FROM JAPAN'S FAMED STUDIO GHIBLI AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ANIMATION DISTRIBUTOR GKIDS, COMES A TOUCHING STORY OF FRIENDSHIP AND FIRST LOVE

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 21, 2017 — (PRNewswire) —  From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, comes a poignant and wonderfully nuanced story of adolescence and growing up in Ocean Waves, available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD on April 18, 2017 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, in partnership with GKIDS. Rarely seen outside Japan, this "newly restored and better than ever" (David Ehrlich, IndieWire) Ghibli classic will be available to own for the first time in North America. Ocean Waves, detailed with stunning animation, takes a nostalgic look at the complexities of friendship and young love. The film has been hailed by critics as "a standout!" (Todd Ciolek, Anime News Network) with "a lot of heart" (Charline Jao, The Mary Sue), and is a New York Times Critic's Pick.

Taku and his best friend Yutaka are headed back to school for what looks like another uneventful year. But they soon find their friendship tested by the arrival of Rikako, a beautiful new transfer student from Tokyo whose attitude shifts wildly from flirty and flippant to melancholic. When Taku joins Rikako on a trip to Tokyo, the school erupts with rumors, and the three friends are forced to come to terms with their changing relationships. Never before released in North America, Ocean Waves is a beautifully animated adaptation of Saeko Himuro's best-selling novel, and a true discovery.

Also included in the release is the short film The Ghiblies Episode 2, a rare gem not available to own in North America until now! A charming and gorgeously animated collection of vignettes following the daily adventures of employees at an animation studio, this, along with Ocean Waves are a must-own for fans of Studio Ghibli's incredible body of work.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVELY ON BLU-RAY^™:

• Feature-Length Layouts for Ocean Waves

BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY^™ AND DVD:

• Looking Back: Staff Reunion – Join the director, producer, writer and artists of Ocean Waves as they reflect on the film 10 years later
• US Theatrical Trailer

FILMMAKERS (OCEAN WAVES)
Directed by: Tomomi Mochizuki
Original Story by: Saeko Himuro
Published by: Tokuma Shoten
Screenplay by: Kaori Nakamura
Music by: Shigeru Nagata
Theme Song Performed by: Yoko Sakamoto
Produced by: Nozomu Takahashi

FILMMAKERS (THE GHIBLIES EPISODE 2)
Directed by: Yoshiyuki Momose
Screenplay by: Yoshiyuki Momose
Music by: Manto Watanobe
Song: "No Woman, No Cry"
Song Performed by: TINA
Produced by: Hiroyuki Watanabe

TECHNICAL INFORMATION - Blu-ray^™:
Street Date: April 18, 2017
Copyright: 2017 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Numbers: 44187948 / 44187930 (CDN)
Run Time: 76 Minutes (Ocean Waves), 24 Mins (The Ghiblies Episode 2)
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Rating: PG-13 for some thematic material
Sound: Japanese DTS-HD 2.0 (Ocean Waves), Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (The Ghiblies Episode 2)
Subtitles: English

TECHNICAL INFORMATION - DVD:
Street Date: April 18, 2017
Copyright: 2017 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Numbers: 44184876 / 44184903 (CDN)
Run Time: 76 minutes
Layers: Dual
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Rating: PG-13 for some thematic material
Sound: Japanese DTS-HD 2.0 (Ocean Waves), Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 (The Ghiblies Episode 2)
Subtitles: English

For artwork, please log onto our website at https://www.uphe.com/

Website: http://uni.pictures/OceanWaves
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GKIDSfilms
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/GKIDSfilms
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GKIDSfilms/ 
Hashtag: #OceanWaves

About GKIDS
GKIDS is a distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, the company has scored an unrivaled nine Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations – with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, and My Life as a Zucchini in 2017. GKIDS also handles North American theatrical distribution for Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki's famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world's most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others.

About Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE – www.uphe.com) is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios. Universal Studios is a part of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

CONTACT:
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