Shout! Factory Unveils Its Anime Expo® 2023 Lineup Featuring World-Renowned Anime Brands, Popular Home Entertainment Product and Interactive Fan Activities

A mainstay at Anime Expo, Shout! Factory returns to Anime Expo 2023 with a dynamic lineup, featuring a showcase of the latest collectible anime home entertainment offerings, fan-engaging booth activities, exclusive gift-with-purchase items, promotional giveaways, sweepstakes, and more! Fans and convention attendees are invited to join in on the excitement at the Shout! Studios booth (#2225) on the main convention floor.

Anime Expo is the largest anime convention in North America and takes place July 1- 4, 2023 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Full details are available at anime-expo.org

For continuing updates on Shout's AX 2023 activities and news, please follow us on IG, Twitter, YouTube @ShoutFactory, and the Facebook page @ShoutFactoryOfficial

SCREENINGS & EVENTS

Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 1pm | Room 403
Pompo The Cinephile | *Presented by GKIDS

Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in "Nyallywood," the movie-making capital of the world. Although she's known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about an aging and tormented artistic genius starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo's challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?

Pompo the Cinephile is a rollicking, exuberant ode to the power of the movies and the joys and heartbreak of the creative process as a new director and his team devote their lives to the pursuit of a "masterpiece."

Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 7pm | Room 411
Kubo And The Two Strings
North American Premiere of the Japanese Dub, presented with English subtitles

From the acclaimed animation studio LAIKA comes an epic original action adventure. Kubo mesmerizes the people in his village with his magical gift for spinning wild tales with origami. When he accidentally summons an evil spirit seeking vengeance, Kubo is forced to go on a quest to solve the mystery of his fallen samurai father and his mystical weaponry, as well as discover his own magical powers. Kubo And The Two Strings is "a wildly imaginative, magical adventure" (Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood)!

Saturday, July 2, 2023 at 11:30 am – 1:00pm | AUT-G 5 in Kentia Hall
Takayuki Hirao, Director of Pompo The Cinephile autograph signing

SHOUT! STUDIOS BOOTH (#2225) HIGHLIGHTS

Shout's booth will once again be an essential destination for anime and pop culture enthusiasts during AX 2023. Stop by the booth to get some great deals on your favorite new and classic anime titles. All items are in limited quantities at AX 2023. Many titles come with a gifts-with-purchase while supplies last.

In honor of the upcoming home release of Lonely Castle In The Mirror, Shout! has partnered with GKIDS to give away a button two-pack from the film that features the characters Kokoro and Wolf Girl. Buttons will be given away at the booth (while supplies last).

Saturday, July 1, 2023
Ahead of the North American premiere of the Japanese dub of LAIKA Studios' Kubo and the Two Strings, an actual puppet of Kubo will be on display at the Shout! Studios booth for viewing and photo opportunities. Shout! and LAIKA Studios are also celebrating the premiere by giving away a limited-edition statue of Kubo, along with the 4K UHD SteelBook of the film, which includes the Japanese dub. Three runners-up will also win a SteelBook of Kubo And The Two Strings. (Winner will be announced after the screening.) You can enter the contest here.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS AT AX 2023

5 Centimeters Per Second (Blu-ray)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory
Young love, missed connections, and unrequited feelings collide in a romance from Makoto Shinkai, the visionary director of Weathering With You and Your Name. Told in three vignettes, 5 Centimeters Per Second: A Chain Of Short Stories About Their Distance explores the joys and heartache of falling in love set against the backdrop of the breathtaking visuals that define Shinkai's work. Takaki yearns to spill his heart out for childhood crush Akari, but both of their families move away before any feelings can fully blossom. They stay in touch, but eventually drift apart with school and new friends to distract them. As the seasons pass, Takaki navigates his relationships while haunted by all the things he left unsaid with Akari, his first love.

Also included is Voices of a Distant Star, the debut film from Makoto Shinkai, available for the first time on Blu-ray in North America.

