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One of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved — and devastating — movies is getting a new Blu-ray Steelbook release. Grave of the Fireflies will be released as a Steelbook Blu-ray from Shout Factory, featuring a new cover design. The Blu-ray is available for preorder now from Walmart and Barnes & Noble and drops on July 8.
The Blu-ray rerelease arrives amid news thatGrave of the Fireflieswill also get a theatrical rerelease. The rerelease is part of Ghibli Fest, which will feature films including My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Spirited Away, and The Boy and the Heron on the big screen through spring and into fall.
Grave of the Fireflies (Limited Edition Steelbook)
$22.96
preorder at walmart
preorder at Barnes&noble
The $23 list price for this Steelbook is significantly more affordable than the going price for earlier editions of the Steelbook on eBay, which we’ve spotted for a whopping $450 from some sellers. Earlier Ghibli Steelbook releases featured a uniform design, with a character from the film against a monochromatic background, which likely explains the rarity and popularity of the out-of-print Fireflies Steelbook among collectors.
Of course, Studio Ghibli films have long grappled with serious subject matters, but 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies is among the studio’s most emotionally intense, focusing on the struggle of two siblings to survive during the waning months of World War II.
While Studio Ghibli is most closely associated with director Hayao Miyazaki, the studio’s co-founder, Isao Takahata, directed Fireflies. The film is based on the autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka.
In Rolling Stone’s 2019 assessment of the greatest animated movies of all time, Grave of the Fireflies was praised for being a “profoundly grownup tale of war and loss, the overall mood one of despair and anger. The latest Pixar movie made you weepy? This one will rip your heart and soul out.”
