GKIDS, distributor of award-winning animation for both adult and family audiences, has announced that is has entered into a distribution agreement with Studio Ghibli for the North American rights to the upcoming animated feature,
The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata (
Grave of the Fireflies,
Only Yesterday), the film is slated for a late 2014 theatrical release, with a Blu-ray release expected to follow in late 2014/early 2015.
Official Synopsis: An old man makes a living by selling bamboo. One day, he finds a princess in a bamboo. The princess is only the size of a finger. Her name is Kaguya. When Kaguya grows up, five men from prestigious families propose to her. Kaguya asks the men to find memorable marriage gifts for her, but the five men are unable to find what Kaguya wants. Then, the Emperor of Japan proposes to her.
Eight years in the making,
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is the untold story of The Princess Kaguya, the heroine of the ancient Japanese folktale "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." An English-language version is being produced by Studio Ghibli and Geoffrey Wexler, with Frank Marshall of Kennedy/Marshall Executive Producing; the same team that handled English versions for the two most recent Studio Ghibli films,
The Wind Rises and
From Up on Poppy Hill (the latter of which is already available on Blu-ray courtesy of Cinedigm and GKIDS).