Hayao Miyazaki’s 1978 TV anime series Future Boy Conan is at last getting an official North American release courtesy of GKIDS.
GKIDS’ release of Future Boy Conan is required to show up in late 2021. The arthouse animation distributor will release the series with a brand new 4K restoration, as well as an English name.
Future Boy Conan was produced by Nippon Animation and is inexactly founded on the 1970 American sci-fi novel The Incredible Tide by Alexander Key. The series ran for 26 episodes and got two theatrical compilation films, as well as a 1999 spin-off series from an alternate production team, Future Boy Conan II: Taiga Adventure.
As the first major executive work led by Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, it has been one of the most in-demand anime classics to have never seen a proper release in the United States up until this point. Streamline Pictures attempted to release two named VHS collections during the ’90s, however the estate of Alexander Key blocked any American release on copyright grounds.
Future Boy Conan’s impact can be seen in the later movies of Hayao Miyazaki, as well as across the world of animation. The first episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! reproduced scenes from Future Boy Conan, making it the anime that inspires protagonist Midori Asakusa to want to direct. Director Enrico Casarosa has refered to it as a significant visual effect on Luca.
Specific details for the release of Future Boy Conan presently can’t seem to be declared, however a Blu-ray set is expected and a streaming release or something to that affect is possible. GKIDS’ official website for Future Boy Conan likewise incorporates a contact link for theatrical booking inquiries, so event screenings in theaters are plausible.
