Optimum pick up UK rights for Princess Mononoke

Paul

Paul

Ghost of Animes
Administrator
According to a new entry on the BBFC website (found on the AnimeOnDVD forums), UK Ghibli enthusiasts Optimum Releasing have plans to re-release Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke in the UK. The film (which was submitted in its original language of Japanese) has been awarded with a PG certificate but no more release information is available as yet.

Other Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli films set to be released in the UK by Optimum Releasing include The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, The Cat Returns, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Howl's Moving Castle.
 
i'm still surprised that it got rated a PG what with the levels of violence looking like 12A-rated level. it will be interesting to see how Optimum handle it though.

chances are Disney are happy to give up the rights after its (quite frankly shocking) poor box office takings! good news for a truly great film.
 
looks to me like it's the same buisness with the other previously owned ghibli stuff: Buena Vista still own the video/dvd rights. Optimum just has the ability to put the films out in cinemas. AGAIN, there was an Optimum showing of PM at Cambridge and a week long showing of PM in August at the BFI thingy.

No evidence yet of Buena Vista relinquishing the far more lucrative Video/DVD rights for this or Kiki or Laputa, though the idea that it's possible is perfectly valid given that Cagliostro (http://www.play.com/play247.asp?pa=sear ... 41&Go.y=15) is now in their hands.

PS. http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=ti ... 1&pa=gencs <- The Little Norse Prince has appeared on play.com
 
the Disney releace of Laputa totally ruined it. i love the origional japanese version, including the music. disney completly changed it. but i couldent stand watching it with subtitles only for the english script! how anoying. subtitles when no one is talking!! hopefully the new releaces will have subtitles for the japanese versions.
 
DVD sales are definitely the most lucrative - PM has been a real hit with the fans and is always high up on the anime sales chart; Optimum have made a really good move in securing the UK rights to it.

interestingly there are still a few Buena Vista/Disney-released Laputa DVDs around (HMV in York for instance) but they have all but disappeared from online stores. it's good to see the Little Norse Prince getting a UK release soon though - Takahata is somewhat underrated as a director.
 
I'm really hoping Optimum re-release Mononoke on DVD. I've been waiting for a new release of this film (my favourite Miyazaki so far) for a while now but as Kupoartist says, a DVD release is far from certain.

Optimum are doing a fine job with some great anime movies right now. They are releasing a lot of what I've been planning to buy on R1, so it's a big plus for the R2 market that we have a company like them putting up the money to release these Ghibli masterpieces.
 
i would also love it if they picked PM up for a dvd release as i have the uk r2 of it and its sucks big time.


ps not the movie the dvd.
 
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