Isao Takahata's best known movie to the Western world, Grave of the Fireflies, will finally be released in Japan under Studio Ghibli's Ghibli Ga Ippai label. In Japan, Hotaru no Haka was released only on Warner Home Video, for reasons I've never understood. Now, Takahata's antiwar masterpiece will return home where it belongs.
Grave of the Fireflies is scheduled for release on August 6. Yes, that's correct, August 6. A briliant move, I'd say, to tie in one of Japan's most important reqiems about World War II with the anniversary of Hiroshima. And just like in America, that generation is passing away into history, and it becomes more and more important that future generations never forget.
It is no small coincidence that as Japan's WWII generation fades away, the younger population is champing more and more for a re-constituted army and a military buildup. This is becoming a major issue in Japan, and I think we're all aware of the destabalizing effects upon the region if Japan were to rebuild its military.
Hmm...perhaps the notoriously anti-war Miyazaki and Takahata are taking this opportunity to remind their people, young and old, of the horrors of war and the terrible cost of Japan's militarism. This was, after all, one of the over-arching themes Miyazaki brought to his Howl's Moving Castle. Japan's pacifism is a model to the world. I would argue that it was this choice, to beat their swords into plowshares, that enabled the country to ascend so quickly as a modern industrialized nation. Every dollar spent on bombs, guns and tanks, is one dollar less for the people, for the economy, for science and research and technology. One only need look at Bush-Cheney America in 2008 for proof. Enjoy your five-dollar gas, folks.
Ahem. I'm getting carried away. But that's what great art does. It sparks the needed discussions about the heavy issues. Grave of the Fireflies does this masterfully.
Now onto the new Ghibli DVD. Fireflies will be a two-disc set, like all the other films. The picture will be digitally remastered and should be notably improved from the old version. Six interviews, including Takahata and other staff members, will be audio only. Also included are location photos from the production, concept art, and newly-filmed e-konte (the finished storyboards, also a Ghibli DVD standard).
The first edition of the DVD will also include an audio CD recording of the original Hotaru no Haka novel, read by the actor Hashizume Isao. This will be the one to get for collectors, and this will become another treasured part of our Ghibli collections.
Will this movie be released on Blu-Ray? Not now. There are no plans announced, as Ghibli is still dipping their toes in the water, but the end of the format war does mean we should expect the Ghibli features to make their migration sooner or later. Still, I wouldn't expect to hear anything for at least another year or so. Once the Blu-Ray format reaches a critical mass, and standard DVD's begin to fade, then we'll see the jump.
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Two short thoughts about the new Grave of the Fireflies DVD. Since Ghibli Ga Ippai is handled by Disney as part of the global distribution deal, this does open the door for Disney to release the DVD in the West. Unfortunately, I wouldn't see that as very likely, considering their unwillingness to release Omohide Poro Poro or Umi Ga Kikoeru on our shores. It's a safe bet you won't be seeing Fireflies with a Disney label on the box at your nearest Wal-Mart.
Our hope, as always, lies in John Lasseter and Pixar, those great artists who have been pulling for Studio Ghibli in America for years. It all depends upon their leverage and how much influence they would have in the Disney corporate structure. Which means, kids...we've all got to march out to the theatres this summer for Wall-E. You know my mantra. Pixar needs a big summer hit. More clout, more power, more freedom and leeway. And every one of the studio's films since Finding Nemo has earned fewer dollars. This downward trend needs to stop now.
I've often wondered why Disney just didn't issue Ghibli's catalog on a seperate Ghibli Collection label. They'll get the money either way, and having at least one degree of seperation would make it easier - for this backwards fundamentalist nation of ours - to present the studio's wide-ranging library to the public. But that's just my take.
