Ghibli & Miyazaki in 4K

[GenPion]

Hey everyone!

I hope they start announcing the Ghibli films for 4K eventually. All of them were restored to 4K or higher resolution so its really just a matter of them manufacturing these.

Miyazaki 4K:

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Castle in the Sky
Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro
Porco Rosso
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
Ponyo
The Wind Rises

Takahata's films as well would be a treat also.

[IPreferPi]

Shout/GKIDS currently has the rights to the Ghibli library. They aren't doing 4K rereleases for those films anytime soon, especially since as a smaller label it would very likely be cost prohibitive.

[reanimator]

I've imported most of these from Japan, so I won't be waiting for a US release.

We're just now seeing the first catalog 4k anime titles releasing in Japan, and given Miyazaki's stature in the industry his films will certainly get 4k releases. Just a matter of time.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by reanimator

I've imported most of these from Japan, so I won't be waiting for a US release.

We're just now seeing the first catalog 4k anime titles releasing in Japan, and given Miyazaki's stature in the industry his films will certainly get 4k releases. Just a matter of time.

Yeah, that's what I thought. I'm not sure if they would ever make it to 4K stateside or not but in Japan they probably will with English audio/subs.

[Pans]

Originally Posted by GenPion

All of them were restored to 4K or higher resolution so its really just a matter of them manufacturing these.

I wonder what source resolution the films that had various digital compositing/effects were. Looking at a few couldn't find much info on IMDb about this with Mononoke but apparently Spirited Away was a 2K master.

I'd be particularly interested if they retained the same image quality as the Japanese releases, sans the DNR I've read is present in the US releases. Only criticism I have with the former releases is the presence of some gate weave.

Bizarrely I'm just reading now in some searches that they actually added artificial gate weave to some titles to make them appear more film-like? What is this lunacy.

[Dailyan]

Was "The Castle of Cagliostro" restored in 4K? I know that it is a TMS production but the film has been collected (Not to mention released in Japan by) in Studio Ghibi sets.

[JediFonger]

https://www.amazon.co.jp/Lupin-III-T...=AN1VRQENFRJN5

[bradnoyes]

My Neighbor Totoro is my 3-year old son's favorite movie and we were lucky enough to see a screening today at out local AMC theater. It was great. The BDs for Ghibli releases are fine but I'd be all over a 4K release for nearly everything mentioned in the first post.

We're going back to see The Secret World of Arrietyy next month, and possibly also Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, but they might be a little too intense for my son. I'm bummed that we already missed Kiki's Delivery Service and Whisper of the Heart but Totoro was the big priority so I can't complain.

[bradnoyes]

Just bumping this to say that The Secret World of Arrietty was even more impressive at my local AMC than Totoro. It looked and sounded amazing. Made me even more hopeful that we get some Ghibli on UHD some day.

[Member-538183]

Well, with the announcement of every Studio Ghibli production coming to HBO Max, as well as digital format for the first time in history + Miyazaki's next film coming in time for the Tokyo Olympics, I wouldn't be surprised we'd be getting a 4K bundle in the country of Japan. As long as there's English subs, i'd be totally fine with this. Ghibli's more visual wonders like Ponyo and Howl's Moving Castle will for sure benefit AMAZINGLY from enhanced HDR.

[LegendFromTroy]

Ghibli has a unique challenge in that it has a sizable following in the west for both Japanese and English language camps. They would have to have two Atmos/DTS:X tracks (one for each language camp) for the perfect release, which wouldn't be very space friendly. Thoughts?

[bytor]

Miyazaki would never sign off on Atmos or DTS:X tracks, too revisionist for him. I'd be surprised if they even have HDR if they ever come out. Maybe if someone could show him the benefits of it when he's in a good mood he might get on board, but the HDR would be very tasteful and restrained.

[LegendFromTroy]

Instead of classifying creators as revisionist or non-revisionist, it is important to understand some creators are on the head end as soon as a change comes about and some are on the tail end. Let's not forget Ghibli's work was stereo until My Neighbors the Yamadas. Regardless of what you think Miyazaki's opinion on something is, he has been known to have surprises. You have convinced me Miyazaki would always keep stereo tracks as well as the 5.1,5.0, and mono tracks staying how they were originally mixed. But I still hope Ghiblis two upcoming films will be mixed in Atmos or X. Though for Goro's movie, which will be released for TV in Japan, that looks unlikely. Also, Miyazaki might not like Atmos or X but Miyazaki isn't an all knowing god; (despite being very close) he could be wrong and his word shouldn't be the final voice in all entertainment discussions. I don't see how HDR treatment is so radical. There is up-tick in color depth from DVD to blu-Ray and we still aren't watching Ghibli on DVD. But as you say, the studio might go reserved on things like added saturation for an HDR treatment. It is possible to have a reserved HDR treatment and still have some HDR improvements

[Hydra Spectre]

Goro's movie (Earwig and the Witch) would probably get a theatrical release in 2021.

