Latest proof that Studio Ghibli anime has become prestige international cinema arrives this spring.
Among the many things that make Ghibli special is that they’re one of Japan’s only animation studios to work almost exclusively within the field of theatrical anime. Aside from a few quickly forgotten forays into TV specials, Ghibli anime were designed to be seen on the big screen in order to fully convey both the grand and subtle details of the animators’ intricately crafted worlds and expressive character animations.
And soon one of Ghibli’s all-time great pieces of anime cinema will be coming to its biggest screens ever, with the announcement of IMAX screenings for Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Originally released in 1989, and the only anime film written, directed, and produced by Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, Kiki’s Delivery Service has never been shown in IMAX before, but it’s the latest work to be tapped by New York-based anime distributor GKIDS to get the jumbo-format treatment. And if you’re worried that a 37-year-old anime might not look so crisp blown up to fit a screen size much larger than those it was originally created for, the screenings will be using an all-new 4K remaster of the movie.
With GKIDS’ territory being North America, the Kiki’s Delivery Service IMAX screenings will be held in theaters across the U.S. and Canada next month. As one of the earlier Ghibli anime to be licensed for official release outside of Japan, there’s a considerable bit of difference in tone and dialogue between the Japanese and English Kiki’s scripts. Thankfully, both Japanese-dialogue/English-subtitled and English-dubbed versions will be shown.
The IMAX Kiki’s Delivery Service arrives in theaters on March 13, and tickets are currently available for online pre-purchase here.
Source, top image: GKIDS
Insert images: GKIDS, YouTube/GKIDS Films
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