Second and final thought about Fireflies. In the US and Canada, we have the excellent Grave of the Fireflies DVD from Central Park Media. It's a terrific two-disc set that was given lush treatment, including a dialog by two historians - one American, one Japanese - on the firebombing campaigns in WWII, and a short commentary by critic Roger Ebert. Ebert, you may or may not know, was the first major critic in America to champion Studio Ghibli, long before anyone else bothered to pay attention. His thoughts are some of the best insights about Japanese animation I've ever heard, and should probably be required viewing for every person you're trying to convert into a full-blooded Ghibli Freak.
CPM also digitally remastered the picture quality on their disc, and included a short video describing it. They did an excellent job, and I'm curious to see if Ghibli's DVD will be any better. Everything looks and sounds brilliant, the menus are well designed, and it all rolls up into one excellent package. I've long regarded this as the finest anime DVD in the Americas. This is exactly how Studio Ghibli movies should be presented in the West.
So the question for you is, then, would you want to import the new DVD in August? It all depends on how hardcore your devotion is. If you don't have the CPM two-disc version - skip the cheap single-disc version - you'll probably be fine with that. As for me, I'll definitely be pulling out the plastic come August. I've gone a long time without any Ghibli DVD's, so I'm overdue big time. I can't put all my money into my turntable and records, right?
A short and much-needed message for everyone who visits the Ghibli Blog. I've been without internet connection this past month. Again. Sigh. Fortunately, my money woes these past few months are past me now, so hopefully I'll be able to get that damned bill ($60/month) paid off.
Perhaps I should add a PayPal button to Conversations on Ghibli and ask for donations....hmm, maybe. We'll see. If every visitor to this site donated one lonely dollar, my internet connection would be paid in full.
As soon as I get back online, I'll get busy on uploading Anne of Green Gables episodes. I want to have the entire series available for viewing. And I really wish I could find that video splicing program I once had, so I could extract all the episodes of 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother...with the subtitles, of course. Talk to you soon!
Here's the Ghibli-themed question on my mind these days: Will Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea be screened at this year's Venice Film Festival? And will it appear at any other prominent movie fests?
I'm asking this because, well, as dedicated Ghibli Freaks, we're never satisfied with waiting an extra year or two for the Disney-distributed, Pixar-produced US release. What Miyazaki fan will be able to resist the allure of the internet...and you know exactly what I am alluding to...and wait patiently for Ponyo to be swept under the rug on a small handful of screens, the same way Disney buried Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away? No bloody way in hell.
But for the West, it's a given that Miyazaki's latest opus will make its appearance at Venice. It's a Ghibli tradition by now. I'm wondering if this will happen this year, or in 2009. The movie will be released in Japan this July, so it will be very fresh and playing to sold-out shows by September.
It also helps that I have this blog, which makes me a standing member of the press. Just speaking personally, I'd really like to visit Venice. Ha ha.
Word comes from Cartoon Brew on the passing of Ollie Johnson, that last surviving member of Walt Disney's famed "Nine Old Men." Truly the end of an era.
The reason I wanted to post as many Anne episodes as I could is that, sooner or later, we'd run out of episodes on YouTube. It seems after eight episodes we've hit that wall. There is a video for Anne #9, but the video is terribly compressed and not worth watching. So what I'll do is simply upload my copies of the episodes.
Ugh...the rest of the family is sitting through Robots right now. I really can't sit through another loud and dumb Dreamworks cartoon, especially one with Robin Williams. Remember when he was actually funny? Remember when animation didn't always follow the same stupid formula? I feel like I've seen the same cartoon over and over and over. No thanks. I'd rather listen to Miles or go play outside...or watch Anne.
So more episodes on the way, as soon as I can upload them.
This week Cartoon Brew featured a post on Yoshifumi Kondo's 1984 Nemo pilot. Strangely enough, they weren't aware that we talked about Nemo here on the Ghibli blog. Huh. My bad for not spreading the word around enough. Small world, eh?
Predictably enough, Hayao Miyazaki is name-dropped as somehow being responsible for Nemo '84. As we've explained, that wasn't the case, although he was courted for the film project in its earlier days (as was Takahata). It fell through due to artistic differences, but the simple fact is that Miyazaki was clearly his own man by the end of the '70s. He was simply not about to work for anyone else, on anyone's terms.