Bonus Features

• Voices Of A Distant Star Film By Makoto Shinkai
• Feature-Length Storyboards
• Interviews With Makoto Shinkai
• Interview With Cast
• She And Her Cat Short Film By Makoto Shinkai
• Trailers
• And More!

BELLE Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory
From the celebrated Academy Award®-nominated* director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu, creators of Mirai, Wolf Children, and Summer Wars, comes a fantastical, heartfelt story of growing up in the age of social media.

Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters "U," a massive virtual world, she escapes into the online persona of Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious "beast" and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone. *2019: Best Animated Feature, Mirai

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• The Making Of BELLE
• A Conversation With Director Mamoru Hosoda
• The Music Of BELLE
• Hosoda Draws Belle
• Scene Breakdowns
• Finding The Voices Of BELLE
• And More!

Blue Thermal (Blu-ray)
"I want to experience a love that sparkles!" Arriving from Nagasaki with this wishful mantra is Tamaki Tsuru, who in high school could think only about volleyball. Things don't begin well, however, when she looks for an extracurricular club to join, proceeds to immediately damage a glider at aviation club tryouts, and ends up having to work it off. She is initially disillusioned with campus life. Then Kuramochi, the club leader and glider pilot, takes Tamaki under his wing ... and from the moment he takes her up for a flight in a glider, she becomes a captive of the vast beauty of the skies.

Bonus Features

• Special Interview With Director Masaki Tachibana
• Character Highlights

Castle In The Sky Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

Castle in the Sky is a timeless story of courage and friendship, with stunning animation from acclaimed Academy Award®-winning* director Hayao Miyazaki.
This high-flying adventure begins when Pazu, an engineer's apprentice, spies a young girl, Sheeta, floating down from the sky, held aloft by a glowing pendant. Both Sheeta and Pazu are searching for the legendary floating castle, Laputa, and they vow to travel there together to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal. But their quest won't be easy, as soon they are being pursued by greedy air pirates, the military, and secret government agents, who all seek the power Sheeta alone can control.
*2002: Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive Booklet
• Feature-Length Storyboards
• Behind The Microphone
• The World Of Laputa
• Creating Castle In The Sky
• Character Sketches
• Producer's Perspective: Meeting Miyazaki
• Scoring Miyazaki
• Promotional Video
• Textless Credits
• Original Theatrical Trailers

Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Blu-ray)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

From Makoto Shinkai, the visionary director of Weathering With You and Your Name., Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below is an epic fantasy adventure in a world of ancient gods. Asuna is an introvert who prefers spending her time listening to a radio left by her deceased father. One day, she hears an odd song that resonates in her heart unlike anything else. It leads to a chance encounter with a mysterious boy, who transports Asuna to Agartha, a land of legend where the dead can be brought back to life. Compelled by the song and the boy, Asuna journeys through the mythical lands, but hostile warriors and ghastly creatures will stop at nothing to prevent Asuna from uncovering the secrets of their world.

Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary With Makoto Shinkai And Staff
• Interviews With Staff And Cast
• Making Of Featurette
• Japanese Promo Video
• Trailers
• And More!

DEEMO: Memorial Keys (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
Fall in love with the enchanting tale of Deemo, a mysterious, lonely character who lives in solitude, playing the piano in a castle. One day a girl who has lost her memory falls from the sky. Wanting to help her recover her memories and return to her world, Deemo discovers that a tree kept atop the piano will grow whenever the piano is played. But if Deemo succeeds in helping her, will the loss of her companionship prove to be too much? This gentle, ephemeral story of love spun by Deemo, the girl, the mystical residents of the castle, and a tree that grows with the sound of the piano will make you want to return to this world again and again.

Bonus Features

• Trailers
• Promotional Videos

Howl's Moving Castle Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, comes the Academy Award®- nominated* fantasy adventure for the whole family.

