Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart and Arrietty Get 4K Remaster IMAX Screenings
The dual release pairs Ghibli's two most distinct directorial debuts, Yoshifumi Kondo's only feature and Hiromasa Yonebayashi's first, in a single IMAX event that also expands to every prefecture in Japan.
Key Facts
- Toho announced on August 7 that Whisper of the Heart and The Secret World of Arrietty will screen as 4K digital remasters in IMAX theaters from October 23 to November 2.
- The 4K remasters expand to all 47 prefectures and Dolby Cinema from October 30 to November 12.
- The screenings use a 4K DCP format, which may be converted to 2K depending on theater equipment.
- Whisper of the Heart was directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, and The Secret World of Arrietty was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi.
- Limited A3 poster giveaways will be distributed to IMAX attendees from October 23 while supplies last.
Reporting from 2 sources: Denfaminicogamer, Cinema Today.
Toho announced on August 7 that Studio Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart (1995) and The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) will be screened in theaters as 4K digital remastered versions supervised by Ghibli. The two films will run concurrently at IMAX theaters nationwide from October 23 to November 2. A second window runs from October 30 to November 12, when the 4K remasters expand to all 47 prefectures and also play in Dolby Cinema. The screenings use a 4K DCP format, though theaters without 4K equipment may convert the projection to 2K. The announcement came through a promotional video on Toho's official YouTube channel, Toho Movie Channel. Whisper of the Heart, directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, adapts Aoi Hiiragi's manga and follows middle school student Shizuku Tsukishima, voiced by Youko Honna, and Seiji Amasawa, voiced by Kazuma Takahashi. The Secret World of Arrietty, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, adapts Mary Norton's children's novel and centers on the borrower girl Arrietty, voiced by Mirai Shida, and the human boy Sho, voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki. New poster visuals and trailer footage for the IMAX release were also published.
The IMAX engagement runs October 23 through November 2, and the wider rollout from October 30 through November 12 covers all 47 prefectures plus Dolby Cinema venues. Toho confirmed the screenings will use a 4K DCP, with a possible conversion to 2K depending on individual theater equipment.
Whisper of the Heart was produced by Hayao Miyazaki, who also wrote the script and storyboards, with Yoshifumi Kondo directing. The film follows Shizuku Tsukishima, a book-loving middle schooler voiced by Youko Honna, and Seiji Amasawa, voiced by Kazuma Takahashi, and is remembered alongside its theme song Country Road. The Secret World of Arrietty was planned and scripted by Miyazaki, with Hiromasa Yonebayashi directing. It centers on Arrietty, voiced by Mirai Shida, a borrower girl living beneath a house floor under a rule never to be seen by humans, and her exchange with the human boy Sho, voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki.
The IMAX poster visuals show Seiji walking his bicycle while escorting Shizuku home at night in Whisper of the Heart, and Arrietty standing in Sho's palm in The Secret World of Arrietty. A limited number of A3 poster giveaways will be distributed to IMAX attendees starting October 23, while supplies last.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Denfaminicogamer 『耳をすませば』と『借りぐらしのアリエッティ』が4Kデジタルリマスター版としてIMAXで公開決定。10月23日から11月2日までの限定上映
- Cinema Today スタジオジブリ『耳をすませば』『借りぐらしのアリエッティ』4Kリマスター版IMAX上映が決定