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Valin Kenobi wrote:So this just happened.

Studio Canal has said the movie discs will be the same as before, so that means "Cagliostro" will be the same 1080i transfer, not the remastered one that Japan released this year.

The Japanese boxset of the complete works had a few more exclusive bonus features, but they dropped ALL the previous bonus features, including the storyboards from every disc.

So for Japanese Ghibli completists, they had to keep all the expensive single discs, plus buy the expensive boxset to get all the bonus materials.

At least it's good that Studio Canal didn't go that route, but I wish they would release a remastered "Cagliostro" disc.

Discotek Media said they are releasing Miyazaki's debut feature "Castle Of Cagliostro" on DVD on December 23rd, as well as Isao Takahata's debut feature "Horus: Prince Of The Sun" on the same day on DVD. (They have said Blu-rays would be forthcoming, but so far no official announcement)

Horus Prince of the Sun extra features:

Commentary with Mike Toole
Commentary with Daniel Thomas MacInnes
Interview with Isao Takahata
Interview with Yoichi Kotabe
Every Poet is a Thief: Inspirations from Horus
Horus and Hilda: Just like Twins
Reiko Okuyama: A Tribute to a Legend
Message of Hope: Isao Takahata conversation
Production Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

While a Castle of Cagliostro Blu-ray is definitely coming, I have not heard Discotek guarantee that a Horus Blu-ray would be released. As per usual, they have mentioned that it would depend on DVD sales.

As for the dubtitles on Kiki, I have read tweets from random people who indicate it ISN'T dubtitled. The credits also seem to be intact according to the Beaver review.

The opening title is intact, but the end credits are English localised (see the last comparison).

EddieLarkin wrote:The opening title is intact, but the end credits are English localised (see the last comparison).

Maybe it's just the dub angle? Whisper of the Heart included both the english and Japanese credits depending on which track you were watching.

Ah, that might explain it.

From Discotek:

Castle of Cagliostro DVD extra features:
1992 Streamline English dub
2000 Manga Entertainment English dub
2000 Family Friendly English dub
All new English subtitle translation
1980 Theatrical subtitle restoration
Commentary with Reed Nelson
Original Trailers
Opening and Endings Collection
Translation notes
The main movie also has the original Japanese opening.

The Japanese credits are back, the original US Manga DVD had the Japanese credit sequences, but the re-release had English credits only, and they were pretty cheap. They just freeze-framed images, and pasted English credits. So the grain was frozen, the moving animation was gone.

Well, they really showed Disney up with those specs. Goes to show small companies run by passionate fans can always do better work than the big studios. I just hope they're using the new transfer that was used by Ghibli (ideally pre-DNRd) rather than the ancient transfer used elsewhere.

Actually, the new "restored" version of "Castle Of Cagliostro" released in Japan has its issues too...

Yes, hence my DNR comment. Apparently the clean opening on the disc is a lovely grain fest, which has all been wiped away on the main feature. Still, it's a lot better than the old transfer.

I believe it'll still be better than the French BD (the one I have) which is the same type of awful transfer than the recent US Sailor Moon set from Viz.

Disney's next wave of Blu-rays come on February 3rd 2015:

"Pom Poko", "Porco Rosso", "Tales From Earthsea"

jojo wrote:
As for the dubtitles on Kiki, I have read tweets from random people who indicate it ISN'T dubtitled. The credits also seem to be intact according to the Beaver review.

Just in case people haven't read any reviews yet, I just wanted to correct myself here. It's been confirmed by various reviewers and fans online that Kiki is dubtitled.

jojo wrote:Just in case people haven't read any reviews yet, I just wanted to correct myself here. It's been confirmed by various reviewers and fans online that Kiki is dubtitled.

Is the UK version "safe"?

I have almost all the UK editions and none of the are dubtitled.

Bluraydefinition review of "Spirited Away"

I'm gathering that there isn't a single instance that a Disney version of any of these films is superior to its Japanese counterpart in terms of PQ and various other issues such as dubbing etc. However, it seems that Disney trumps the Canal versions, at least visually, in many instances... is this the case?

As the Japanese versions are cost prohibitive, which Disney versions could one buy and feel they had an accurate representation of the film as intended? Is the main problem with the Disney releases primarily the titles that don't have the original soundtrack? Has Disney done a great job on any of these??

Not superior, but many are equal. Totoro, Whisper of the Heart, Howl's Moving Castle, Arrietty and The Wind Rises are all safe purchases, as far as I know. Laputa, Kiki and Mononoke feature dubtitles, Nausicaa has dub credits, Ponyo has lossy Japanese audio (though is otherwise fine).

As for StudioCanal, all releases have proper subtitles (though they are piss coloured instead of white like on the Japanese releases) and original credits (at least as far as I know), but all the film based movies (that's everything up to and including Mononoke) have received some level of filtering, some much worse than others.

The Japanese versions are all perfect (and the only way to get all the films), but if they're out of the question then I would recommend the Disney releases from my first listing, and the StudioCanal versions of Kiki, Mononoke and Ponyo. Nausicaa and Laputa are more complicated because they had the most egregious filtering applied. If this doesn't bother you then go with the StudioCanal versions, if it does then the Japanese disc (or one of their equivalents from Hong Kong or Taiwan) are really your only option.

As for Grave of the Fireflies and Poppy Hill, the former from Sentai is dubtitled (so get the SC), whilst the latter from Cinedigm is fine.

Thanks so much Eddie. That's a huge help. I appreciate it.

manicsounds wrote:I have almost all the UK editions and none of the are dubtitled.

Bluraydefinition review of "Spirited Away"

Those are re-compressed screen grabs, right? Are there any other captures of this disc around the web?

Kaguyahime Blu arrived today from Japan. Looks great -- and sounds MUCH better in Japanese (esp. the children's voices and the songs). Not much in the way of extras (and none are English friendly).

Didn't most cities run Kaguya Hime subtitled at certain times of the day? My city ran subtitled versions after 6:00pm. Looks like you caught an afternoon showing, Michael.

Nope. I talked to the theater staff here in Boston -- and they talked to the projectionist -- who confirmed that the theater had only gotten the dubbed version. (We went to the late screening, based on a local review indicating it should be a subbed one. Alas, the reviewer had bad info).

"Kingdom of Dreams and Madness" is out on DVD in the UK, no blu-ray like Japan, but has the same extras

bluraydefinition review of the Hayao Miyazaki Collection's "The Wind Rises"

and just like the Japanese boxset, all previous bonus features are gone!

If they're following the Japanese release in that way, I wonder if the newer tranfers of Cagliostro and Nausicaa will be used on their discs as well.

According to a Blu-ray.com user, Nausicaa does have the Japanese language credits, so it is not the same as the previous disc. The review also points out the filmic look of Nausicaa so it seems likely. Don't know about Cagliostro though.