FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Japan's Highest-Grossing Film Of All Time For the First Time In English! VIZ ACQUIRES SPIRITED AWAY PUBLISHING RIGHTS Enters Agreement with Studio Ghibli SAN FRANCISCO, CA - July 15, 2002 - Viz Communications, Inc. today announced its acquisition of the publishing rights to Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. Through a partnership with Studio Ghibli, Viz plans to publish graphic novels, art and coffee table books, which will also serve as the official print adaptations of the movie being released by The Walt Disney Studios this September. Viz will begin releasing Spirited Away in July, marking the debut of this long-awaited and beloved story in English. The critically acclaimed box office hit (box office totals to date equal $234 million) and winner of the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear Award, Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl who discovers a secret, magical world while traveling with her family. When her parents are turned into pigs, Chihiro must learn to navigate this secret world full of ghosts, spirits and goblins, while struggling to maintain her identity and free her parents from its magic spell. A fabulous supernatural adventure full of action, suspense, bizarre creatures and compelling human characters, Spirited Away is the pinnacle of animated fantasy and the latest fantastical creation by animation master Hayao Miyazaki. Hayao Miyazaki is the most beloved animator in Japanese history and the creator of several successful films, including Princess Mononoke (winner of the Japan Academy Award for Best Film release of 1997), My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. Though famous worldwide for his anime, Hayao Miyazaki is also a great manga artist. His major work was Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (also available from Viz), which tells the story of a gentle young princess, Nausicaä, and her struggle to negotiate peace between kingdoms battling over the last inhabitable land after a future ecological disaster. Whether working with comics or animation, Miyazaki's work is known for its entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking art. He currently works out of Studio Ghibli, where he writes, draws and directs with partner Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies). With full color artwork, Spirited Away, Volumes 1-5 present the entire movie in a manga-like format, with thousands of beautiful stills from the film arranged to read as a comic book, complete with translated dialogue. Each title will be presented in its original Japanese format (reads right-to-left) and feature distinctive Japanese sound effects with a bonus translation in the back. Beginning in July, Viz will release the following Spirited Away print titles: SPIRITED AWAY, Volume 1 - Mom, Dad and their daughter, Chihiro, are driving on their way to their new home, but when Dad takes a wrong turn, the family becomes lost in a forest. Eventually, they find their way to a strange abandoned amusement park and when Chihiro wanders off, she returns only to find out Mom and Dad have turned into pigs. Frightened as night falls, Chihiro discovers she's in a world inhabited by ghosts, demons and strange gods. A mysterious boy named Haku helps her and tells her that to survive in this world, Chihiro must find work. She must go down to the boiler room and seek out an old man named Kamaji... $9.95 USA/$16.50 CAN, paperback, 168 color pages SPIRITED AWAY, Volume 2 - Into the boiler room! Chihiro encounters the old arachnoid Kamaji and his bizarre army of soot balls who keep the hot water running. Chihiro tries to help but she's not really suited for this kind of work. When Lin the slug girl comes to deliver lunch, though, Kamaji tells her to take Chihiro with her. Lin introduces Chihiro to the bizarre bathhouse wonderland where she works and to her boss, the giant-size matriarch Yu-baba. After a demonstration of her powers, Yu-baba renames Chihiro "Sen" and puts her to work. Sen goes through a grueling first day of scrubbing floors and being made fun of by the other workers for being human, but she forges on. In the middle of the day, while everyone's asleep, she sneaks outside to meet Haku... $9.95 USA/$16.50 CAN, paperback, 168 color pages SPIRITED AWAY, Volume 3 - Haku takes Sen to visit her parents, who have turned into pigs. Sen promises to rescue them and get them out of their predicament one day. Back to work, Sen is forced to do the grossest jobs, like cleaning out the giant tub. And then the dreaded Stink God pays a visit to the bathhouse and Sen is sent to serve him. Through pluck and determination, though, Sen perseveres and wins a valuable prize in the process. Meanwhile, the mysterious No-Face monster is lurking about. What does he want? $9.95 USA/$16.50 CAN, paperback, 168 color pages SPIRITED AWAY, Volume 4 - Sen finally sees Haku's real identity: a flying white dragon. But it may be too late for Haku as he's chased by a flock of paper birds and dying from a fatal spell that's been put on him. Sen discovers that Haku's stolen a precious ink stamp from Yu-baba's twin sister and it's she, a powerful sorceress, who's put this spell on him. To save Haku's life, Sen must journey to Swamp Bottom and return the stamp to Yu-baba's sister. Meanwhile, why is the No-Face monster randomly devouring the workers of the bathhouse? $9.95 USA/$16.50 CAN, paperback, 168 color pages SPIRITED AWAY, Volume 5 - The exciting conclusion! No-Face reveals his true nature. Sen escapes from his wrath and, with two new friends, makes for Swap Bottom in search of Yu-baba's sister. Haku, meanwhile, revives and goes off in search of Sen. After they are reunited, No-Face finds a new job with Yu-baba's sister and Sen learns Haku's real identity. Now, to save her parents, all she has to do is identify the right pig! $9.95 USA/$16.50 CAN, paperback, 168 color pages THE ART OF SPIRITED AWAY - A large, hardcover coffee-table book featuring artwork from the renowned animated film, Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Features color stills, sketches, storyboards and illustrations used to envision the rich fantasy world of the film. Also includes extensive production notes and a complete English-language script from the film. $34.95 USA/$57.95 CAN, paperback, 240 color pages SPIRITED AWAY PICTURE BOOK - A large, hardbound book for kids that tells the entire story of the hit animated feature film, Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and being distributed this fall by Disney. Generously illustrated by color stills from the film. $19.95 USA/$32.95 CAN, hardbound, 168 color pages About Viz Viz Communications, Inc., is the leading U.S. publisher of Japanese animation and comics (anime and manga) for English-speaking audiences, serving a growing market of dedicated fans of all ages. Founded in 1986, Viz publishes over 20 titles every month including Ranma 1/2, Pokémon, Gundam and Dragon Ball Z. Viz also offers an integrated product line of consumer entertainment that includes magazines, comics, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks. Based in San Francisco, California, Viz is one of the top five comics publishers in the U.S. and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shogakukan, one of Japan's three largest publishers. With some of the most innovative products in the industry, Viz has expanded its offerings to its loyal fans through web sites such as www.animerica-mag.com, www.pulp-mag.com, www.j-pop.com and its corporate site, www.viz.com. # # #