Mimi's Delivery Dash: The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Videogame

Now this is just too cool for words. Ghibli Freaks of all ages have been screaming, pleading, begging for years to have videogames based on their beloved movies. Now a small team of indie developers have delivered the goods.* And it's awesome.

Mimi's Delivery Rush is a loving tribute to Hayao Miyazaki's classic 1989 movie Kiki's Delivery Service, with names changed to protect the penniless. In this game, you play "Mimi" (wink, wink) as she flies around town on delivery runs. I am partially reminded of all the great Castlevania games over the years, but I'm also reminded of Sega's Crazy Taxi, one of the all-time great quarter munchers.

The graphics are presented in a classic 16-bit side-scrolling platforming style, and everything looks terrific. There's a lot of color and detail, and the software team wisely avoided the popular trend of making "retro" graphics that are massively over-pixelated. This is much closer to how videogames looked a quarter century ago, and it looks as charming and inviting today.

This videogame was created for Movie Game Jam 2018. If you click the Mimi link above you will visit the team's website where you can cast your vote for this little gem. A number of prizes will go to the winners, but these sort of things are created purely for love. It's a thrill to be celebrated as part of a community of artists and fans.

Mimi's Delivery Dash is available on Windows (PC). The developers are Nathan Scott (programming, sound and music), Sako (pixel art and additional programming) and Martin Wright (key art and additional pixels). Kudos for all their great work. I would definitely love to see this project expanded into a full-length game, and would gladly pay for the privilege. And while we're at it...can we please have a Sega Dreamcast version? Pretty please with cherry on top?

(*Ugh, did I really sneak a lame-o pun into this article? Oy froynlavin. I blame the GamePro Writers' Guidelines, which instructed me to always employ "heavy alliteration and witty word play.")

Ghibli Recipes: Fish Casserole (Kiki's Delivery Service)

Here is a novel addition to every Studio Ghibli collection: a fish casserole as seen in Kiki's Delivery Service. You'll have to click the image to view in full size so that you can read the recipe.

In Minnesota, dishes like this are extremely common. You can mix up any combination of pasta with meats, fish, vegetables and cheese. Macaroni & Cheese is always a popular choice, as is Meat & Potatoes. Feel free to experiment to your heart's content. Personally, I would just get rid of those olives on the top. Happy cooking!

Bocanada: A Journal of Pop Culture and the Arts - The New E-Zine From Ghibli Blog

Have you downloaded your free e-zine yet?

Many years ago (longer than I care to admit), I created zines to nourish my love of writing and popular culture. I wrote about Star Trek and science-fiction, video games, music, art, and the ups and downs of daily life. They were created on simple desktop publishing software, word processors, and an assortment of clip art and marker pens. It was very low-tech, but highly enjoyable. I even managed to score some freelance writing work at GamePro, which was tremendous fun

Ever since then, I wanted to return to zines. I even had recurring dreams about finding an old computer with long-forgotten websites that were still active, and communicating with old friends. 21 years later, while working on my multiple book projects, I thought it would be fun to finally take the plunge again and create a zine that I could share with my readers and fans. And so Bocanada Issue 1 was born.

Bocanada: A Journal of Pop Culture and the Arts. That long-winded title means, simply, that I get to write about whatever the heck I want, but mostly aimed in the same direction as my writings on Ghibli Blog and the new books: Zen Arcade, Pop Life and Greatest Hits.

For Ghibli Freaks, this issue includes essays on Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbors the Yamada. For classic and retro video game fans, there are reviews of Altered Beast (Genesis), Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis), Bonk's Adventure (TG-16), Mega Man (NES), and Street Fighter 2 Turbo (Super NES). For music lovers, we have articles on Miles Davis' 1974 jazz-fusion album Get Up With It and Sony's PS-X75 Biotracer Turntable. Finally, we have an art gallery of zine-worthy graffiti works created by me back in 2002.

