Interview with THE WIND RISES voice actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jiro Horikoshi), courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures. © 2013 Nibariki ? GNDHDDTK © Disney
Source: Walt Disney Pictures Official Movie Site:
kazetachinu.jp (Japan),
thewindrisesmovie.tumblr.com (US) Walt Disney Pictures has released several video interviews with the American voice cast and director of THE WIND RISES (????, Kaze Tachinu, 2013), the latest feature from Oscar-winning Japanese filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki, and the renowned Studio Ghibli. The film is now playing in North American theaters under the Touchstone Pictures banner. Jiro (voice of Joseph Gordon-Levitt) dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni (voice of Stanley Tucci). Nearsighted from a young age and unable to be a pilot, Jiro joins a major Japanese engineering company in 1927 and becomes one of the world’s most innovative and accomplished airplane designers, earning the respect of prominent industry greats, including Hattori (voice of Mandy Patinkin) and Kurokawa (voice of Martin Short). The film chronicles much of Jiro’s life, depicting key historical events, including the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Great Depression, the tuberculosis epidemic and Japan’s plunge into war. Jiro meets and falls in love with Nahoko (voice of Emily Blunt), and grows and cherishes his friendship with his colleague Honjo (voice of John Krasinski). Writer and director Hayao Miyazaki pays tribute to engineer Jiro Horikoshi and author Tatsuo Hori in this epic tale of love, perseverance, and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world. Director: Hayao Miyazaki Producer: Toshio Suzuki Original Story and Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki English-Language Voice Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short, Stanley Tucci, Mandy Patinkin, Mae Whitman, Werner Herzog, Jennifer Grey, William H. Macy, Zach Callison, Madeleine Rose Yen, Eva Bella, Edie Mirman, Darren Criss, Elijah Wood, Ronan Farrow, David Cowgill Director, English-Language Version: Gary Rydstrom Screenplay Adaptation, English-Language Version: Mike Jones Executive Producer, English-Language Version: Frank Marshall Producer, English-Language Version: Studio Ghibli/Geoffrey Wexler
Interview with voice actress Emily Blunt (Nahoko Satomi), courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures. © 2013 Nibariki ? GNDHDDTK © Disney
Interview with English language version director, Gary Rydstrom. Part 1 of 2. Video courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures. © 2013 Nibariki ? GNDHDDTK © Disney
Interview with English language version director, Gary Rydstrom. Part 2 of 2. Video courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures. © 2013 Nibariki ? GNDHDDTK © Disney
About Touchstone Pictures
The first film released under the Touchstone Pictures banner made waves on the big screen in 1984 with the hit SPLASH starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Since then, The Walt Disney Studios has released over 200 films from Touchstone Pictures, including GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, DEAD POET SOCIETY, PRETTY WOMAN, SISTER ACT, FATHER OF THE BRIDE, CON AIR, ARMAGEDDON, PEARL HARBOR, STEP UP, and THE PROPOSAL. In 2009, The Walt Disney Studios finalized a film distribution agreement with the independently owned DreamWorks Studios, whose films including the critically acclaimed THE HELP and Steven Spielberg`s WAR HORSE and LINCOLN are released via Touchstone.
About Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by animated film directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, and has produced nineteen feature-length films. Most Studio Ghibli films ranked number one at the box office in Japan in the year in which they were released. SPIRITED AWAY, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in 2001, is the all-time highest grossing film in Japan, earning over 30 billion yen at the box office. The Studio’s PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997), SPIRITED AWAY (2001) and HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004) are among Japan’s top 5 grossing films. Studio Ghibli films have garnered numerous awards and critical acclaim from film critics and animation specialists around the world. SPIRITED AWAY was awarded the Golden Bear as the Best Feature Film at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 2003 U.S. Academy Awards. In October 2001, Studio Ghibli, in conjunction with The Tokuma Memorial Cultural Foundation for Animation, founded the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, designed by Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli’s THE WIND RISES, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, was released on July 20, 2013 in Japan. THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA, directed by Isao Takahata, opened in Japan on November 23, 2013.
For more information on THE WIND RISES, please see the previous coverage here on SciFi Japan: