Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment requests we note that it provided a free copy of the third title featured below. The opinions I share are my own.
Starting with its premiere feature film Castle in the Sky in 1986, Studio Ghibli has enjoyed decades of producing highly popular anime feature films, including The Cat Returns, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, The Secret World of Arrietty, Spirited Away, and the highly celebrated Princess Mononoke, which marks the twentieth anniversary of its release this year. Castle in the Sky follows the adventures of a young boy and girl as they try to protect a magic crystal and find a mysterious floating island all while dealing with pirates, a group of military agents, and a weapon of mass destruction, among other challenges. Another adventuresome pair appear in Princess Mononoke, which tells the story of an unlikely partnership between a cursed prince (Ashitaka) and a feral girl (San / Princess Mononoke) as they join forces in an attempt to stop the destruction of the wild lands. Now out from Viz Media are hardcover picture books of Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke, which feature the stories from the films presented in a family-friendly oversized hardcover format along with easy-to-read text and full-color pictures from the films themselves. Both publications are currently on Amazon: the Castle in the Sky Picture Book (112 pages) is available for $13.59 and the Princess Mononoke Picture Book (232 pages) is available for $20.39.
In Interstellar, director Christopher Nolan takes viewers on a journey beyond the edges of the Milky Way as ex-pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and fellow members of an intergalactic exploratory expedition seek to ensure the survival of the human race. The film garnered multiple award wins and nominations (including Oscar, BAFTA, Saturn, and AFI awards) and is now available for the first time in 4K. In addition to the film itself, the newly released 3-disc Blu-ray / 4K combo pack also includes over three hours of bonus content, including featurettes on the influences and narrative designs, shooting for two very different worlds using the Icelandic landscape, the use of practical special effects, the integration of large-scale models, and more. It is important to note that when it comes to special features, this is the same content included in the Blu-ray / DVD combo set released in 2015. However, considering the scope of the film, the Oscar-winning visual effects, and heck, just the fact that it’s Christopher Nolan, it might make sense for some fans to even purchase again to obtain the 4K Ultra High Definition resolution if that’s really important to you (and if you have the hardware at home to support it). If you do feel that adding the 4K version of Interstellar to your library is a good fit, you can snag it on Amazon for $22.17.
On the lighter side, we have Fuller House: The Complete Second Season. The spinoff from the 80s and 90s series Full House, Fuller House follows the next generation of the Tanners as they deal with their own issues of love, sibling rivalry, and all the other challenges of friends and family. Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber in their original roles (and guest-starring Bob Saget, John Stamos, Dave Coulier, and Lori Loughlin in theirs), the series has reclaimed some of the audience of the original show along with a whole new fanbase. In addition to the traction gained with Netflix viewers, the series also won the 2017 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Premium Comedy Series. Following Season Two Netflix ordered a third season and split it into two parts, the second of which is set to release on December 22. For fans who loved Season Two and want to have it on the shelf, Fuller House: The Complete Second Season is out now on DVD. No bonus features on this one (and remember Season Two only has thirteen episodes versus the eighteen of Season Three), but if you’re looking to buy it in disc version versus just streaming on Netflix, you probably really want to have it in hard copy and aren’t as concerned about bonus content. For those looking to purchase, you can get the DVD set on Amazon for $16.99.
