GKIDS and Shout! Factory will issue Modest Heroes on Blu-ray + DVD and digital download on June 18, 2019. The release, which features both Japanese and English audio tracks and comes complete with bonus features, is available for pre-order now on shoutfactory.com.
From Studio Ponoc (Mary and The Witch's Flower), the acclaimed new studio founded by twice-Academy Award®-nominated producer Yoshiaki Nishimura (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There), comes a thrilling collection of stories exploring ideas of heroism in their own unique way.
Modest Heroes is an ambitious collection of three thrilling tales created by some of the greatest talent working in Japanese animation today. Kanini & Kanino is directed by Academy Award®-nominee Hiromasa Yonebayashi (When Marnie Was There, Mary and The Witch's Flower); Life Ain't Gonna Lose, featuring the voice of Maggie Q (Nikita, Designated Survivor), is helmed by Yoshiyuki Momose, who was a key animator on Isao Takahata's films at Studio Ghibli; and Invisible director Akihiko Yamashita was a key animator on many of Hayao Miyazaki's best-known films. Each is produced by Studio Ponoc's Yoshiaki Nishimura.
- Special Features:
- Modest Heroes of Studio Ponoc
- Film Completion Press Conference
- Interviews with Japanese Voice Cast
- Art Galleries
- Trailers and TV Spots
Studio Ponoc, the new animation studio founded by two-time Academy Award®-nominee Yoshiaki Nishimura (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There) and featuring many artists from the venerable Studio Ghibli, made an immediate splash last year with its acclaimed debut film Mary and The Witch's Flower. The studio returns this year with Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre Vol. 1, an ambitious collection of three thrilling tales created by some of the greatest talents working in Japanese animation today.
In Kanini & Kanino, directed by Academy Award®-nominee Hiromasa Yonebayashi (When Marnie Was There, Mary and The Witch's Flower), two crab brothers embark on a grand underwater adventure to find their father, after an accident carries him far downstream. Depicted as tiny beings in a large and merciless natural world, the brothers must evade a series of freshwater predators if they are ever to reunite with their family again.
In Life Ain't Gonna Lose, acclaimed animator Yoshiyuki Momose (key animator on Isao Takahata's films at Studio Ghibli, and animation director of the video game Ni No Kuni) makes his directorial debut with a very different kind of story. Eight-year-old Shun loves baseball and to run. Only eggs defeat him. With the love of his strong-willed mother (Maggie Q), Shun faces the challenge of an everyday life threatened by a deadly allergy.
Lastly, in Invisible (the directing debut of Akihiko Yamashita, a talented key animator on many of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki's best-known films) a man wakes up one morning and goes through his day in a world where no one can see him. But just when he seems to have reached his limit, a momentous decision gives him the chance to reclaim his humanity.
Together, the stories explore ideas of heroism large and small, and the infinite potential of the short film format allows the directors and Studio Ponoc to experiment with breathtaking, action-packed visuals, concise human drama, and gorgeous fantasy worlds, in this unforgettable short film anthology that is further demonstration of the studio's exciting future.