In the age of streaming, and especially these days, owning physical movies isn’t as sought-after as it used to be. But there’s still something to be said about owning a physical set of your favorite movie series or TV show, and if you’re a Studio Ghibli fan, you can soon own brand-new limited-edition versions of some of Ghibli’s best films. The Japanese animation studio partnered with GKIDS to release stunning steelbook editions of Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo, which released today (May 12), with special editions for Kiki’s Delivery Service and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind releasing later this summer on August 25. This is the first time steelbook editions for any Ghibli films have been released in North America.
Studio Ghibli Limited-Edition Blu-Ray Steelbooks
These new limited-edition steelbooks house Blu-ray and DVD combos, although unfortunately there’s no digital copy included. They feature a minimalist cover design featuring the star(s) of each film and a solid background. Naturally, Ponyo’s case is ocean blue, while the Howl’s Moving Castle case is a deep red to match Howl’s coat. Meanwhile, the Nausicaa case is a light green, fitting for its themes of sustainability, and the Kiki case is a lovely purple to accent her dress. It’s unclear whether more than just these four films will get limited-edition steelbooks–at least give us Spirited Away so I can replace my 2003 copy, GKIDS!– but it’s safe to say these four steelbooks will make excellent collector’s items for any Ghibli fan.
To sweeten the deal, the two films releasing tomorrow have gotten nice discounts on Amazon. Normally priced at $27, you can pre-order both Ponyo and Howl’s Moving Castle for just $20 each. That’s a fantastic deal considering regular Ghibli Blu-rays have consistently sold for around $30 in the past. (That said, deals do seem to be more frequent now that the Ghibli movies will soon be available to stream.)
Out now:
Howl's Moving Castle
$20 at Amazon
Ponyo
$20 at Amazon
Out August 25:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
$27 at Amazon
Kiki's Delivery Service
$27 at Amazon
These movies fall under Amazon’s pre-order price guarantee, so even though Nausicaa and Kiki’s Delivery Service are currently full price, you can pre-order them now and know that you’ll automatically get any discount that becomes available between now and release. Amazon doesn’t charge you for pre-orders until the item ships. [Update: The Kiki’s Delivery Service steelbook is now listed as “unavailable”–we suggest bookmarking the listing and checking back regularly to see if it comes back into stock.]
You can buy or pre-order the limited-edition steelbooks above. As always, these Blu-rays will also include special features like Behind the Microphone, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the voiceover process; interviews with the creators; music videos; stories about the making of the film; and more. You can read more about the special release of Ponyo and Howl’s Moving Castle at GKIDS. It’s unclear how long these films will be available for $20 each, so we recommend snagging those two while they’re on sale.
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