Isao Takahata Blu Ray Collection Release Date in America

I was wondering if anyone knows if Isao Takahata's works will come to America as a Blu Ray collection. I know that Japan already has one:

And I know that Hayao Miyazaki's Blu Ray collection has already released in America:

If anyone knows if Isao Takahata will be getting the same Blu Ray treatment in America, please let me know. Thank you in advance!

I do hope so, but I'm not sure how likely it is... the issue being Disney had released all of Miyazaki's films prior to compiling them into the set above. Disney had the US home video distribution rights to all 11 films in that set. Furthermore, they produced the English dub for most if not all 11 of those films.

On the other hand, with Takahata's films, the home video distribution rights are more complicated.

GKids currently have the US home video distribution rights to The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and Only Yesterday. Sentai Filmworks have the US rights currently to Grave of the Fireflies.

Also included in the Japanese set was Panda! Go, Panda!, which was most recently released in US by Geneon Entertainment.

The Little Norse Prince, Jarinko Chie, Anne of Green Gables, Gauche the Cellist were all in the Japanese set, but Norse Prince — while English subtitled (no dub) — has never been released in the U.S. Gauche also has English subtitles (no dub), but has never been released in the US. And Jarniko and Anne have no English dub, and I do not believe either have official English subtitles either.

So where does that leave us if Disney were to release the collection?

Well, of the 10 animated films on which Takahata served as primary director...

-Horus, Prince of The Sun {AKA: The Little Norse Prince} / Taiyō no Ōji Horusu no Daibōken (1968)

-3000 Leagues in Search of Mother / Haha o Tazunete Sanzenri (1980)

-Chie the Brat / Jarinko Chie (1981)

-Gauche the Cellist / Sero Hiki no Gōshu (1982)

-Grave of the Fireflies / Hotaru no haka (1988)

-Anne of Green Gables / Akage no Anne (1989)

-Only Yesterday / Omoide Poro Poro (1991)

-Pom Poko / Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko (1994)

-My Neighbors the Yamadas / Hōhokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun (1999)

-The Tale of Princess Kaguya / Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (2013)


...Disney only has the US home video distribution rights to Pom Poko and My Neighbors the Yamadas currently, and I believe those are the only two of these 10 films they produced the dub for.

To create a set evenly closely resembling the Japanese one, which included:

The Little Norse Prince
Panda! Go, Panda!
Panda! Go, Panda! and the Rainy-Day Circus
Jarinko Chie
Gauche the Cellist
The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
Grave of the Fireflies
Anne of Green Gables: Road to Green Gables
Only Yesterday
Pom Poko
My Neighbors the Yamadas
The Tale of Princess Kaguya


...would take a lot of collaboration across several rights holders. I do not see this happening anytime soon, unfortunately. I would love to be proven wrong.

Yanagawa's Canals is Studio Ghibli's only live action film, and is a documentary. It, too, has never been released in the US despite official English subtitles existing.

Takahata's films just don't have the same recognition, and nearly half have never been given a region 1 home video release or English dub... it just isn't as simple to compile his films into a complete DVD or Blu-ray collection in the same way as Miyazaki's films.

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Post last edited by Iblarder on 04.06.2016, 11:43 AM.