The cover image is another one of my artworks, a 2005 digital painting created entirely on computer. The title is an homage to Gustavo Cerati's 1999 album, a glorious mashup of trip-hop (remember that?), Radiohead's Kid-A and The Beatles. The pages are "half-size," meaning that they are standard 8.5" x 11" pages folded in half. The zine is 48 pages in total, which matches the output of my old zines perfectly (they were 245 pages at standard size).

Bocanada was created for both physical and digital formats. I find the half-size format works perfectly for tablets and even smartphones. The pages are very readable and neatly designed without becoming too cluttered or dense. I created everything on Scribus, a freeware tool, which I suppose would disqualify me in the eyes of many zine publishers -- it's not a "real zine" unless everything is created on a typewriter, scissors and markers. Whatever.

Bocanada is available as a "perma-free" download, meaning the digital version will always be free. All you have to do is join my mailing list. In addition to receiving the zine, you will also receive regular email newsletters that feature the latest news and developments from DT Media (my indie publishing label) and Ghibli Blog, including the new books!

When is Bocanada Issue 2 coming? Soon. I'm still very busy with releasing the books, assembling the new DT Media website, and doing the usual promotional work (translation: hassling everyone with review copies and appearance requests). If we can assemble and publish the second issue in time for Thanksgiving, I'd be thrilled.

As always, thank you very much for your continued support of Ghibli Blog.

P.S. I keep mentioning the new books: Zen Arcade, Pop Life and Greatest Hits. Well, the books are finished and ready to roll out! As for release date, availability and price...join my mailing list and I'll share all the answers in my next newsletter.

Update (10/4 8:23pm): Bocanada now has a new cover design! I like it a lot, and hope you will, too.

Studio Ghibli Halloween Costumes For 2017

Halloween is only one week away, which means it's time for everybody to hurry up and finish their costumes. Ghibli Freaks of all ages will be eager to show off their love of their favorite animated movies and help spread the word to their families and neighbors.

These costumes were first shown at DramaFever, and if you follow the link, you will find a dozen more, all equally impressive. It's very clear that everybody invested an enormous amount of work for their costumes. "Cosplay" is a popular staple of anime and sci-fi conventions, and it seems as if that community has exploded in recent years, thanks to the soaring success of ComicCon and similar events. I remember kids dressing up in costumes at Star Trek conventions back in the late 1980s, but today's fans have taken the game to a whole new level.

Each of these makes for a terrific Halloween costume idea for parents and children alike. I especially like the My Neighbor Totoro photo at top, with the two girls pulling a Cat Bus wagon. The pet Ohmu is also pretty inspired...I wonder if it moves? That would be cool.

Artist Spotlight: Kiki and Jiji by Ian Lee

Here is a charming illustration of Kiki and her pet cat, Jiji. I like this cartoon style a lot, and like many Ghibli art pieces, I'd like to see more. You can find Ian's Instagram page here. Send him your thanks.

Kiki's Delivery Service 1998 VHS Promo

When Disney secured the US distribution rights to Studio Ghibli's films, they clearly had their eyes on Kiki's Delivery Service. Here was a family-friendly movie that was charming, upbeat and very similar in tone to their own movies. For parents who probably associated "Japanimation" with sex, violence and cheap production values, this would be a very welcome relief. Add in a new dubbed soundtrack created by Disney themselves, and you have a guaranteed hit on home video.

This video is the original 1998 promo for the videocassette, and according to the YouTube page, appeared on the VHS for The Black Cauldron. Notice the colorful logo which would be replaced in the DVD that appeared five years later. I always preferred this to the later design, when Disney appeared to be far less invested in Studio Ghibli. I don't care much for the corny narration or the dub, but I'm not the target audience, which would be parents and small children.

It's fascinating how this trailer focuses on the climactic action sequence. There's quite a bit more action that one would expect from a "children's cartoon," albeit with all the hokey narration and preachy moral values. In a Puritanical society, such concessions are necessary in order to sneak past the guards. Mom and Dad will nod with approval at the important messages, and the kids will be thrilled by the exciting flying scenes and the sights of a foreign city (modeled greatly on Sweden, as we all know).

