Studio Ghibli alumni in new Disney-produced anime


Three members of Japanese voice casts of Studio Ghibli films are to voice roles in a new anime series co-produced by Disney.

Ghibli Voice Watch: "Stitch!"

Three former voices in the original Japanese versions of Studio Ghibli films are voicing characters in Stitch!, a new anime series co-produced by Disney based on its popular "Lilo & Stitch" franchise. It is set to air on TV Tokyo and affiliated channels starting October 8th, with airings on Disney Channel Japan scheduled to begin shortly thereafter.


Koichi Yamadera, who played the voices of "Osono's Husband" as well as a policeman and announcer in "Kiki's Delivery Service" will reprise his role as the series' title character from the Japanese-dubbed versions of the "L&S" franchise.

Also appearing on "Stitch!" is Kappei Yamaguchi as a new character called "Kijimuna." Yamaguchi played the original Japanese voice of "Tombo Koppori" in "Kiki's Delivery Service."

Hisako Kyoda, the voice of "Obaba" in the original Japanese version of "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," will play "Obaa," a new character created exclusively for "Stitch!" "Obaa" is the grandmother of "Yuna," the series' main human character.

The official Japanese website for "Stitch!" can be found here, while a English-subtitled preview for the series can be seen at this link.

AND

Grave of the Fireflies Live-Action Movie!!!!

-->Nausicaa Valley Of The Wind



-A thousand years after a global war, a seaside kingdom known as the Valley Of The Wind remains one of only a few areas still populated. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaδ, the people of the Valley are engaged in a constant struggle with powerful insects called ohmu, who guard a poisonous jungle that is spreading across the Earth. Nausicaa and her brave companions, together with the people of the Valley, strive to restore the bond between humanity and the Earth.

-->The Cat Returns



- is about a teenage girl, Haru, who saves the life of an unusual cat—the prince of the Cat Kingdom. The kingdom’s king, in turn, kidnaps Haru to live in the Cat Kingdom and be the prince’s bride. Her only hope is the Baron, a very special antique statue.

It’s a very sweet tale that is great for children and enjoyable for adults. The Studio Ghibli animation is wonderful as always, especially cool is the alley chase scene and the flight to the Cat Kingdom. The special features, on how the movie was created were also rather interesting.

-->Howl's Moving Castle



- is centered around a young girl named Sophie who is detained by some soldiers walking home from her job at the local hat shop. She is rescued by a mysterious man named Howl. Being saved by Howl has consequences, however, as she is later visited by the Witch of the Waste and turned into an old woman.Sophie proceeds to leave town in search of a way to break the spell, quickly meeting a scarecrow she dubs Turniphead, who bounces around on a wooden pole and brings Sophie objects such as a walking stick. She asks Turniphead for a place to rest, and soon he returns, with the moving castle in tow. The castle has a run down look from the outside, but it’s inner works show that it has the ability to shift rooms into whatever the owner wishes as well as act as a dimensional portal.

Sophie meets Howl’s apprentice Markl, and the fire demon that runs the whole contraption, Calcifer. Sophie settles in and makes herself the housekeeper, as the place is a mess when she arrives. We learn there is a war brewing and that all witches and wizards are to report to the king for service. Due to Howl having multiple aliases, he is supposed to be helping both sides, but he is mostly interested in peace returning to the lands. Also around this time we see that Howl is a shape changer, with his primary form being a giant bird. The movie progresses with Sophie looking for a way to become young again and Howl searching for a way to end the war.

-->spirited away



-The story starts with a young girl, Chihiro, who is about to move to a new house, new town, and a new school, leaving behind everything she knows. She sets off in the car with her family, and her dad, not knowing where he is going (and perhaps reluctant, like most me, to take directions!) decides to take a scenic route through a forest.
When they come to the end of the forest track, far from finding the new home they were seeking, they instead encounter a strange tunnel guarded by a statue. Reluctant to turn back and admit defeat, the party (after some protest from Chihiro) continues through the tunnel on foot, little knowing that it’s a passageway to another world.

At end of the tunnel they come across a town entirely consisting of restaurants, and find that the whole place is eerily deserted. They follow a delicious smell into one stall in particular, and find it stuffed with delicious food, but still no staff. The parents decide to eat now, pay later, but, reluctant to steal, Chihiro wonders off to explore.
She makes it as far as the bridge before she encounters a young man, who warns her that night, is coming, and she must leave before it gets dark. As the darkness descends, he gets more agitated, and pushes her to go, offering to distract 'them' whoever they may be.

Chihiro returns to her parents and tries without success to stop her parents gorging themselves -They've turned into pigs. And as night falls Chihiro finds herself trapped in a world of spirits, and slowly becoming invisible
Chihiro must let go of her childishness and use maturity and wisdom to save not only herself from becoming invisible, but also her parents from being eaten. However, she can only do this if she fights against the theft of her name, as if she forgets, she'll be bound to the spirit world, and probably turned into a pig herself. As she becomes more involved in the world of spirits, we see her become more confident, polite, and self-reliant.

-->Castle in the sky




-The story is about a legend of a lost floating castle in the sky - Laputa, of which nobody really believes to exist anymore taking it as an old story, and the story of two children, Pazu, trying to find Laputa to finally prove his father did see it and earn him the respect he should have had, and Sheeta, a girl thrust unwillingly into the story through a family connection and a mystical crystal pendant she inherited...

--> princess mononoke



-tells the story of Ashitaka, a young man who finds himself afflicted with a life-threatening illness, while trying to protect his village from a vicious boar-god. He journeys into a mystical forest to find a cure for his malady, as well as a reason for the boar-god's existence. Once there, he finds himself in the middle of a feud between forest creatures--who want to protect their land--and humans--who want to destroy it.

--> kiki's dilivery service



-The story tells of how the 13 year old witch Kiki comes of age and leaves her home to spend a year away. I don't think "the city" is ever given a name, but it certainly looks like a European city. Here she finds a place to stay and gets herself an admirer.

--> whisper of the heart


-Shizuku is in her last year at junior high school and loves literature. She is clearly intelligent, but lacks direction and ambition. A chance encounter with a cat on a train leads her to a friendship with Seiji and a re-evaluation of the way her life is developing.