Looks like the rights issues have been cleared up and Disney is free to distribute Studio Ghibli’s Tales from Earthsea (Gedo Senki) in the US now. The movie’s been given a release date of August 13th, though it’s unclear how wide of a release it will be.
Tales from Earthsea was Studio Ghibli’s 2006 film, loosely based on the books by Ursula K. Le Guin. The US release had to be delayed because Syfy (then Sci-Fi Channel) had the rights to the books and made their own miniseries adaptation in 2004. Now that those rights have expired, Disney is free to bring the movie over. It might not have been the biggest loss though, as it was Gorō Miyazaki’s debut as a director, a move that even his father and Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki didn’t feel he was ready for. The film had a mixed reception, especially for a Studio Ghibli release, despite going on to be the fourth highest grossing film in Japan for 2006.
Still, it’ll be nice for non-importers to get a look at the film and Americans can fill in a gap of Ghibli’s history. At the very least you know the animation will be gorgeous.
Studio Ghibli is currently wrapping up another adaptation, The Borrower Arrietty based on Mary Norton’s The Borrowers. That will hit Japan on July 17th, and should be expected in North America during summer 2011.