And, I hate to break it to you, but Miyazaki's film would take three years at the minimum so it won't even come out in time for the Olympics (which was delayed because of COVID-19).

Also, Nausicaa was in mono and there was going to be a stereo remix for it done for the DVD way back in 2003 but something happened (either they weren't satisfied or Miyazaki rejected it) and they only included the original mono mix on the DVD and Blu-ray.
There is a stereo remix done for a drama album on vinyl and CD back in 1989 but it had some alterations compared to the original mono mix. With different music cues and some different sound effects. It's an interesting listen if you can find it.
He may see DTS:X remixes as too revisionist.
Panasonic Japan already did DTS:X remixes for the 4K releases of Mary and the Witch's Flower and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (both of which are Ghibli-related since the former was by Studio Ponoc and the latter was a Ghibli/I.G. co-production) but Miyazaki may refuse a similar treatment, at least for his films.
We have hope with the Hiromasa Yonebayashi films since he approved the DTS:X remix of Mary but we're not too sure about the other films, especially since Isao Takahata and Yoshifumi Kondo are dead now.

All their films from Castle in the Sky to Pom Poko were in Dolby Stereo (except for Ocean Waves which was just in stereo because it was a TV movie), which was basically 4 discrete channels (Left, Centre, Right, Surround) compressed into 2.0 stereo and meant to be decoded back into 4.0 surround with a Dolby Stereo/Dolby Surround/Dolby Pro Logic/whatever decoder.

Whisper of the Heart was the very first Japanese film to be in Dolby Digital 5.1 and that original mix is on the Blu-ray, albeit in DTS-HD Master Audio.

[LegendFromTroy]

Originally Posted by Hydra Spectre

Goro's movie (Earwig and the Witch) would probably get a theatrical release in 2021.

And, I hate to break it to you, but Miyazaki's film would take three years at the minimum so it won't even come out in time for the Olympics (which was delayed because of COVID-19).

Also, Nausicaa was in mono and there was going to be a stereo remix for it done for the DVD way back in 2003 but something happened (either they weren't satisfied or Miyazaki rejected it) and they only included the original mono mix on the DVD and Blu-ray.
There is a stereo remix done for a drama album on vinyl and CD back in 1989 but it had some alterations compared to the original mono mix. With different music cues and some different sound effects. It's an interesting listen if you can find it.
He may see DTS:X remixes as too revisionist.
Panasonic Japan already did DTS:X remixes for the 4K releases of Mary and the Witch's Flower and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (both of which are Ghibli-related since the former was by Studio Ponoc and the latter was a Ghibli/I.G. co-production) but Miyazaki may refuse a similar treatment, at least for his films.
We have hope with the Hiromasa Yonebayashi films since he approved the DTS:X remix of Mary but we're not too sure about the other films, especially since Isao Takahata and Yoshifumi Kondo are dead now.

All their films from Castle in the Sky to Pom Poko were in Dolby Stereo (except for Ocean Waves which was just in stereo because it was a TV movie), which was basically 4 discrete channels (Left, Centre, Right, Surround) compressed into 2.0 stereo and meant to be decoded back into 4.0 surround with a Dolby Stereo/Dolby Surround/Dolby Pro Logic/whatever decoder.

Whisper of the Heart was the very first Japanese film to be in Dolby Digital 5.1 and that original mix is on the Blu-ray, albeit in DTS-HD Master Audio.

Yeah, I realized a few days after my post Whisper of the Heart and Princess Mononoke had 5.1 before Yamadas in 1999.
I knew EatW was slated for this year and that "How Do you Live?" was only in the single digits percent complete. Ghibli might not want to bother with an Atmos/ X mixing studio and licensing fee for EatW since it won't be released in theaters in Japan. I can hope both of them get an Atmos or X release, but it is an unknown, especially for EatW. I see no further point in guessing without new information other than to encourage them.