Studio Ghibli Optimum (UK) DVD/Blu-Ray Release Discussion

[miklc]

EDIT: MODERATORS I HAVE ACCIDENTLY CREATED THIS IN THE WRONG SECTION OF THE FORUM, COULD IT PLEASED BE MOVED TO EITHER THE GENERAL DVD DISCUSSION/INTERNATIONAL DVD DISCUSSION SECTION PLEASE! MANY THANKS

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Hi there,

I decided to make this thread after reading the one in the Disney Discussion section of the forum for us European forum members to discuss Optimum's Studio Ghibli DVD/Blu-Ray releases. That way we can keep each other informed of upcoming releases etc. as it can get very confusing seeing as how the distribution of these films varies according to territory! I'm pretty much a new comer to the Ghibli cannon and I'm looking forward to becoming acquainted with each and every title thus far. I currently own one title Ponyo on Blu-Ray/DVD combo which I got the week it was released and my copy of Nausicaa Valley of the Wind Blu-Ray has been dispatched from Amazon so I'm looking forward to it's arrival, I heard very good things about this film (I understand that technically it was made before the founding of the studio so it's debatable whether it fits)! Do people prefer watching the subbed or dubbed version? Which film is your favorite? If anyone would like to post pictures of their collection I would love to see them! They're new film based on The Borrowers sounds very interesting, I shall look forward to it's release over here.

[yamiiguy]

I prefer subbed. My favourite Ghibli film has to be Grave of the Fireflies, their crowning achievement. I wonder when Ghibli will announce their next Blu-Ray releases....

[miklc]

I prefer subbed. My favourite Ghibli film has to be Grave of the Fireflies, their crowning achievement. I wonder when Ghibli will announce their next Blu-Ray releases....

Oh I shall look forward to checking this one out! How many Ghibli films do you own? Both My Neighbours The Yamadas and Laputa- Castle in the Sky are listed on Amazon as having May 9th 2011 releases.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... tedisne-21

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... tedisne-21

Are those what you predicted would be the next titles to see Blu-Ray? Will their newest feature get a wide theatrical release over here, a limited release or will it go straight to DVD/Blu-Ray? I'm sure I remember Ponyo being released theatrically but it wasn't hugely advertised. Is that right?

[yamiiguy]

I prefer subbed. My favourite Ghibli film has to be Grave of the Fireflies, their crowning achievement. I wonder when Ghibli will announce their next Blu-Ray releases....

Oh I shall look forward to checking this one out! How many Ghibli films do you own? Both My Neighbours The Yamadas and Laputa- Castle in the Sky are listed on Amazon as having May 9th 2011 releases.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... tedisne-21

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... tedisne-21

Are those what you predicted would be the next titles to see Blu-Ray? Will their newest feature get a wide theatrical release over here, a limited release or will it go straight to DVD/Blu-Ray? I'm sure I remember Ponyo being released theatrically but it wasn't hugely advertised. Is that right?

Those came out in Japan in December so I never "predicted them". I will predict that Spirited Away will come out this year though. The Borrowers Arrietty will probably get a limited theatrical release. I remember Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea and Ponyo all getting a theatrical release of some sort. There was a lot more advertising for Ponyo than the previous releases, I can't remember any TV ads but I certainly remember a few posters at the local Cineworld.

I only buy the Ghibli titles I like, so I haven't got Only Yesterday, Ocean Waves, Pom Poko or My Neighbours the Yamadas. I haven't got round to picking up Porco Rosso, My Neighbour Totoro or Ponyo yet either.

[miklc]

Well Nausicaa came yesturday, I will be watching it tomorrow night as I'm having a movie night with a friend. I'm really excited to watch it, I popped the disc in briefly. There was a section of trailers for other Ghibli films I have to say Howl's Moving Castle looked pretty darn good, I shall be excited to see this on Blu-Ray whenever that might be!

