GKIDS UNBOXED: “Whisper of the Heart” and “The Cat Returns” Steelbooks

Now available on limited edition Blu-ray/DVD Steelbook!

What a cat-tastrophe! The Unboxer has been cat-napped by the King of Cats and his royal guard, forcing him to create a new episode of GKIDS Unboxed. Luckily the products in question are two Studio Ghibli gems any cat would happily claw open— Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns on limited edition Steelbook!

Whisper of the Heart is a coming-of-age tale about young love, chasing your dreams and finding yourself. This was Yoshifumi Kondo’s first and only film as director before passing away in 1998, but it carries on his tremendous artistic legacy.

The Steelbook’s gorgeous lilac front cover shows Shizuku and Seiji riding off on his bike. Both the Blu-ray and DVD include the Japanese, English and French dubs in 5.1 surround sound and feature English, English SDH and French subtitles. The Steelbook also includes a booklet with memos from Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki, punctuated with beautiful stills from the film.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray are feature length storyboards and the four masterpieces of Naohisa Inoue, which showcases the watercolor background artist’s astounding talent. On both discs we have background art from “The Baron’s Story,” a “Behind the Microphone” featurette which takes you through the recording of the English dub, and original theatrical trailers.

The Cat Returns is a follow-up of sorts to Whisper of the Heart, as it also prominently features the character of The Baron. Directed by Hiroyuki Morita, The Cat Returns centers on Haru, a schoolgirl whose rescuing of a stray cat whisks her away to the fantastical Cat Kingdom.

Here on the orange cover we find Haru feeding a stray cat, showing her selflessness. Once again, the Blu-ray and DVD contain the English dub, the original Japanese dub, and the French dub. The English dub features a star-studded cast including Anne Hathaway, Tim Curry and Cary Elwes as the dashing Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. English, English SDH and French subtitles are available so you can watch as you wish. 

Feature-length storyboards are likewise included in the Blu-ray. Both discs include a Making-of documentary and a “Behind the Microphone” featurette. You can find theatrical trailers and TV spots on the DVD.

These Steelbooks are literally fit for a king (of cats), so they ought to please even the pickiest Ghibli collector! For a closer look at the sets, check out the full episode of GKIDS Unboxed below, and remember to like the video, subscribe to our channel, and ring that bell icon to be notified of every new video from the GKIDS YouTube. Catch you next time!

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Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns are now available on limited edition Steelbook.

Whisper of the Heart Bonus Features:

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