Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this DVD and giveaway from Shout Kids and GDKids, free of charge, for blog review purposes on this blog. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own
And speaking of ghosts, let's go around the work for today's movie!
The marvelous anime film The Case of Hana & Alice is now available in North America for the first time, on Blu-ray™ from GKIDS and Shout! Factory.
This DVD release includes over two hours of bonus features, including a greeting from the film’s premiere and a message from animator Makoto Shinkai (Your Name) that are exclusive to the physical release!
Synopsis:
When Alice transfers to a new middle school, she hears an urban legend about a student who disappeared the previous year and is suspected to have been killed by his fellow students. Even worse, Alice discovers that she lives next door to his former house, a supposedly haunted home, now occupied by a reclusive classmate named Hana.
Hana and Alice decide to investigate this “murder case” together, but soon find that their lack of detective skills may be an obstacle. This unusual and charming film from famed writer-director Shunji Iwai is a shaggy-dog mystery tale that ultimately gives way to a wonderfully nuanced story of young female friendship, and the fantasies and thrills of everyday teenage life.
The Case of Hana & Alice was directed by Shunji Iwai, a very highly-regarded Japanese indie filmmaker. Anne Suzuki and Yû Aoi, the voices of Hana and Alice, also played Hana and Alice in the Japanese live-action film. The animated film is consider a prequel to the live-action version. It has played in a variety of festivals, including Annecy in France (Best Feature Nominee), Shanghai International Film Festival (Best Animation Film Nominee), Fantasia International Film Festival (Bronze Audience Award Winner), Sitges Film Festival, and Animation Is Film.
DVD Bonus Features:
· Interview with Yu Aoi and Anne Suzuki (voice actors)
· Film Completion Press Conference
· Film Premiere Stage Greeting
· Interview with Director Shunji Iwai
· Message from Makoto Shinkai (animator)
· Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots
Check out the Trailer:
Review:
So I have a 12 yr old who dearly loves anime, but tends to be a bit of a purist, and prefers traditional Japanese anime, so I knew this movie would be one that she'd already heard about and would want to check out, so this is her review!
"Overall I'd give the movie a B+. I liked how it represented teens and how they work together to solve the mystery. BUT I thought there were too many story lines for an anime feature, and because of that, it was VERY dialogue heavy, and that means reading A LOT of subtitles (as the movie is in Japanese, and NOT dubbed), and that proved to be very distracting my midway through the movie. Had they had more traditional anime action, the movie would have moved better.I also didn't like the whole pentagram/bring the ghost back bit- it just doesn't fit with anime as a whole, and seemed forced in a way. But overall, it's not a bad movie, and those who like more complicated anime movies, will really like it"
Giveaway:
TWO lucky BTHM readers will each win a copy of this DVD!
About GKIDS
GKIDS is a producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, the company has scored an astounding eleven Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, and Mirai in 2019. GKIDS also handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others. GKIDS also produces the annual LA-based film festival, ANIMATION IS FILM, which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression of which medium is capable. www.gkids.com
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.
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