Ah, but I really do try to not let these things get to me. It's a bit frustrating, as though Americans can only keep one foreign name in their heads at a time. "Miyazaki" has become American slang for "anime I like." I've heard his name mentioned at all sorts of anime productions over the years that, clearly, he wasn't involved with. Nemo, Night on the Galactic Railroad, Like the Clouds Like the Wind, Animatrix...yadda yadda. There is more than one animation studio in Japan, y'know.
But, anyway, head over to Cartoon Brew for the discussion. Brad Bird stopped by for some insights on his short encounter with the Nemo production.
Very short update, folks. Studio Ghibli's theatrical trailer for Miyazaki's Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea will be released on April 19. I have no doubts that it will appear online almost immediately after. I'll keep my eyes peeled for YouTube, DailyMotion, Veos, and the other usual suspects.
Ghibli has also set the film's release date at July 19, and they are scrambling away to meet that final deadline. All reports are that Miyazaki and crew will hand in their homework on time, and it will be glorious as always.
GhibliWorld, as always, has all the latest news on Ponyo, so I suggest heading over there. Don't worry, none of us are spoiling anything, so there's no concern about losing the surprise as so many Hollywood movie previews do. Augh! We Americans will have to wait until next summer for this? I'm sure the meetings at Pixar are already underway...
Okay, last animation short for the night. Seriously. Since we're watching a number of psychedelic abstract art films, I wanted to include one of my favorites, from another pioneer in computer graphics named Stan Vanderbeek. This is his 1959 film, Science Friction. Really great stuff, very complex and highly critical of American conformist culture and the Cold War, with its looming threat of the Bomb. It also very clearly shows the influence of psychedelics. But, then, doesn't most animation?
Thanks to YouTube, here is the original 1999 Ghiblies short from Studio Ghibli. This little film, a loose collection of short segments based around a spoof of the famed studio. It was created for television as a creative outlet for the younger members of the studio, free from the shackles of working on a Miyazaki or Takahata feature film. It's very short - about 12 minutes long - but very enjoyable. Ghiblies Episode 2, naturally, completely blows it away, but that's to be expected.
I was surprised that the original Ghiblies (pronounced gee-bleez) was not included on the Ghibli Short Short DVD. The only official release remains a long out-of-print laserdisk. Strange, but maybe the studio just wanted to give the hardcore fans something to search for. Enjoy!
Back to business. Here's Studio Ghibli's 2002 short film, Ghiblies Episode 2. This appeared as the opening act of the double bill with Neko no Ongaeshi, aka The Cat Returns. Both films are included on the Japanese DVD, which will really roil those of you who bought the US Disney DVD. Why Ghiblies wasn't included on the disc, when it was perfectly available and ready to roll, is a mystery to me. Go fig.
Anyway, watch and enjoy. One of my favorites from Ghibli.
The Iota Center has an excellent essay on the career of James Whitney, the younger of the two Whitney Brothers. Give it a read here, and pass along to your friends. Thank Goodness For Google! I'll never miss the old days of scouring through the University of Minnesota library archives.
A Couple Lame Thoughts About John and James Whitney
As an artist and great lover of animation, I'm always digging around, trying to find whatever great new discoveries lay waiting. Through my stubbornness, I've uncovered Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and the whole Studio Ghibli realm. I've also digged up the '70s era of psychedelic animation that somehow snuck onto Sesame Street when I was a kid. And now I've found two great pioneers in computer graphics animation.
When we think of computer animation, we'll either think of Pixar, or the early '80s era of Pac-Man and Max Hedroom. It's hard to remember there were computers before microprocessors, back when they were those large, bulky mainframes, filling up entire basements and secretly plotting to kill astronauts. And yet, even in those days, and in earlier days still, great artists like James and John Whitney.