It's really too bad that the relationship between Disney and Studio Ghibli was such a troubled one. They rarely seemed to be on the same page, often viewing one another as rivals rather than partners. The cultural differences were just too great at the time. Also, Hayao Miyazaki probably shouldn't have made a grim and gory Kurosawa epic right when he signed the distribution papers. I can't help but feel that Princess Mononoke burned more bridges than it built, and is really the point where that marriage turned sour. Maybe it's just me.

In any case, here's Kiki to cheer everybody up.

Artist Spotlight: Kiki and Ursula by Madi Hodges

Today's artist spotlight is an amazingly talented artist and animator at Wild Canary Animation named Madi Hodges. I really love the bold colors in the trees and the cabin. Kiki and Ursula are both cheerful with their bird friends, and brushwork shows a great variety throughout the frame. You can tell an animation professional created this piece. Terrific!

You can follow Madi Hodges' Pinterest page for more examples of her excellent work. Ask her to create more Ghibli paintings!

Photos: Kiki's Delivery Service

Some screenshots of Kiki's Delivery Service on Blu-Ray. The picture quality is astoundingly good and a big upgrade over DVD, just like all of the Studio Ghibli movies. Colors just pop off the screen and flow with grace and style.

I always think of Kiki as a quiet film, much like My Neighbor Totoro, with its focus on personal growth and relationships. It's about the beginning of adolescence, the journey from childhood to adulthood, and the joys and turbulence that inevitably result. It is a time of discovery and wonder and new horizons, but also a time of loss. New connections are forged, but old connections are lost.

It's a great testament to Hayao Miyazaki's skills as a storyteller that this movie embraces all of these moods and contradictions, while maintaining a pastoral, almost nostalgic tone. There is no emotional manipulation or cheesy melodrama, no forced plot points or tired coming-of-age cliches. What we see is a character who is very relatable and honest. We can understand Kiki's journey because it reminds us of our own. We can relate.

To date, the only home video release to have proper English subtitles belongs on the Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray box set, which is becoming increasingly rare and expensive. If you're still on the fence whether to purchase one, you better do it now before Ebay requires you to send in a major organ as payment. Hopefully, GKids will use the correct subtitles (and not the ancient Streamline "dubtitles") for their upcoming BD/DVD reissue this fall. If they do so, I will gladly double-dip and grab another copy.

Studio Ghibli Soundtrack LP: Kiki's Delivery Service

Saturday is "Music Day" on Ghibli Blog, but I didn't want to completely alienate our regular readers, so let's take a look at one of the Studio Ghibli soundtrack LPs from Japan.

In Japan, multiple vinyl LPs associated with the Ghibli movies were released by Takuma Shoten. These include "soundtrack," "image album," "symphonic," and "drama records." 45-rpm record singles were also released for the films if a pop song was attached.

For collectors, these record albums are a prize catch, featuring full-color artwork, sometimes exclusively created for the specific album, and screenshots from the movies. Prices on Ebay range from as little as $15-$20 to well over $600. A recent Ebay auction of Isao Takahata's 1982 Gauche the Cellist asked for a whopping $150 (he didn't get any bids) - Ack!

These photos for Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service come from a regular contributor to the Buta Connection forums in France. He has a very nice collection of Ghibli LPs. Kiki's comes with a single LP, with text and photos on both sides of the sleeve. An extra paper advertising the other Ghibli soundtrack albums is also included. It's very nicely packaged, was probably very affordable back in 1989, and should remain so today. I wouldn't expect to spend more than $15 or $20.

Kiki's Delivery Service was Studio Ghibli's first box office hit in Japan, and it's a charming, quiet little movie, much closer in spirit to My Neighbor Totoro than anything. It remains a little underrated in the Miyazaki canon, which only goes to show there's no accounting for taste. I'd be very happy to have this album in my collection, just to hear Yumi Arai's terrific theme song (it reminds me so much of Karen Carpenter, God Rest Her Soul).

