|
|
|
Optimum have released no less than ten Studio Ghibli films in 2006, completing their Studio Ghibli Collection series in September with Only Yesterday. This was the most anime releases Optimum had ever made in a 12 month period, but now they have released pretty much all of Studio Ghibli's output, where do they turn next? The only feature-length Studio Ghibli titles that have yet to be released in the UK are the TV movie Ocean Waves and Tales From Earthsea, the studio's latest hit and the debut feature from Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro. At the moment the schedule for 2006 is pretty sparse, with single-disc re-releases for Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away in January being all that's on it. However, Optimum have confirmed that they will be releasing Tales From Earthsea, a great decision for the UK considering it is likely to come out here a long time before our US |
|
cousins get it. The American release is held up by copyright issues because of a recent drama series based on the same source material, and may not come out until 2009. Unfortunately, considering most anime dubs are produced in America, this is likely to mean that a UK release will be subtitled only rather than have any English audio option. The lack of an English dub will hit the film's chances of a cinema run in the UK. However, with no release date set for the film as yet there is the possibility that a dub may be recorded in the UK or another English-speaking territory like Australia or Canada. |
|
Despite the Western appeal of some of the series Miyazaki and Takahata worked on, their length has always put companies off. Anne of Green Gables, Heidi and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother may all be based on classic novels that are popular in Europe, but with each series clocking in at over 50 episodes they are unlikely to get a UK release. At a push we would say that the most likely are Miyazaki's superb 1978 sci-fi series Future Boy Conan and fun canine take on the Sherlock Holmes stories, Sherlock Hound. We'd love to see any of these great series come out here, |
|