Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Wandering off the Pixar/Dreamworks trail.
Oblivion Island is a 2009 computer-animated film released by the Japanese company, I.G. Studio. Directed by Shinsuke Sato, it tells the story of Haruka, a teenaged girl who, while following a curious creature seen near her mother's shrine, is pulled into Oblivion Island: the land of neglected things. It is here that she befriends a small denizen of the hidden world and begins her search for the red mirror given to her by her mother; a mirror Haruka had previously forgotten and let slip away.

I'd pulled this off the shelf hoping to find a foreign equivalent to the American twin-towers of Pixar and Dreamworks. I've always been a bit leery of Japanese computer anime out of unfamiliarity. To begin with, I've only barely scratched the service of anime as a whole, so taking the plunge into one of its trickier sub-genres was daunting. But Oblivion Island boasts a confident box cover and I was familiar with I.G. Studios through Ghost in the Shell series, so I dove in. I'm...

Great movie
I bought this on a lark solely based on a teaser trailer. And I must say, it was a very pleasant surprise for my wife and myself. It is a little childish in its logic at times (such as a reliance on huge coincidences), but its charming story and magical visuals make such things easy to ignore. A great film for the whole family, enjoyable by all ages.

(4.5 stars) Another magnificent Production I.G. animated film that I highly recommend!
Nominated for the "Award for Excellent Animation of the Year" at the 33rd Japan Academy Prize and "Best Animated Feature Film" for the 4th Asia Pacific Screen Award, Production I.G.'s "Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror" (a.k.a. Hottarake no Shima: Haruka to Mahō no Kagami) will be released on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of FUNimation in August 2012.

Directed by Shinsuke Sato ("Gantz" live action films and "The Princess Blade") and co-written by Sato and Otsuichi ("Calling You", "Goth").

VIDEO:

"Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror" is presented in 1080p High Definition and if there is one thing that I have raved over the years, it's about Production I.G.'s focus on quality and creating the most wonderful looking environments in an anime film or TV series.

With "Oblivion Island", the art backgrounds are absolutely fantastic to look at it. Artistic, very detailed, just gorgeous. May it be the city environment in Japan to...

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