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GKids to Distribute Latest Studio Ghibli Movie

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Column by Scott Green
Entertainment Industry trade magazine Variety reports that GKids has picked up the distribution rights to Studio Ghibli's latest movie, From Up On Poppy Hill. Renowned director Hayao Miyazaki wrote the screenplay for the shoujo manga adaptation, while son Goro Miyazaki directed.

Gkids will screen the movie this year to qualify for 2013's Academy Awards before a larger March, 2013 release. Earlier this year, the movie won the award for animated feature in the 35th Japan Academy Prizes.
Variety explains that the movie is set in 1963 Yokohama, and follows a pair of high school students who are battling the demolition of a historic building as they deal with their own families' past secrets. There's been a lot of talk about how the movie is the first part of a nostalgia-focus at the studio.
This is the first release of a first-run Studio Ghibli film from GKids, who have been touring a 13-movie Ghibli retrospective across North America. It constitutes a break from the previous run of Disney-distributed Ghibli movies.
(the movie's French trailer was more interesting than the Japanese ones)
Coming out of the Annecy Animation Film Festival, GKids also announced that they picked up the French animated features The Rabbi’s Cat - based on the Joann Sfar graphic novel and Zarafa
Readers Talkback
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Feist? Furst? Frist?
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June 6, 2012, 8:39 a.m. CST
Great but it's been FOREVER since the R rated masterpiece Princess Mononoeke.
by UltraTron
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June 6, 2012, 8:41 a.m. CST
That creature in spirited away was immensely creepy but I would love another violent hack n slash epic
by UltraTron
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I was so excited for that one, those are some of my favorite books...but it was tragically short of usual Ghibli standards. Hopefully this will be better.
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June 6, 2012, 9:43 a.m. CST
Trailer would Cerberus to sleep if you needed to sneak into hell
by UltraTron
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Kinda weird, but probably a good thing. I wonder if Hayao still hates them?
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I saw this at tiff11, it was great. The love story is too much for Disney to handle.
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Zarafa also now has my attention!
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The animation was reminding me of The Thief and the Cobbler, then I saw a character who looked exactly like the main character from that movie. The director/animator must be a fan.
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They pretty much introduced Miyazaki and Ghibli to American audiences, and they've been good in including the original Japanese dubs on all of their Ghibli DVD and Blu releases.
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June 7, 2012, 3:11 a.m. CST
My Neighbor Totoro is pretty much a perfect film in every way.
by kevred
Just had to express that sentiment. It's magnificent.
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June 8, 2012, 9:27 a.m. CST
I agree, as far as Ghibli films go, Disney's been a dynamite distributor
by kidicarus
We even got Arriety IN THEATRES. Which was pretty surprising.
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June 8, 2012, 1 p.m. CST
I believe Disney now tends to be choosy on what it takes from Ghibli
by Johnno
Disney seems to want the more fantastical kid-friendly stuff that's more in line with its brand. Stuff like Princess Mononoke was released under Miramax, and it's likely stuff like Poppy Hill is of more interest to an older audience than for kids. So might as well let some other distributor get it. It won't bring in the cash that something like Spirited Away, Howl's and Arrietty potentially can.
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June 10, 2012, 2:23 a.m. CST
Wonder if Disney would have fought someone other than GKids for the rights
by John
When they originally signed Mononoke the got access to Ghibli's film distribution channels. This was part of the reason the got into a bidding war with Dreamworks over some of the later films, not because they though Howl's (Incredibly scatter-shot and disappointing) Castle was can't miss but because they wanted to shut Dreamworks out from having that distribution deal. Maybe Disney has moved past needing Ghibli, or just they don't care if a company that doesn't seem to be a threat to them gets involved and gains access.
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Saw this last week in London (at the BFIs Anime weekend). Re Goro directing - this is much much better than Earthsea. Film itself is more along the lines of Whispers of the Heart than Ghibli's more fantastical movies - but none the worse for that. Will surely pick it up when its out on DVD
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Not R. Still a fantastic movie though.
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