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl's magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl's wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.
*2005: Best Animated Feature, Howl's Moving Castle

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive Booklet
• Feature-Length Storyboards
• Behind The Microphone
• Interview With Diana Wynne Jones
• Miyazaki's Visit To Pixar
• The Birth Story Of The Film Soundtrack
• Explanation Of CG
• Original Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots

Millennium Actress Limited Edition SteelBook
*This SteelBook includes gift-with-purchase while supplies last.

Satoshi Kon's masterful follow-up to Perfect Blue traces the career of a legendary actress, Chiyoko Fujiwara, as seen through the eyes of documentary filmmakers. Though Chiyoko has withdrawn into retirement, filmmaker Genya Tachibana receives the rare opportunity to interview her about her life. When he gives the actress a token from her past, Tachibana and his cameraman Ida are thrust into Chiyoko's memories, reliving the key moments of her life and uncovering the truth behind her fabled career. This timeless tale of passion bends reality and delivers emotion in a way only Satoshi Kon could.

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive 16-Page Booklet And Director's Interview
• Interviews With The Producers And Voice Talent

My Neighbor Totoro Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-winning* director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family.

When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in one of their earliest roles.
*2002: Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive Booklet
• Feature-Length Storyboards
• Behind The Microphone
• Creating My Neighbor Totoro
• Creating The Characters
• The "Totoro" Experience
• Producer's Perspective: Creating Ghibli
• The Locations Of My Neighbor Totoro
• Textless Credits
• Original Theatrical Trailers

Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

Written and directed by Academy Award®-winner* Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an epic masterpiece of sweeping scope and grandeur that remains one of the most breathtaking and exhilarating animated films of all time.

A thousand years after the Seven Days of Fire destroyed civilization, warring human factions survive in a world devastated by atmospheric poisons and swarming with gigantic insects. The peaceful Valley of the Wind is nestled on the edge of the Toxic Forest and led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, whose love of all living things leads her into terrible danger, as she fights to restore balance between humans and nature. Featuring the voices of Alison Lohman, Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos and Shia LaBeouf.
*2002: Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive Booklet
• Feature-Length Storyboards
• Audio Commentary With Key Animator Hideaki Anno And Assistant Director Kazuyoshi Katayama
• Interview With Toshio Suzuki And Hideaki Anno
• Creating Nausicaä
• Original Theatrical Trailers

New Gods: Yang Jian (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

Enter the New Gods universe where Chinese mythology is reimagined in a wildly original, steampunk-inspired world. Light Chaser Animation (White Snake, New Gods: Nezha Reborn) presents a timeless, high-flying adventure featuring one of the most legendary mythic figures.
Thirteen years after Yang Jian imprisoned his sister, the once-powerful hero also known as Erlang Shen now scrapes by as a poor bounty hunter. When a mysterious woman hires him, Yang Jian soon finds himself chasing down a familiar figure. He must stop Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who searches for a powerful, but dangerous artifact. As Yang Jian confronts his past, he must face treacherous vigilantes seeking to bring catastrophic destruction.

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Interview With Director Zhao Ji
• Animating New Gods: Yang Jian With Zhao Ji
• Original Cast Interview
• Arts And Culture Spotlight
• Art Gallery

Perfect Blue Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

"Excuse me, who are you?" Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren't ready to see her go. Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows.

The debut film from legendary director Satoshi Kon (Paprika) has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time – an intense psychological thriller for the social media era.

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive 12-Page Booklet
• Newly Remastered And Original-Definition Feature Presentations
• Lectures By Director Satoshi Kon
• "Angel Of Your Heart" Recording Sessions And Full English Version
• Cast And Crew Interviews
• Theatrical Trailers And TV Spots

The Place Promised In Our Early Days (Blu-ray)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

The feature film debut from Makoto Shinkai, the acclaimed director of Weathering With You and Your Name., is a haunting and beautiful story of friendship and loss, with stunning visuals and an emotional approach to science fiction that would become the director's trademark. In an alternate post-war Japan, three teenagers become obsessed with a mysterious tower across the Union border, which reaches far into the sky. Hiroki and Takuya work on a makeshift airplane, which they promise their friend Sayuri they will use to visit the tower together someday, but she disappears before it is completed. Several years later, the tower suddenly activates, starting a phenomenon that threatens the world. And the young men now discover their long-lost friend Sayuri may hold the key to it all...

