While we won’t know for sure until May when their July 2013 pre-orders are opened, it seems like Madman Entertainment may be looking at a July 2013 release of From Up on Poppy Hill by the talented team at Studio Ghibli. This will follow several screenings of the animated film last year, both during Reel Anime 2012 with the original Japanese dub and at the end of the year with the English dubbed screenings.
The English dub features voice talent including Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendricks, Jamie Lee Curtis, Beau Bridges, Aubrey Plaza and Ron Howard. It is also set to come with the usual wealth of extras.
Set in Yokohama, From Up On Poppy Hill is a high school love story that take place in the year before the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. As the country begins to pick itself up from the devastation of the Second World War, the new generation struggles to move towards a prosperous future whilst trying not to lose the essence of their past. The film’s rich and vibrant animation captures the entrancing beauty of Yokohama’s harbour and lush surrounding hillsides and, with a soundtrack that draws inspiration from the finest music of the time, perfectly captures the thrills of young romance and the hope of a new dawn.
I closed this page, then my brain realised I saw “Aubrey Plaza”. I instantly opened it again and had a fanboy moment.