[miklc]

I watched Nausicaa on Saturday night and I absolutely loved it! I will be re-watching this within the near future because I think it's one of the those films which benefits from several viewings as there's that much there it's easy to miss things! It looked beautiful in HD, I really cannot wait to get my hands on more Ghibli films when they're released

[magicalwands]

Yay miklc!

I watched this again on blu-ray. This would be my 6th or so viewing of the movie itself since I watched it four years ago. To this day, I still love it. The things that make me love it so much are:
-Nausicaa's personality and her talents...someone to look up to
-Lord Yupa and the people of the Valley of the Wind are all so heart-warming, I wish my neighbors were like that!
-Miyazaki does this with every film, but the "bad guy" is not really shown as black/white. But here, clearly her (forgot her name) acts are evil to the end. I really like how Nausicaa responds to save her and we as the audience are telling her no. That makes it so interesting.
-I can't recall a Disney film that has done this but Miyazaki really knows how to animate...by that, I mean the really grimy, vile, and scary things. The insects in this film creep me out even if it's just a drawing!
-This sort of ties in with the animation, but Miyazaki's stories are so deep. They touch upon things I just love. The fact that they bring out such a monster from ages ago. I think what I'm also trying to say is how truthful he is to everything. It just bluntly tells you how the Ohum terrorize villages/towns and then to turn it around and show how the Ohum in turn die too from starvation.

I'll write more later but I think the above things I said really keep me from hating this film. As much as I love Spirited Away's whimsical feeling, Nausicaa has this different flavor. Going into each viewing I don't recall why I liked it in the past, but after, I remember why.

[yamiiguy]

Laputa
Yamadas

Look like they'll be "double play" after all. I wouldn't care so much about "double plays" if it wasn't for the ugly banners.

[miklc]

Yay miklc!

I watched this again on blu-ray. This would be my 6th or so viewing of the movie itself since I watched it four years ago. To this day, I still love it. The things that make me love it so much are:
-Nausicaa's personality and her talents...someone to look up to
-Lord Yupa and the people of the Valley of the Wind are all so heart-warming, I wish my neighbors were like that!
-Miyazaki does this with every film, but the "bad guy" is not really shown as black/white. But here, clearly her (forgot her name) acts are evil to the end. I really like how Nausicaa responds to save her and we as the audience are telling her no. That makes it so interesting.
-I can't recall a Disney film that has done this but Miyazaki really knows how to animate...by that, I mean the really grimy, vile, and scary things. The insects in this film creep me out even if it's just a drawing!
-This sort of ties in with the animation, but Miyazaki's stories are so deep. They touch upon things I just love. The fact that they bring out such a monster from ages ago. I think what I'm also trying to say is how truthful he is to everything. It just bluntly tells you how the Ohum terrorize villages/towns and then to turn it around and show how the Ohum in turn die too from starvation.

I'll write more later but I think the above things I said really keep me from hating this film. As much as I love Spirited Away's whimsical feeling, Nausicaa has this different flavor. Going into each viewing I don't recall why I liked it in the past, but after, I remember why.

I really enjoyed the fact that the whole premise was quite different to anything I had seen before hand. I also loved the character of Nausicaa, being that she wasn't your typical princess. It was interesting how they juxtaposed the rural lifestyle of the inhabitants of the village to that of the enemies who possessed more advanced weaponry and technology. I plan to re-watch it probably some time within the next three weeks I would say

Laputa
Yamadas

Look like they'll be "double play" after all. I wouldn't care so much about "double plays" if it wasn't for the ugly banners.

This is great news! I'm so glad the next releases will be combo packs, my Blu-Ray player is the only one in our household so it's nice to have that DVD so that I'm not limited to watching it in one room.

[yamiiguy]

Whisper of the Heart will be out on November 21st. [/i]

[Scamander]

Yesterday Universum Anime released Arrietty in Germany. And because of poor sales of the other three released Ghibli BDs, it will be the last Ghibli BD for now.

Since Optimum, StudioCanal and Kinowelt are now one big family, I wish they would get the licence for Germany, too!