Bonus Features

• Interview With Director Makoto Shinkai
• Interviews With Japanese Voice Cast
• Trailer Collection

Pompo: The Cinephile (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in "Nyallywood," the movie-making capital of the world. Although she's known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about an aging and tormented artistic genius starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo's challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?

Pompo the Cinephile is a rollicking, exuberant ode to the power of the movies and the joys and heartbreak of the creative process as a new director and his team devote their lives to the pursuit of a "masterpiece."

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Audio Commentary By The Director And Crew
• Feature-length Storyboards
• Character Design Gallery
• Trailers And Spots

Ponyo Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, and Academy Award®-winning* director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a heartwarming adventure, now featuring hours of new bonus features never-before-released in North America!

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.
*2002: Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive Booklet
• Feature-Length Storyboards
• Behind The Microphone
• The Five Geniuses Who Created Ponyo
• Interviews With Hayao Miyazaki And Toshio Suzuki
• Theme Song Press Conference
• Music Video
• Opening Event At Hibiya Scala-Za Theatre
• ...And More!

Poupelle of Chimney Town (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
*This Blu-ray set includes gift-with-purchase while supplies last.

Poupelle of Chimney Town is the breathtaking story of young Lubicchi and a man made of garbage, Poupelle. Living among the thick smoke from the chimneys of his isolated town, Lubicchi yearns to see the "stars" — to know the truth — his father always told him about. Spectacularly beautiful, Poupelle of Chimney Town is filled with inspiring performances, splendid music and sound effects. Produced at Tokyo's famed STUDIO4ºC, this astonishing film will bring tears, laughter, and joy.

Bonus Features

• The World Of Chimney Town – A Discussion With Director Yusuke Hirota And Creator Akihiro Nishino
• What's Next For Chimney Town – An Exclusive Interview With Creator Akihiro Nishino
• Creator Akihiro Nishino Special Q&A – Malibu Film Society Screening

Spirited Away Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature,* Hayao Miyazaki's wondrous fantasy adventure is a dazzling masterpiece from one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation.

Chihiro's family is moving to a new house, but when they stop on the way to explore an abandoned village, her parents undergo a mysterious transformation and Chihiro is whisked into a world of fantastic spirits ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba. Put to work in a magical bathhouse for spirits and demons, Chihiro must use all her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents and return to the normal world. Overflowing with imaginative creatures and thrilling storytelling, Spirited Away became a worldwide smash hit, and is one of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time.
*2002: Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Exclusive Booklet
• Feature-Length Storyboards
• Behind The Microphone
• Nippon Television Special (DVD Only)
• Original Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots

Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger: The Complete Series (8-DVD set)
See where the worldwide phenomenon began with the original Japanese series that inspired the Power Rangers franchise!
Welcome to Megalopolis! Once a peaceful Earth city, it's now a haven for criminals aided by the nefarious Alienizer arms dealer, Agent Abrella. Now, it's up to Ban Akaza and the Special Police Dekarangers to protect the Earth from the invading Alienizers and finally bring peace and justice back to the planet.
INCLUDES ALL 50 EPISODES!

Weathering With You Limited Edition SteelBook
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory

From Makoto Shinkai, the director of the global smash hit Your Name., comes a critically-acclaimed new romantic drama set in the rain-soaked streets (and skies) of modern Tokyo. The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky...

Bonus Features for Blu-ray/DVD

• Interview With Makoto Shinkai
• Talk Show: Makoto Shinkai and Yumiko Udo
• "Weather Front" Featurette
• Exploring Makoto Shinkai's Filmography
• Theatrical Trailers And TV Spots