BURBANK, Calif., June 9, 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 now available on DVD for the first time in North America. 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 raccoons 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 (2-disc DVD) screenplays were both written and directed by Isao Takahata.

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 1½"), Daryl Sabara ("The Polar Express," "Spy Kids"), Liliana Mumy (TV's "Higglytown Heroes") and David Ogden Stiers ("Spirited Away," "Lilo & 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 & Order"), Tress MacNeille ("The Lion King 1½"), 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 best-known comic 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 8-year-old daughter whose large mouth and loud voice are unusual for someone so small; Shige, Matsuko's 70-year-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 shown in storyboard form.
• Original Japanese Theatrical Trailers And TV Spots

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.

© Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.


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