(Update 1/22/10: Ponyo DVD and Blu-Ray will be released on March 2, 2010. In addition, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service will be released on DVD. You can read the latest post here.)
(Update 10/19/09: Ponyo's American DVD release is set for March, 2010. I'm sure you can tell by now that this earlier prediction didn't come to pass. Oops. If anybody can explain what the Previews thing was all about, I'm all ears. And no more of the reaching predictions...gambling just isn't my skill. Thanks for humoring me.)
Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the United States on October 28, 2009.
This revelation comes from Previews, a comic shop trade magazine. You can see the preview listings here (scroll to the bottom). This list appears in the August issue.
According to Previews, three Ponyo sets will be released: standard DVD ($19.99), special edition DVD ($32.99), and Blu-Ray ($39.99). No specifics are given, but we must assume the deluxe edition is the 12-hour making-of documentary which has just been delayed in Japan. Question: will this include the Joe Hisaishi concert DVD? The price suggests not, but an official announcement as yet to be made either way.
The biggest suprise is the Blu-Ray, which will appear in the US before Japan. The BD version should include the documentary, if it is the same as the Japanese release.
This is a stunning surprise. I am curious to know if any official announcements were planned at this week's Comic Con, where Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter will be appearing in person. Clearly, with the speed and efficiency of the internet, this news will spread like wildfire. Expect to hear a statement on the matter sooner rather than later.
6 comments:
Wow, this is certainly unexpected. A US release earlier than a Japanese one is definitely unheard of, but its not a bad thing I guess ! :]
I don't think the DVD special edition will include 12-hour documentary. And as for the Blu-ray disc release date, Studio Ghibli made quite clear that Japan will be the first country to get their films on BD so my guess is that the October date is just some kind of retailer relevant date.
I guess we'll find out if that's true or not. However, given the short window between the multiplex and the home markets, this would make sense. Ponyo's August release in theaters make the holiday season a very lucrative target. I would expect to see, at the very least, the standard DVD released this year.
Ghibli's new President has made the American market a new priority, as we've seen so far. And it's no secret that the DVD/BR market is far more profitable than the theaters. We'll see what happens.
As much as I'd love it, I just can't believe the full documentary would be included on the special addition. $32 is too cheap for all that content. At most, perhaps there will be a truncated form of the documentary.
However, I'd love to eat my words like delicious pie!
Wow, I really missed the mark on this one. Ah, well, sometimes you just have to swing at the ball when it's pitched your way.
Ponyo is being released in the US in March 2010. So I was only off....by a wide margin. Best not to take me along on trips to the casino, heh heh.
diamond's/preview's official statement for their new approach to DVD listings is to let their retail partners be aware that a DVD is expected to come out "sometime". problem is studios like sony, disney and such give out press release information to retailers and distributors at the same time, generally 3 to 4 months prior to release to solicit and sell product. Diamond takes 2 to 3 months to put it into previews. so by the time you see it in previews, it's already on retailers shelves, so diamond customers who purchase DVDs through diamond have always been a bit behind. This is their way of aggressively attacking the DVD market the only way the are capable in a print format that they do not tight control over information release like comics.
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