Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie

This article is about the 2015 movie. For the 2004 movie, see Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. For the 2017 live action movie, see Ghost in the Shell (2017 film). For other uses, see Ghost in the Shell (disambiguation).

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kazuchika Kise[a] Kazuya Nomura
Written by	Tow Ubukata
Based on	Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow
Produced by	Kengo Abe Natsuko Tatsuzawa Tetsushi Suzuki
Starring	Maaya Sakamoto Ikkyuu Juku Kenichirou Matsuda Tarusuke Shingaki Shunsuke Sakuya Takurou Nakakuni Yōji Ueda Kazuya Nakai Miyuki Sawashiro[1]
Music by	Cornelius
Production company	Production I.G
Distributed by	Toho
Release date	June 20, 2015 (2015-06-20) (Japan)[2]
Running time	100 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	$1.7 million[3]

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (Japanese: 攻殻機動隊 新劇場版, Hepburn: Kōkaku Kidōtai: Shin Gekijōban, lit. 'Mobile Armored Riot Police: The New Theatrical Edition'), also known in Japan as Ghost in the Shell: The Movie or New Ghost in the Shell, is a 2015 Japanese animated science fiction film directed by Kazuya Nomura. A continuation of the Ghost in the Shell: Arise original video animation, The New Movie is the first film in the series since Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society in 2006, and the first theatrical film since Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence in 2004. The film is a continuation of Pyrophoric Cult (the final episode of Arise), and ties up loose ends from that arc.^[4]

Premise

Set after the events of Arise, the film involves the assassination of the Prime Minister of Japan which is publicly described as the "greatest event since the war". It is up to Public Security Section 9, led by Major Motoko Kusanagi, to discover the true nature of the murder. They are aided by the Prime Minister's son, Osamu Fujimoto.^[5]

Voice cast

Character	Japanese voice actor	English dubbing actor
Motoko Kusanagi	Maaya Sakamoto[6]	Elizabeth Maxwell
Daisuke Aramaki	Ikkyuu Juku[6]	John Swasey
Batou	Kenichirou Matsuda[6]	Christopher Sabat
Togusa	Tarusuke Shingaki[6]	Alex Organ
Ishikawa	Shunsuke Sakuya[6]	Brandon Potter
Saito	Takuro Nakakuni[6]	Marcus D. Stimac
Paz	Youji Ueda[6]	Jason Douglas
Borma	Kazuya Nakai[6]	Phil Parsons
Logicoma	Miyuki Sawashiro[6]	Jad Saxton
Kurtz	Mayumi Asano[6]	Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Tsumugi	Kenji Nojima[6]	Eric Vale
Robert Lee	Mugihito[6]	Bradley Campbell
Chris	Megumi Han[6]	Trina Nishimura
Richard Wong	Atsushi Miyauchi[6]	Kenny Green
Osamu Fujimoto	NAOTO[5]	David Matranga

Production

A new theatrical title in the Ghost in the Shell series was announced on September 5, 2014, on the official Japanese Ghost in the Shell: Arise website.^[7] The site confirmed the film would see a 2015 release, and labelled the upcoming film as the "further evolution [of the series]".^[8] On January 8, 2015, a short teaser trailer was revealed for the project unveiling a redesigned Major more closely resembling her appearance from the older films. The trailer listed Kazuya Nomura as the director, Kazuchika Kise as the character designer, Toru Okubo as the animation director, Tow Ubukata as the screenplay writer and Cornelius as the composer. The film was announced with a tentative release of "early summer of 2015" in Japanese theaters.^[9]

On March 20, the official website for The New Movie was updated with a teaser trailer showing thirty seconds of footage. The character designs of Section 9 were revealed to be more closely resembling the Arise series, rather than other incarnations of the characters. The trailer announced the film's Japanese premiere date of June 20, 2015.^[10] The film's main theme, "Mada Ugoku" by Maaya Sakamoto and Cornelius, was announced on March 25 alongside another track made for the movie titled "Anata o Tamotsu Mono". Both were released in a collectible compact disc on June 17, 2015.^[11] Sandaime J Soul Brothers' member, NAOTO, made his debut as a voice actor in The New Movie, starring in the role of a new character named Osamu Fujimoto. Fujimoto is described as the son of the fictional Japanese Prime Minister featured in the film.^[5]

A full trailer depicting scenes from the film was released on May 29, 2015, revealing many returning characters from Arise as well as mention of the Fire Starter hacker.^[12] A twelve-minute preview of footage from the film was released publicly on June 9 as promotion before its Japanese premiere.^[13] The film was released on June 20, 2015, in Japanese theaters.^[14][15][16] On July 25, it was announced by Funimation at the 2015 Otakon anime convention that the film would receive a localized theatrical run in Western territories under the title of Ghost in the Shell: The Movie,^[17] later changed to Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie.^[18]