Here, watch these abstract short films. I tried to post them in chronological order from the first post, from 1957 to 1975. Then somebody, please, explain to me how these computer graphics were created.
Animation World Magazine wrote an outstanding article on John Whitney, which you can read here. I'll be scanning through myself, and scanning through the Google realms for more answers. I don't feel quite like offering long commentary just yet. I really don't know more than you will after watching. Other than amazement and wonder, and a sense of "what the heck was that?! And what else you got?"
I am aware that John Whitney's work, as demonstrated on the demo reel Catalog from 1961 (!!), proved a great inspiration for Douglas Trumball's amazing slit-scan effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey (side note: you must see 2001 on a big screen or your life will be a failure). I've also discovered that Arabesque, from 1975, was created with Larry Cuba, who went on to create the computer animation sequence of the Death Star in the original Star Wars. Oooh....trippy.
Does anyone have any stories or wisdom to share? I'd love to hear them from the older animators who visit here. Let's start a Whitney Blog-a-Thon, people!
Until later, then...enjoy these films. They're magnificent.
I wanted to post a short follow-up on the Miyazaki comics that were posted this weekend. For whatever reasons, most likely my lack of recent posts, I decided I would just dump everything that's sitting on my computer and share them with everyone. This is something I was probably planning to do more slowly, one at a a time, but these things always run away from you, and real life intervenes. So that's why we're seeing so much at once.
I should also say that I'm not finished. There are still several more comics to share with you, and it's only the stubbornness of Blogger that has kept me back. This is also, by the way, the reason I threw up Heidi...which then led to one of my rambling commentaries. Yadda yadda.
So, anyway, here's what's on deck for the Ghibli blog. I have some pages from the newspaper comics version of Toei's Puss in Boots and Animal Treasure Island. These comics, of course, were drawn by Miyazaki. These are the earliest Miyazaki comics I've yet discovered on the internet.
Next up is the 1969-70 adventure manga People of the Desert. I've mentioned it before once or twice here on the blog, just to point out one of the riffs (the hero's sidekick returns in '74 as Heidi's friend Peter). It's a fairly long saga, a little over two dozen pages...which are very, very wide. The web page that originally posted these (from many years ago) included a translation of the text, so I'll probably be best served by posting in installments.
Stuck on my draft file is another gem in Miyazaki's canon, a 15-page short story called The Return of Hans. It's watercolor and appears alike other comics like the Porco Rosso one and Air Meal. It tells the story of a young spectalced pig (of course) who tries to sneak his tank crew back home across enemy lines in WWII. He picks up a small family, including our beloved Heroine. They are mistakenly attacked by the Americans, they are chased by the Nazis, and they eventually wind up carrying an entire small town. It's great fun.
Finally, there's Miyazaki's most recent work, a watercolor comic that appeared in a recent reprint of Robert Westall's "Blackham's Wimpy." I've mentioned that one before on the blog, too, and I finally found a full translation, which I'm sure you'll enjoy. It's very multi-dimensional and rich and deep, and concludes with the master filmmaker speaking with the author he so admired. The two never met in life (Westall died a number of years ago), so this is an imagined meeting between the two. I think it's as touching and honest as Miyazaki's best work.
Let's see...there still is another one of his books, a minor work called Shuna's Journey. This full-color manga was written in the early '80s, around the time Nausicaa had begun, and works along a parallel theme. Many of its elements would be absorbed into the Nausicaa universe. Goro Miyazaki...sigh...well, let's just say he stole from this work in his lousy movie. I don't have the entire story, so I'll have to dig around and see if I can track that down before posting. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
Oh, and somewhere along the line I'm supposed to keep posting videos. I really want to get through Lupin III in a timely fashion, then start seriously getting to work on one of the other shows. Maybe Conan, maybe Anne. But we'll make a serious effort at getting to the bottom of things.
Name: Daniel Thomas MacInnes Home: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States About Me: Writer and artist currently trapped in Minneapolis. Much of my writing is about film and animation. See my complete profile
