Spirited Away HD Screenshots, Blu-ray Release?

Spirited Away on Blu-ray? Well, that would sure be nice. But as far as I know, there is no such Western release announced at this point; not in true HD format, anyway. Last month, there was indeed talk of a ninja-release for Spirited Away on Blu-ray this November (in the Benelux, of all places). But that one soon turned out to be a meagre upscaled version, not a genuine high-definition release. Nevertheless, there is still hope.



A brief clip featuring HD footage from Spirited Away was apparently included by Disney on their recent Blu-ray edition of Snow White, and somebody out there was kind enough to take some screenshots of it (cheers AHT). As you can see above and below, they look rather nice, so who knows: considering that Disney is releasing Ghibli's Ponyo on Blu-ray in March 2010, perhaps they already have similar plans for Spirited Away as well.



Spirited Away just so happens to be Ghibli's arguably-best work, and to this day it remains the only full-length anime film to have won an Oscar, back in 2002. That might change soon, as Ponyo is currently in the race for an Academy Award. But as long as Disney / Pixar keep churning their 3D goofs, the odds will never be too favorable.