Pom Poko Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Pom Poko Blu-ray Movie Review

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.