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GKIDS, Shout! Factory to Release Okko's Inn Anime Film on BD/DVD

GKIDS and Shout! Factory announced on Monday that they will release the Okko's Inn (Waka Okami wa Shōgakusei!) anime film on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on July 2. The film will also launch for digital download on the same day.

The companies describe the film:

After losing her parents in a car accident, Okko goes to live in the countryside with her grandmother, who runs a traditional inn near an ancient spring said to have healing waters. Okko soon discovers there are spirits living there only she can see – welcoming ghosts who keep her company, play games and help her navigate her new environment. Okko strives to be a gracious host, and this is soon put to the test by a string of challenging guests with different stories. But ultimately Okko discovers that dedicating herself to others becomes the key to taking care of herself, in this beautiful tale from Kitarō Kōsaka, who was a key animator on numerous classic films at the venerable Studio Ghibli.

GKIDS and Fathom Events held United States screenings of the anime film on April 22-23. Screenings on April 22 had the English dub, while screenings on April 23 featured Japanese with English subtitles. The New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) screened the world premiere of the film's English dub on February 23, with another screening on March 10.

Canadian theater chain Cineplex and Landmark Cinemas are listing that they will screen the film in Canada in May. Screenings on May 4 will be English-dubbed, while screenings on May 6 will be in Japanese with English subtitles.

The film opened in Japan last September, and is based on writer Hiroko Reijō and artist Asami's juvenile literature series. The books also inspired a 24-episode television anime that premiered last April on TV Tokyo and five other affiliates. The film tells a story not told in either the original book series or the television series — specifically, a story about Okko and her parents.

DLE and Madhouse animated the film along with the television anime, but Kitaro Kousaka (A-Girl, Nasu: Summer in Andalusia) directed the film instead of the television anime's directors. Similarly, Reiko Yoshida (K-ON!, The Cat Returns, Girls und Panzer) wrote the script instead of the television staff. Kyōko Yauchi was in charge of art setting, and Shunsuke Hirota was the animation director.

Source: Press release