Ghibli's 'Whisper of the Heart' and 'The Secret World of Arrietty' Get IMAX Screenings
GKIDS is systematically bringing Studio Ghibli's less fantastical, character-driven titles to IMAX, a format typically reserved for spectacle-heavy blockbusters.
Reporting from 1 sources: Cartoon Brew.
GKIDS announced that two Studio Ghibli films, 'Whisper of the Heart' (1995) and 'The Secret World of Arrietty' (2010), will screen in North American IMAX theaters this spring. Each film will have a one-day-only event: 'Whisper of the Heart' on April 21 and 'The Secret World of Arrietty' on May 19. Both are newly remastered in 4K and will be presented in IMAX for the first time. Showings will be available in Japanese with subtitles and English-dubbed versions. The screenings continue GKIDS' partnership with IMAX, which last month brought 'Kiki's Delivery Service' to the format. 'Whisper of the Heart,' directed by Yoshifumi Kondo from a script by Hayao Miyazaki, follows a middle schooler pursuing a writing career in suburban Tokyo. 'The Secret World of Arrietty,' directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and adapted from Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers,' follows a tiny family living under a human home. Miyazaki contributed to the screenplay and planning for 'Arrietty.'
GKIDS and IMAX are expanding their Studio Ghibli collaboration beyond the studio's most famous fantasy epics. The two spring screenings follow last month's IMAX event for 'Kiki's Delivery Service,' suggesting a regular cadence of one-day-only Ghibli IMAX releases. 'Whisper of the Heart' is notable as the only feature directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, who died in 1998; it remains a quiet favorite among Ghibli fans for its realistic portrayal of artistic ambition and first love. 'The Secret World of Arrietty' was the directorial debut of Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who later directed 'When Marnie Was There.' Both films were produced during Hayao Miyazaki's active periods, with Miyazaki writing the script for 'Whisper of the Heart' and co-writing the screenplay for 'Arrietty' alongside Keiko Niwa. The 4K remasters are new for these screenings, though GKIDS has previously released both films on Blu-ray and digital. Tickets are expected to go on sale through IMAX and participating theater chains.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.