(Photos: Buta Connection, "jrd1")

New Studio Ghibli Blu-Ray Movies Released This Week

As all good Ghibli Freaks know, this week sees the release of three new Studio Ghibli Blu-Ray movies in the USA: The Wind Rises, Princess Mononoke, and Kiki's Delivery Service.  It's always so rare that we get anything released by Disney at all, having three movies at once is especially grand.

I haven't had a chance to examine these BDs for myself, but reviews have been mostly positive. Picture quality should be excellent, if a step below the Japanese BDs, color tones will be rich, warm and extremely detailed. Studio Ghibli looks so much better on high definition over DVD, it's worth upgrading your home theater system just for these movies.  But that's just my opinion.

The only negative is that Mononoke uses dubtitles - what, "dubtitles?" - instead of the literal English translation from earlier releases.  That's completely baffling and frustrating, but it wouldn't be the first time this has happened; Disney's US Blu-Ray of Castle in the Sky is also plagued with incorrect subtitles.  It's a puzzling oversight, and one that's completely unnecessary.  Because of this, I cannot recommend the US release over the Japanese.  That's just me.  If you prefer Neil Gaiman's US script, then you'll be perfectly happy with this release.  It was a fairly good anime dub for its time, more respectful than most.  But it still would be nice to enjoy the Japanese soundtrack as well, and using incorrect subtitles detracts from that experience.

Kiki's Delivery Service, similarly, also uses dubtitles instead of a literal translation, but this has always been the case. We have never had proper subtitles of this movie, in any format. Fortunately, the subtitles are taken from the old Streamline Pictures dub, which was very enjoyable.  There's one throwaway joke about the Hindenberg that I could do away with, but it's never really bothered me. Kiki is underrated in the Miyazaki canon; for me, it continues the gentle, pastoral pace of My Neighbor Totoro, and its insights on emerging adolescence, and any period of transition in one's life, ring true.

Years ago, I was grappling with long-term unemployment, the kind where you fear that you'll never find work again. When watching Kiki's Delivery Service, the scene where Kiki sat in a park, lost and uncertain, stuck me to my core. I felt that moment, that disorientation, that worry.  Where will I go?  What will happen to me?  That scene has always resonated in my memory, because of my experience.  If there's anything I respect about Miyazaki, it's his emotional honesty.  This is a great movie.

And The Wind Rises? Still a masterpiece, still controversial, but always destined to spark debates and deep discussions about Miyazaki, World War II, and the movies.  It was criminally ignored by the so-called fans when it was released in US theaters early this year.  Here is your chance for redemption, kids.

Art Nouveau Studio Ghibli Poster Designs

These spectacular poster designs recreate our favorite Studio Ghibli movies in the early 20th Century Art Nouveau style.  An artist named "Marlboro" posted these artworks on Pixiv, a Japanese art-sharing site.  Unfortunately, Marlboro's page is no longer available, but the art lives on.

What makes these illustrations so effective is how perfectly the art style matches the original material.  Nausicaa, Sheeta, Kiki, Totoro, Howl...these characters do have an Art Nouveau appeal.  They fit into this style perfectly.  Indeed, it makes me wonder why comics and animation cannot use this visual style, instead of merely retreading the same old paradigms.

Excellent job, Marlboro, wherever you are.

Trailers - My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso

This weekend, the Studio Ghibli Film Festival at the Minneapolis Lagoon Cinema kicks off its second week with the Hayao Miyazaki's classics: My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Porco Rosso.  Totoro will appear in Japanese and English versions, while Kiki and Porco are both in Japanese, w/subtitles.

My Neighbor Totoro is easily the star of the show.  It's the iconic Studio Ghibli movie, and if you've only come to the festival for one or two movies, Totoro is likely on your list.  My advice?  Buy your tickets early, because they're going to sell out fast.  The English-language version will definitely be packed with the younger kids, but parents should feel fine bringing the family to the Japanese (English subtitled) version as well.  The subtitles are large enough that it's easy to read.  Besides, we've all seen Totoro a thousand times by now.

