Whisper of the Heart is being re-released in 4K remastered form, with IMAX screenings in Japan and North America, and a special TV broadcast that drew a 7.5% rating.
Whisper of the Heart, the 1995 Studio Ghibli film directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, is in the middle of a broad re-release cycle. Toho announced on August 7 that the film, along with The Secret World of Arrietty, will be screened in theaters as 4K digital remastered versions supervised by Ghibli. The two films run concurrently at IMAX theaters nationwide from October 23 to November 2, with a second window from October 30 to November 12 expanding the 4K remasters to all 47 prefectures and Dolby Cinema. The screenings use a 4K DCP format, though theaters without 4K equipment may convert the projection to 2K.
Earlier in the year, GKIDS announced that Whisper of the Heart and The Secret World of Arrietty would screen in North American IMAX theaters, with Whisper of the Heart on April 21 and Arrietty on May 19. Both were newly remastered in 4K and presented in IMAX for the first time, with Japanese with subtitles and English-dubbed versions. The screenings continued GKIDS' partnership with IMAX, which had brought Kiki's Delivery Service to the format the previous month.
The remaster's technical approach was detailed by Atsushi Okui, the cinematographer behind most Studio Ghibli films since 1993. In an interview with Cartoon Brew, Okui explained that the remaster aimed to recreate the original film color, not to make the cel art as vivid as possible. The film also drew a 7.5% rating when it aired on NTV on May 1 at 9:00 p.m., a figure that topped the regular weekly rankings. A separate volume of Hayao Miyazaki's image boards, released on June 4, includes preparatory work for the film's story-within-a-story sequence.
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Studio Ghibli announced 4K digital remasters of Whisper of the Heart and The Secret World of Arrietty, supervised by the studio. The films screen at IMAX theaters nationwide from October 23 to November 2, with expanded screenings in all 47 prefectures and Dolby Cinema from October 30 to November 12. New IMAX posters were also released.
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.
Iwanami Shoten released the sixth volume of the Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Complete Collection on June 4. The book collects 178 image boards and storyboards from Whisper of the Heart and On Your Mark, including unpublished drawings. It also features an interview with producer Toshio Suzuki. Volume 7, focused on Princess Mononoke, is due in December.
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.'
Cartoon Brew interviewed Atsushi Okui, the cinematographer behind most Studio Ghibli films since 1993, about the 4K remaster of 'Whisper of the Heart' and the theatrical re-release of 'The Secret World of Arrietty.' Okui explained that the remaster aimed to recreate the original film color, not to make the cel art as vivid as possible.
Video Research published the Japanese animation television rankings for the week of April 27 to May 3, based on household ratings in the Kanto region. The top spot went to "Sazae-san" on Fuji TV with a 5.9% rating on May 3. "Detective Conan" on NTV took second place at 5.1%, followed by "Chibi Maruko-chan" on Fuji TV at 4.4%. A special broadcast of Yoshifumi Kondo and Studio Ghibli's "Whisper of the Heart" aired on NTV on May 1 at 9:00 p.m. and earned a 7.5% rating, though it was not listed among the regular weekly rankings. "My Hero Academia: More special" ranked fourth among regular programs with a 2.7% rating on NTV. The live-action "Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional" film aired on NHK on May 3 and received a 2.1% rating. The ratings are estimates based on a household survey and do not include recordings viewed later.