poppy Hill in North America.  A theatrical release date of March 15, 2013 has been set for New York and Los Angeles with more cities in the following weeks.  The English dub cast was previously revealed late last week and includes Sarah Bolger and Anton Yelchin in the lead roles, with well-known actors Ron Howard, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Anderson, and Beau Bridges voicing supporting characters.  An English-language trailer is expected to be released sometime this fall.

Meet the English cast of From Up on Poppy Hill

An article published by Variety has revealed the English language cast of Gorō Miyazaki's From Up on Poppy Hill, set for a North American theatrical release on March 15, 2013.

From Up on Poppy Hill recording session (source)

 

The article, published today, adds to the list of names previously revealed by various media sources.  As it stands, the cast includes Gillian Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Dern, Christina Hendricks, Ron Howard, Chris Noth, Aubrey Plaza, Anton Yelchin, Sarah Bolger, Beau Bridges, Jeff Dunham, Isabelle Fuhrman, Emily Osment, Charles Saxton, and Alex Wolff.  Gary Rydstrom, director of the English language versions of Tales from Earthsea and The Secret World of Arrietty, returns as director for this project, along with Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, who served as executive products of Ponyo and The Secret World of Arrietty.

Recording took place as recently as August 24, 2012 (source)

 

As reported previously, GKIDS will handle theatrical and home video distribution of the film in North America, making in the first time a new Studio Ghibli title will not be released by Disney.  I was personally able to confirm a North America theatrical release date of March 13, 2012 in New York and Los Angeles, with "more cities opening every week after that."  Here's hoping that the film enjoys a wide release and long run so that fans everywhere get a chance to enjoy what appears to be another heartwarming classic from Studio Ghibli.

Another two Blu-rays in Japan

By the end of the year, animation fans in Japan will be able to add two more classic animated masterpieces from Studio Ghibli to their Blu-ray collections.

Hayao Miyazaki's 1989 heartwarming classic Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takkyūbin) and Isao Takahata's 1991 gentle drama Only Yesterday (Omoide Poro Poro) are scheduled to make their Blu-ray debut in Japan on December 5, 2012.

Although we can probably expect a Kiki's Delivery Service Blu-ray release from Disney in the not-so-distance future, seeing Only Yesterday in high definition might be a little trickier if you live in North America.  The film is one of only two Studio Ghibli titles to have never been dubbed in English or released on home video in North America, the other being the 1993 television movie Ocean Waves (Umi ga Kikoeru), directed by Tomomi Mochizuki.  It wasn't until last year that these films had a proper North American debut, premiering theatrically for the first time in the United States at the IFC Center's Studio Ghibli Retrospective, an event made possible after GKIDS acquired theatrical distribution rights to Studio Ghibli's back catalog from Disney in 2011.

GKIDS is set to handle both theatrical and home video distribution of Gorō Miyazaki's From Up on Poppy Hill in 2013, so there may be the slightest possibility that they will do what Disney never did and finally release Only Yesterday on home video in North America.  Until then, the best option may be to import Only Yesterday if you wish to have a complete Studio Ghibli Blu-ray collection anytime soon.