Kiki's Delivery Service gets less attention than Totoro, but I think it's an equally great movie, continuing its pastoral sense of daily life, and painted in wonderful shades of green.  It's the rare coming-of-age story that focuses equally on what is lost (childhood) on the path to adolescence.  Miyazaki is honest with his audience, and I really respect that.  I don't know if the subtitles are true subtitles, or the dreaded "dub-titles" that we've been stuck with for years.  The key will be whether there's a Hindenberg gag line ("Oh, the humanity").  That line's not in the Japanese script.

Porco Rosso is my personal favorite of the three; I've seen the others on the big screen before, so we'll probably see this one on Sunday.  For a long time, this was my "go-to" movie for introducing newcomers to Hayao Miyazaki.  Here is a film with action and adventure, romance and nostalgia, slapstick comedy and melodrama, and many peaceful, quiet moments.  This is far closer to an animated Casablanca than Star Wars, and I do respect the film for not assaulting me with endless fight scenes.  The characters and their internal dramas take center stage.  It's Miyazaki's Mid-Life Crisis movie.

As always, here are the trailers for you to watch, so you can decide which movies to attend.  Obviously, if you have the money, see them all, but remember that this week includes Princess Mononoke, Mimi wo Sumaseba and Omohide Poro Poro.  Could we play all these movies for another few weeks, please?

The Next Studio Ghibli Blu-Rays - Kiki's Delivery Service, Omohide Poro Poro

The next Studio Ghibli Blu-Ray movies have been announced - Kiki's Delivery Service and Omohide Poro Poro.  Both films will be released on December 5, 2012 in Japan.

Omohide Poro Poro, as you know, is my favorite animation film, ranked #11 on my 50 Greatest Movies list.  The HD format is going to do wonders for Isao Takahata's masterpiece; its rich colors and visual splendor will be a sight to behold.  This is a visually spectacular movie, endlessly varied and nuanced, perfectly weaving Tarantino-pop with Ozu melodrama.

Kiki's Delivery Service is a sweet and charming movie, a perfect follow-up to My Neighbor Totoro, and Ghibli's first box-office hit.  Miyazaki doesn't get nearly enough credit for this film, but it's a wonderful story about the end of childhood and the transition into adulthood, and it's very funny.  I do hope we finally get true subtitles at last, instead of the now-ancient "dub-titles."  That would be a very welcome change.

Poro Poro, of course, will never be released here in North America, unless someone like Sentai Filmworks or Criterion steps up, but it should be released in all other territories.  Disney will happily pick up Kiki, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they released it alongside Totoro sometime next year.  Those were the movies Disney wanted when they first courted Miyazaki, which is good news for us.

Kiki's Delivery Service T-Shirt on Sale

Artist Jason Cryer has a new t-shirt design on TheYetee http://theyetee.com/ this weekend, a cool graphic based on Kiki's Delivery Service.  It's a clever, iconic design, look stylish, and is sure to make all your friends jealous.  Also, have you noticed that it uses the original Japanes title, "Witch Delivery Service?"  Very nice.

This Kiki's shirt will be available today (2/26) and tomorrow (2/27) for $11.  After that, it will no longer be available on that website, so be sure to get yours today.

The Ideal Ghibli Women: Violent Redheads and Single Mothers

Back in December, a Japanese poll asked 1,000 people (700 women and 300 men) to name their favorite female Studio Ghibli characters, the ones that "best embody the characteristics that women aspire to.  Both genders picked the moody Redhead with the violent mood swings.  Interesting findings.

I can understand why guys would want a strong, confident and aggressive person like Nausicaa.  I hail from Minnesota, after all.  Our girls play ice hockey and win championships (go Gophers).  But what really makes me chuckle is that Nausicaa is the number one pick from women.  Don't let the stereotypically polite, demure appearance fool you; these gals are probably looking to bust some heads.  And when we look at Japan's population decline, I'm guessing they have to tolerate a lot of clueless, clumsy boys.

Protip for all the males in Japan: Hurry up and learn some skills, boys.  Put down the toys and the video games, and learn to impress the gals before they beat you up and take your lunch money.  Hah, hah.

Well, that's worth a chuckle.  Back to the Ghibli "Ideal Woman" poll.  For the most part, it's a standard sampling of Miyazaki characters.  The men's picks are, frankly, a bit boring.  Sheeta (Castle in the Sky) probably fits the "damsel in distress," so there's an appeal, but Kiki and Shizuku (Mimi/Whisper)?  Those are very much girls' coming-of-age movies.  Porco Rosso's Gina is a singer and owns her own business, but she's also a very lonely character, who escapes into a series of doomed marriages because her one true love is too being a self-loathing pig to notice.  I'm not sure what this suggests about the men in the poll.

Meanwhile, the women pick San, the Mononoke Hime?  She's basically Nausicaa's aggressive, darker side (Ashitaka, conversely, embodies all of Nausicaa's gentler, more "feminine" virtues).  And at the end of the picture, she tells the boy that, sorry, I need my space.  Ouch. 

Osano, the pregnant owner of the bakery in Kiki's Delivery Service, is an interesting pick.  Am I the only one who honestly thought she was a single mother?  Is that cook her husband?  Family or friend?  Co-worker?  The movie (in its original Japanese) never explicitly declares anything, one way or another.  I may be wrong on this one, but that was always my honest impression, and I greatly admired the movie for its honesty.  It's a good lesson for girls, don't you agree?  Your life doesn't revolve around men.  You can take command of your own life.  Heck, even if the cook is Osano's husband, she's clearly the one in charge.

Here's the complete rankings from the poll.  I'm interested to hear your opinions.  Feel free to tell me I'm completely bonkers in my hypothesis, by the way.

Women's Results:

1) 20.0% - Nausicaä (Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind)
2) 18.9% - Osono (Kiki's Delivery Service)
3) 15.0% - Sheta (Castle in the Sky
4) 13.1% - San (Princess Mononoke
5) 11.7% - Kiki (Kiki's Delivery Service

Men's Results:

1) 18.7% - Nausicaä (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)
2) 17.3% - Sheta (Castle in the Sky)
3) 13.0% - Kiki (Kiki's Delivery Service)
4) 11.7% - Shizuku Tsukishima (Mimi wo Sumaseba/Whisper of the Heart)
5) 09.0% - Gina (Porco Rosso)

Studio Ghibli Paper Collage Art

Now this is clever.  DeviantART member Botjira has amassed a gallery of paper collage art, which also includes a number of works devoted to Studio Ghibli.  These impressive artworks involve paper, glue, acrylic, pastels, and a good pair of scissors.  Scenes are evoked from a number of Miyazaki films - My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle.

I'm posting my personal favorites here on the blog.  You can peruse Botjira's collection at his DeviantART page.  I love the abstractration of these collage works; this visual style evokes Japan's inherent iconic quality (I'm using Scott McCloud's terms), from anime to manga to video games.  Color and texture are especially strong, and compositions are well-framed.

I'd like to see these works rendered in animation, frankly.  If I were creating short films at, say, Pixar, I'd push heavily for a paper cutout look just like this.  The American quest for "realism" in animation is following the wrong direction (and it's still largely wrapped around caricature); abstraction and symbolism can be a far more potent tool of storytellers.  And, besides, aren't you getting tired of every cartoon looking exactly the same?  Animators need to mix things up just to keep us interested.

Ponyo on Blu-Ray; Castle, Totoro and Kiki on DVD

I just wanted to clear up any confusion regarding the upcoming Studio Ghibli releases on March 2.  All four movies - Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Ponyo - will appear on DVD.  Only Ponyo will arrive on Blu-Ray.

There have been no official announcements from Ghibli in Japan regarding future BD releases, but it is widely expected that more movies will be headed to the high-definition format in 2010.

Ponyo, Castle in the Sky, Totoro, Kiki DVDs Released on March 2

We are only six weeks away from the Ponyo's arrival on DVD and Blu-Ray, and the reissues of Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service. As everyone remembers, these movies were planned for a December release, but was ultimately delayed. I'm sure we were all disappointed, but in the long run, I think March 2 is a wiser choice. There will be fewer movies to compete against, giving Studio Ghibli added attention.

