Ponyo US producer Frank Marshall discussed the upcoming Ponyo DVD and Blu-Ray on his Twitter page. He confirms again that the release has been pushed back, from December 8 to next March. It's unfortunate, yes...but look at what we're getting!
The Ponyo DVD will be packaged with a plush Ponyo as a gift set. This really looks terrific, and marks the first time any Ghibli merchandise was made available in the US. Hayao Miyazaki has always been very strict on this matter, refusing to grant merchandising rights to Disney.
I have no idea if this means Ghibli and Disney have come to a new arrangement. I remember that My Neighbor Totoro is expected to be reissued on DVD soon...a stuffed Totoro or Cat Bus would be terrific. It would also sell like hotcakes, and be a great boon for Ghibli in the States. It's all about Merchandising! Merchandising! in the movie business.
Frank Marshall suggests that Blu-Ray Ponyo could be packaged with a plush if the DVD gift set proves successful. I'm sure we'll all be crossing our fingers.
The American Ponyo and BD will also include a "World of Ghibli" feature, which I'm guessing is one of those standard retrospectives on the studio. If the edited documentary on the Nausicaa DVD is any indication, then I'd expect Disney to blot out any mention of movies not being released on their label. But I would hope that all of Ghibli's films would be mentioned and respected.
6 comments:
i'm in Indonesia, and i LOVEE Ghibli so much.
it's really hard to get an original DVD. don't know how to get that plush Ponyooo.....
A Ponyo plush toy is a nice thing to add, could make it more noticeable. I wouldn't want one, but it could've been a nice release for the holidays. Imagine all the kids getting the Ponyo movie along with a toy..
This doesn't have to be a change of policy, could just be allowed since they aren't selling the plush but rather including it with a DVD. Nitpicking but thats how contracts usually work so. ;)
I'm not gonna lie, I've always wanted a Ponyo plushie. It's so cute! This excites me.
Hi, I'm Paul and I'm a recovering Ghibli plushiholic... Can't wait.
Speaking of waiting, looks like the Spanish got their Ponyo already! A post from Vladimiro Macedo on the Miyazaki Mailing List noted that Aurum/Alliance Films released both regular (1-disc) and special edition (2-disc metal case "steelbook") DVDs of Ponyo (along with a 1-disc release of Whisper of the Heart) in Spain on 10/28. BTW, Totoro is in theaters over there starting on 12/9, along with a limited-edition (5000) collector's box of Totoro merchandise.
Aurum also announced their Blu-ray Ponyo will be out in 2010 - no specific date yet, other than to say all of their Ghibli Blu-rays will come out after the Japanese ones. In 2010 they plan to release or re-release DVD sets for Kiki, Laputa, Nausicaa (uncut version this time), Only Yesterday, Mononoke, and Porco.
Planned theater releases in Spain are Totoro, and depending on Totoro's boxoffice, Nausicaa, and possibly Porco.
Spanish-language link thing here (you may have to manually un-wrap it): http://www.zonadvd.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=24144
Mr. Macedo mentioned in his MML post that Aurum "had to negotiate hard for over two years with Ghibli, as the studio wanted every assurance that the utmost care would be put into the DVDs." Looks like Aurum has succeeded. In the mean time I (we?) wait impatiently...
Ja ne...
You can get a Ponyo plushie from any number of import shops. So if you can't wait another six months, you should consider that option. Hopefully, the prices won't be too high.
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