Tag: Satoshi Kon

Anime Film ‘The Deer King’ Coming to Digital Oct. 4, Blu-ray + DVD Oct. 18

Shout! Factory and GKIDS have announced the Oct. 18 release of the new animated film The Deer King in a Blu-ray Disc + DVD combo pack.

The disc release will be preceded by the film’s Oct. 4 availability on all major digital platforms, for both rental and purchase.

Bonus features include conversations with the voice cast, an introduction from director Masashi Ando, a design gallery, and more.

The Deer King is based on the award-winning fantasy novel series by author Nahoko Uehashi, which has sold over 2 million copies and won major literary awards. Animated by the Production I.G studio, the film marks the directorial debut of animator Ando, who previously worked as a character designer, animation director, and key animator with the famed Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke), and with directors Satoshi Kon and Makoto Shinkai. Co-director Masayuki Miyaji is best known for directing the 2009 series “Xam’d: Lost Memories” and work on Studio Ghibli films such as My Neighbors the Yamadas. Notable works from  Production I.G include Ghost in the Shell and the series “FLCL,” “Haikyu!!” and “Psycho Pass.”

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The Deer King is a story of survival. Following a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom — and its possible cure.

Shout! Factory, Eleven Arts Set March 22 Release Date for ‘Millennium Actress’ Steelbook

Shout! Factory and Eleven Arts on March 22 will release the classic 2001  anime feature Millennium Actress as a Blu-ray Steelbook.

The release includes the original Japanese audio and the 2019 English dub, as well as a number of bonus features including a making-of featurette, highlighted by a rare interview with director Satoshi Kon. Fans can preorder their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com, and orders placed on the site will receive a collectable poster as a gift with purchase, while supplies last.

Millennium Actress has won countless awards and recognitions, including Grand Prize winner in the Japan Agency of Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival.

The film, from famed anime studio Madhouse, was hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a lovely Valentine to the golden age of Japanese filmmaking and an era of gentler, deeper feelings.”

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In the film, the abrupt shutdown of Ginei Studios prompts filmmaker Genya Tachibana and his assistant to interview its reclusive star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who had retired from the spotlight 30 years earlier. As Fujiwara recounts her career, Tachibana and his crew are pulled into her memories, where they witness her chance encounter with a mysterious man on the run from the police.

Bonus features on the Blu-ray Steelbook include:

  • “The Making of Millennium Actress,” with a rare interview with director Satoshi Kon;
  • Voice actress Laura Post interview;
  • Voice actress Abby Trott interview;
  • Producer Taro Maki interview;
  • Producer Masao Maruyama interview.
     

Anime Classic ‘Tokyo Godfathers’ Gets Home Release from Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory and GKIDS on March 30 announced the upcoming release to home audiences of Tokyo Godfathers, which will be available for digital download on May 19 and on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on June 2.

The release of the 2003 family anime film has been restored and remastered from a 4K transfer, and marks the first time the film is available with an English dub in addition to the original Japanese audio track.

From acclaimed director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue), and co-written by Keiko Nobumoto (Cowboy Bebop), Tokyo Godfathers features a tale of hope and redemption in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Set in modern-day Tokyo, the film centers on three homeless people whose lives are changed forever when they discover a baby girl at a garbage dump on Christmas Eve.

As the New Year approaches, the three forgotten members of society band together to solve the mystery of the abandoned child and the fate of her parents. Along the way, encounters with seemingly unrelated events and people force them to confront their own haunted pasts — teaching them to face their future.

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Bonus features include an interview with actress Shakina Nayfack, the featurettes “The Process of Animation,” “The Unexpected Tours,” and “Making of Tokyo Godfathers”; a film introduction by K.F. Watanabe, deputy director of film for the Japan Society of New York City; Ohayo, a short film by Satoshi Kon; and an art gallery.