Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. © Sachiko Kashiwaba, KODANSHA/2019 Birthday Wonderland CommitteeSource: Shout! Factory press release Official Site: birthday-wonderland.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Shannon Meehan
Cover art courtesy of Shout! Factory. © Sachiko Kashiwaba, KODANSHA/2019 Birthday Wonderland Committee.Keiichi Hara’s fantastical anime adventure THE WONDERLAND (バースデー・ワンダーランド, Bāsudē Wandārando, 2019), will be released on digital download, On Demand, on Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and as a standalone DVD on October 6, 2020 from Eleven Arts and Shout! Factory. THE WONDERLAND is a showcase of incredible creative force, directed by Keiichi Hara, one of Japan’s leading animation film directors (MISS HOKUSAI, COLORFUL), and with visual and character designs by renowned artist Ilya Kuvshinov (GHOST IN THE SHELL: SAC_2045). Bonus features on the release include interviews with the Japanese voice cast, featuring the talent of Mayu Matsuoka as protagonist Akane (Young Shoya, A SILENT VOICE) and audio commentary with character designer and concept artist Ilya Kuvshinov. On the day before her birthday, young Akane meets the mysterious alchemist Hippocrates who brings her through a basement and into a fantastical world full of magic and color. Though things seem peaceful on the surface, he reveals this world is in danger and as the destined Goddess of the Green Wind, it is Akane’s responsibility to bring back the rain and save this world from the terror know as Zan-Gu. Joining Akane on her journey is Pipo, an alchemist in training, and her adventurous Aunt Chii. The only problem? Akane just wants to go home. THE WONDERLAND is based on Sachiko Kashiwaba’s celebrated children’s book Chikashitru Kara no Fushigi na Tabi (Strange Journey from the Basement). Bonus Features • “Our Wonderland” Cast Interview • “Mayu Matsuoka’s Amazing Adventure” • Audio Commentary with Character Designer & Concept Artist Ilya Kuvshinov and Eleven Arts’ Chris Platt and Amelie Khuat
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. © Sachiko Kashiwaba, KODANSHA/2019 Birthday Wonderland Committee.About ELEVEN ARTS
ELEVEN ARTS Anime Studio is a Los Angeles-based distribution company known for bringing high-quality Japanese anime to North America. ELEVEN ARTS’ anime titles most recently include A SILENT VOICE, HAIKARA-SAN: HERE COMES MISS MODERN, MAQUIA: WHEN THE PROMISED FLOWER BLOOMS, LAUGHING UNDER THE CLOUDS GAIDEN, LIZ AND THE BLUE BIRD, PENGUIN HIGHWAY, and SOUND! EUPHONIUM - OUR PROMISE: A NEW DAY.
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.
For more information on THE WONDERLAND please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: