For the first time in a long time, a first run Studio Ghibli film is coming to the US from someone other than Disney. However, just because Gkids is taking over doesn't mean recognizable English language names aren't attached to the project.  

The cast list on From Up on Poppy Hill includes:

• Gillian Anderson (X-Files)
• Sarah Bolger (The Tudors)
• Beau Bridges (Stargate)
• Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween)
• Bruce Dern (Silent Running)
• Jeff Dunham
• Isabelle Furnham
• Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
• Chris Noth (Law & Order, Sex in the City)
• Ron Howard (Happy Days)
• Emily Osment (Hannah Montana)
• Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim, Parks and Recreation)
• Chalie Saxton
• Alex Wolff
• Anton Yelchin (Star Trek)

Renowned director Hayao Miyazaki wrote the screenplay for the shoujo manga adaptation, while son Goro Miyazaki directed.

Set in Yokohama in 1963, the film centers on a high school couple’s innocent love and the secrets surrounding their births.  The story takes place in a Japan that is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics – and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the new generation struggles to embrace modernity and throw off the shackles of a troubled past.  The film’s rich color palette and painterly detail capture the beauty of Yokohama’s harbor and its lush surrounding hillsides, while the 1960′s pop soundtrack evokes nostalgia for an era of innocence and hope

UPDATE:

GKids recently tweeted "theatrical release for #poppyhill is March 15 in NY and LA, with more cities opening every week after that."

 via JoBlo and @WTK

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.