Two more Blu-rays in Japan

In a little less than a month, animation fans will finally be able to get their hands on the next wave of Blu-ray titles from Studio Ghibli.

L to R: Howl's Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea, and Ponyo (source)

Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle (2004) and son Gorō Miyazaki's Tales from Earthsea (2006) are set to make their Blu-ray debut in Japan on November 16, 2011.  Also out that day is a re-release of Ponyo (2008), with updated cover artwork that makes it a better match to the rest of the collection currently available in Japan.

  

  

Six Blu-ray titles are currently available in Japan and various other countries.

Fans not interested in importing can probably expect the titles to be made available in other parts of the world, except North America, sometime early next year.  Unfortunately, Disney handles Studio Ghibli releases at a much slower pace here than elsewhere around the world.  At this point, we're still waiting for Castle in the Sky, My Neighbors the Yamadas, and Whisper of the Heart to be announced for release, so it's anyone's guess as to when we'll see Howl's Moving Castle and Tales from Earthsea in our neck of the woods.