StudioCanal have revealed their UK Blu-ray premiere date of acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s SPIRITED AWAY.
The release is scheduled to arrive on the UK market on November 24th and fans of the animator are being spoilt with the full extras included, such as THE HAYAO MIYAZAKI COLLECTION – a complete Blu-ray set of all Hayao Miyazaki directed films at Studio Ghibli to be released in December 2014.
Having helmed many infamous works during his career, it is impossible to choose a highlight from the impressive collection of the filmmaker and the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, but such is the popularity of his 2001 feature SPIRITED AWAY, which regularly tops critic and fan polls, we’re not surprised to see the film being released on Blu-ray.
The movie oozes startling originality, imagination, intelligence and emotion and the inspiration for the story came from the 10-year old daughter of one of Miuyazaki’s own friends. Having previously directed films such as MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO and KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE for very small children and teenagers, he realised he had never created a work with 10-year olds in mind and decided to create a heroine he felt they could look up to, instead of the romance-obsessed characters in Manga magazines aimed at them. To that end, he crafted in SPIRITED AWAY one of the most compelling coming-of-age stories ever committed to animation, before or since. Packing in a multitude of themes beneath the beautiful simplicity of the story that run from the psychological to the sociological, Miyazaki tackles environmentalism and ecological awareness, consumerism and the anxieties of growing up and finding your own identity.
It follows stubborn 10-year old girl, Chihiro, who comes upon the entrance to a strange ghost world. Once inside, her parents having been turned into swine for unwittingly eating the food of the spirits without permission, she finds herself frightened and utterly alone. To survive she’s forced to take a job in a magnificent bath house, whose proprietor is a wicked sorceress named Yoruba, and whose patrons are gods, demons and nature spirits.
Rife with familiar influences from Lewis Carroll’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND to Japanese folklore and legend, SPIRITED AWAY was a phenomenon on release, swiftly overtaking TITANIC to become Japan’s highest grossing film of all time and going on to become the first anime to ever win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, capping a string of accolades including The Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival.
Blu-ray extras include: Alternative Angle Storyboards / ‘The Making of Spirited Away’ featurette / Original Japanese trailers / Introduction by John Lasseter / ‘Behind The Microphone’ – Voice Talent Featurette / ‘Meet Hayao Miyazaki’.
SPIRITED AWAY is available to buy on Blu-ray on November 24th.