I have to congratulate Disney for the new cover designs. These look absolutely magnificent, and it's refreshing to see the designs improve with each release cycle. Studio Ghibli's films finally have the proper shine and polish. Featuring the Japanese movie posters is especially welcome, and a very pleasant surprise.

There has yet to be any advance media from Disney on the state of the discs themselves. I remain very hopeful that the superior Japanese DVDs are used. I've praised the excellent picture quality of the Region 2 Castle in the Sky over the old, crummy Disney releases, and I can't wait for you to see for yourselves.

I see that John Lasseter's introductions for Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service are returning, which is always a nice addition. Being the dedicated Ghibli Freak and...what's the name we're using for Pixar fans?...I would love to see more of Lasseter go into depth on their love of Ghibli and Miyazaki. Commentary tracks, of course, would just be spectacular. I'll just have to take a video camera to the Pixar campus one of these years and shoot a documentary.

And Ponyo, one of my favorite movies of 2009, will make its Blu-Ray debut. For most of us, this will be the main event, especially for those who couldn't see the movie in theatres last summer. I'm hopeful that the home release will find a Long Tail success. I know I'll be buying all four movies on March 2, and I'm sure many of you will, too.

Oh, and don't forget the Ponyo plushie! Marcee is going to want one of those...and my sisters...and cousins...yadda yadda. You see how this goes. If I were to buy any one of these Ghibli DVDs, it would definitely be the deluxe Ponyo set. Save yer pennies, kids.

Will Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service Have New Dubs?

BionicVapourDude asks a question that I'm sure is on many of our minds: "Will they [Disney] be redoing the awful dubs of Kiki and Laputa?"

I would hope and pray for dear life that those old dubs will be banished forever, down the same dark pit that holds Warriors of the Wind. If the upcoming DVD reissues are to make any improvements, the soundtrack is the #1 place to start. Will this happen? I can's say for certain, because there's no word. I have a couple ideas, so here's how I see this situation:

As the story goes, Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service sat in the Disney vaults for years before being released. The dubs were finished, everything was complete, but they just sat on the movies.

That changed with the arrival of Spirited Away. That was the point where John Lasseter began aggressively handling the Ghibli catalog under Disney's wing. He took charge of the Disney soundtracks and fought tooth and nail for support in home and theaters. He brought on Don and Cindy Hewitt to handle the US dub scripts. He even managed to streamline the DVD cover designs, which were a great improvement from the original releases.

And with the Disney/Pixar merger - I still say that was Steve Jobs' greatest business deal - Lasseter has complete and total control over the Ghibli catalog. To him, they might as well be Pixar films, and he'll fight just as hard to protect his adoptive children.

Whatever your stand on the dubs-vs-subs issue, I think we can all agree that the Disney dubs for Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service are the worst of the bunch. The second and third wave of DVDs - while of varying quality from one movie to the next - were a great improvement.

These are purely my own observations. I have no facts as of yet to report. But until I hear otherwise, I think it's an easy bet that there will be new dubs for Laputa and Kiki.

Oh, and that hideous DVD cover has got to go. Those poor kids look like they've had plastic surgery. Are these Michael Jackson's kids?

Disney Reissues New Studio Ghibli DVDs

This news scoop comes courtesy of Ghibli Freak Chris, one of our smartest and chattiest regulars here on the site. Disney will be releasing new "special edition" DVDs of three of the first four Studio Ghibli movies - Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki's Delivery Service.

These reissues are expected to be tied into the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Ponyo, which The Ghibli Blog has previously reported as a possible October 29 date. There have been no official word on Ponyo, however. Another question is whether Blu-Ray will be included among these reissues. Given that Studio Ghibli in Japan has only announced a December date for the Ponyo BD, and no word on the other films.

In anticipation of the upcoming reissues, Disney has discontinued the existing DVDs for Laputa, Totoro and Kiki. This was a surprise move, and was made without any fanfare.

This news appeared today at Ultimate Disney, and I've sent a couple messages out via Twitter in search of more answers. If there is more news, rest assured I will report it.