From The Creators Of The Academy Award®-Winning Film
“Spirited Away”
(2002 Best Animated Feature Film)
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS
POM POKO
AVAILABLE ON DVD FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN NORTH AMERICA ON AUGUST 16, 2005
Animated Treasures Feature The Voice Talents of Jim Belushi, Molly Shannon,
Clancy Brown, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and More
BURBANK, Calif., July 14, 2005 –Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Studio Ghibli proudly present MY
NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS and POM POKO, two wonderful animated films from the master storytellers at
Studio Ghibli, creators of the Academy Award®-winning film “Spirited Away” (2002 Best Animated Feature
Film) and “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, is the
premiere animation studio in Japan. Both MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS and POM POKO are available
on DVD for the first time in North America on August 16. Each animated film includes a brand-new, stellar
English language voice cast and features the original Japanese language track. The DVDs also include
complete, original storyboards and the original trailers. MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS also features a “Behind-
The-Microphone” featurette with the English-language voice cast.
Brad Bird, the director of Disney/Pixar’s smash hit “The Incredibles,” praises MY NEIGHBORS THE
YAMADAS as “a wise, and comedically freewheeling look at suburban family life.” Come follow the ups and
downs of everyday life, from the hilarious to the touching, with the quirky Yamada family. This series of
comedic adventures is brilliantly presented in a unique, visually striking comic strip style.
POM POKO is an extraordinary tale of transformation and hope told as the human world begins to encroach
upon the animal world. The Racoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their forest by urban development.
They join together and master the magical art of “transformation” in an attempt to save their homeland, but will
they be successful?
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS (single-disc DVD) and POM POKO (two-disc DVD) screenplays are both
written and directed by Isao Takahata. Each title is available for $29.99 (S.R.P.).
The English-language cast for MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS features the talents of: Jim Belushi (“Snow
Dogs,” TV’s “According To Jim”), Molly Shannon (“The Santa Clause 2”), Tress MacNeille (“The Lion King 1
½”), Daryl Sabara (“The Polar Express,” “Spy Kids”), Liliana Mumy (TV’s “Higglytown Heroes”) and David
Ogden Stiers (“Spirited Away,” “Lilo and Stitch”).
The English-language cast for POM POKO features the talents of: Jonathan Taylor Thomas (TV’s “Home
Improvement”), Clancy Brown (“The Spongebob SquarePants Movie”), J.K. Simmons (“Spider-Man,” TV’s “Law
and Order”), Tress MacNeille (“The Lion King 1 ½”), Olivia D’Abo (“Tarzan & Jane”) and Maurice LaMarche
(“Kim Possible: So The Drama”).
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS:
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS is based on the long-running comic strip of the same name by Japan’s
bestknowncomic-strip writer and artist Hisaichi Ishii. It is told in a series of episodic vignettes that center
around a middle-aged Japanese businessman, Takashi Yamada, and his family members. Besides Takashi,
the “head” of his household, there is Matsuko, his wife, who is good-natured and has absolutely no interest in
or talent for housework; Noboru, his teenage son, who hates studying, the main feature of his schoolboy life;
Nonoko, his eightyear-old daughter whose large mouth and loud voice are unusual for someone so small;
Shige, Matsuko’s seventyyear-old sharp-tongued mother who lives with them, and the family dog, Pochie.
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS offers a close look, often touching and often humorous, at the kind of
traditional family that may be disappearing in an increasingly modern, increasingly Westernized Japan.
POM POKO: POM POKO is an extraordinary tale of the clash between modern civilization and the natural world.
The Raccoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their beloved forest by the rapid development of new
houses and shopping malls. As it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they decide to band together and
fight back. The clever Raccoons practice and perfect the ancient art of transformation until they are able to
appear as humans. In often hilarious ways, they use their powers to scare off the advancement of civilization
into their ancestral homeland. But will it be enough? Or will the Raccoons learn how to live in balance with all
who share their land?
“MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS” Bonus Materials
• Behind The Microphone With Voice Talent From The Film
Includes interviews with Jim Belushi, Molly Shannon, Daryl Sabara and Liliana Mumy.
• Complete Storyboards
Get an insider’s look at the film’s artistry – in this bonus feature, the entire film is shown in storyboard
form.
• Original Japanese Theatrical Trailers
“POM POKO” Bonus Materials
• Complete Storyboards
Get an insider’s look at the film’s artistry – in this bonus feature, the entire film is show in storyboard
form.
• Original Japanese Theatrical Trailers And TV Spots
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS
STREET DATE: AUGUST 16, 2005
Suggested retail price: $29.99 (DVD)
Rated: “PG” For Mild Thematic Elements
Bonus materials not rated nor close-captioned.
Feature running time: Approximately 104 minutes
DVD aspect ratio: 1.85:1 enhanced for 16x9 TV screens
DVD Sound: Dolby® Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Languages: English audio, Original Japanese audio
English subtitles
POM POKO
STREET DATE: AUGUST 16, 2005
Distributor prebook: July 5
Suggested retail price: $29.99 (2-Disc DVD)
Rated: “PG” For Violence, Scary Images and Thematic Elements
Bonus materials not rated nor close captioned.
Feature running time: Approximately 119 minutes
DVD aspect ratio: 1.85:1 enhanced for 16x9 TV screens
DVD Sound: Dolby® Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Languages: English audio, Original Japanese audio
English subtitles
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS
1999 Hisaichi Ishii • Hatake Jimusho • GNHB © Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.
POM POKO
©1994 Hatake Jimusho • GNH © Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.
Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, is the premiere animation studio in Japan.
Their films have become a beloved part of Japanese popular culture, in much the same way that Walt Disney’s
work has been embraced by Americans. Cultivating a creative force of many talented directors, animators and
storytellers under the revered brilliance of Miyazaki and Takahata, Studio Ghibli’s films are praised for their
originality, dazzling animation and epic storytelling. Walt Disney Home Entertainment is proud to partner with
Studio Ghibli to introduce these unique masterpieces to the North American audience.
Walt Disney Home Entertainment is distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., a recognized industry
leader. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney,
Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax, Dimension and Buena Vista videocassettes and DVDs.
© 2004 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY Brenda S. Ladd & Mary K. Morgan |
