Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.0 |
| Video |  | 4.5 |
| Audio | | 4.0 |
| Extras |  | 2.5 |
| Overall | | 4.0 |
Pom Poko Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson January 23, 2018
Shout! Factory, in association with Studio Ghibli and GKIDS, has reissued director Isao Takahata and co-writer/executive producer Hayao Miyazaki's Pom Poko (1994) as a Blu-ray & DVD Combo Pack with a slipcover (see Screenshot #1). This re-release retains the two extras from Disney/Buena Vista's twin pack released nearly three years ago and adds a slender booklet. For details about the film and a critique of a/v specs on the old edition, you may refer to my colleague Ken Brown's review here.
Front of slip cover and back of BD case.
Pom Poko Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Shout! presents Pom Poko in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Average video levels on the feature came to a mean of 35000 kbps while the total bitrate for the disc reached 41.72 Mbps. I was unable to obtain concrete data about the bitrates on the B.V. release but I would assume that they're comparable and the transfer likely appears quite similar. See and click on frame #s 5-9.
Shout! has given us twenty-four chapter selections for the movie. (The Disney edition offered twenty.)
Pom Poko Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Pom Poko's soundtrack options consist of the original Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (2061 kbps, 24-bit), an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo dubbed mix (2035 kbps, 24-bit), and a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (192 kbps) dubbed in French.
There are three subtitling options: English SDH for the English sound track, English subtitles for the original language version, and French subtitles. The SDH are "dubtitles."
Pom Poko Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Feature-Length Storyboards (1:59:16, 1080p)
- Original Japanese theatrical trailers
- NEW Exclusive Booklet - a dozen-page leaflet with two printed statements in English and stills from the animated movie, including a nice centerfold as pictured in #3.
Pom Poko Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Pom Poko can presently be pre-ordered for $17, which is a bargain considering the first BD/DVD pack is out-of-print and going for $20+ more on the secondary market. Shout!'s press release touts a "significant upgrade" from the prior release but the whole package seems to be a carbon copy with no added bonus features. Still this atypical, unconventional, and obscure film is RECOMMENDED and niche fans should add it to their collections.