Promotion

Virtual Reality Diver

A promotional poster for Virtual Reality Diver, used at TGS 2015

On September 14, 2015, Production I.G. announced a 10-minute virtual reality short film titled Kōkaku Kidōtai - Shin Gekijōban: Virtual Reality Diver based on The New Movie. The short film is described as an "original story" presented in "360° 3D video" and plays through the use of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, releasing worldwide on both the Apple App Store and Google Play in the fourth quarter of 2015.^[19] A three-minute demonstration trailer of Virtual Reality Diver was shown at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show. It was input through a single 2D channel, rather than the 3D input planned for the final product, in order to present it to a larger press through the six-meter hemispherical display. In subsequent press releases, many outlets released tilted photographs of the trailer.^[20]

Virtual Reality Diver is part of Production I.G.'s "SIGN" project, an effort to create a "bodily sensation of being in another world" and to "combine futuristic technology with art". It is a collaborative effort with graphics design studio "WOW". Staff from Production I.G. includes Mikio Gunji as executive producer, Atsunori Maeshima as producer, and Hiroyuki Ogino as an assistant. Staff from WOW includes Nobumichi Asai as creative director, Toshiyuki Takahei as technical director, and Satoru Itoya as technical producer.^[19] The voice work in the film features Maaya Sakamoto as Major Kusanagi, Kenichirou Matsuda as Batou, Miyuki Sawashiro as the Logicoma, Ryota Takeuchi as original character Okitatsu Oribe and Sayaka Ohara as Yuri.^[20]

Releases

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie was released on Japanese home video (Blu-ray and DVD) on October 28, 2015, under the Bandai Visual label.^[21] Special features included on the home release are an audio commentary overdubbing the film, a second disc with footage from "Ghost in the Shell All Night" that features cast interviews with previous directors and producers in the franchise (including Mamoru Oshii, Kenji Kamiyama, Tow Ubukata among others),^[22] as well as commercials, trailers and a promotional video. The New Movie was given a limited release in American cinemas on the 10th, 11th, and 16 November 2015.^[23]

Reception

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie has received mostly positive reception. Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku called the film a "solid addition to the franchise and a great capstone to the often shaky Arise story", praising the action scenes in particular as "excellent from start to finish". His criticisms of the film were on the reliance of homages to other Ghost in the Shell property, saying that "homages are fine; but like any trope in film, they lose their charm if you use them too often". He ended his review wishing to see further exploration into the Arise universe, albeit satisfied with Arise as a whole.^[24]

The film grossed $1,713,406 at the box office.^[3]

Notes

1. Chief director (総監督)

References

1. "2015 Ghost in the Shell Film's First Teaser Previews Animation". Anime News Network. January 8, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
2. Ozman, Hugo. "Watch The New Promotional Video For The New GHOST IN THE SHELL Animated Film". TwitchFilm.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
3. "Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015) box office". Box Office Mojo. August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
4. "Ghost in the Shell: Arise's Broadcast to Add 2 New Episodes". ANN. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
5. "3rd J Soul Brothers' Naoto Joins 2015 Ghost in the Shell Film's Cast". ANN. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
6. "Movie "Ghost in the Shell Evangelion" STAFF & CAST". Kokaku-A Blog. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
7. "New Ghost in the Shell Film Slated for 2015". Anime News Network. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
8. にいみ, なお (6 September 2014). "2015年に新劇場版「攻殻機動隊」製作決定 新たな「GHOST IN THE SHELL」か？". Kai-You. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
9. Ishaan (8 January 2015). "New Ghost in the Shell Film Coming This Summer; Here's A Teaser". Siliconera. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
10. "2015 Ghost in the Shell Film's Promo Previews New Footage". Anime News Network. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
11. "Maaya Sakamoto, Cornelius to Perform New Ghost in the Shell Film's Theme Song". ANN. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
12. "2015 Ghost in the Shell Film's Theatrical Preview Streamed". ANN. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
13. "「攻殻機動隊 新劇場版」本編冒頭12分映像". YouTube. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
14. 攻殻機動隊 新劇場版(2015). allcinema.net (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
15. "New Ghost in the Shell Film Slated for 2015". Anime News Network. September 5, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
16. Chapman, Paul. "Former Directors Gather for "Ghost in the Shell" All-Night Event in June". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
17. Lauren (25 July 2015). "Speed Racer, Psycho-Pass: The Movie, Ghost in the Shell: The Movie, Assassination Classroom 2, and More — Announced at Otakon 2015!". Funimation. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
18. "Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie - The Official Site". Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie Funimation site. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
19. "Production I.G to Make Virtual Reality Content". Anime News Network. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
20. "Photo Feature: Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie Virtual Reality Diver App Trailer". Anime News Network. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
21. Chapman, Paul. ""Ghost in the Shell: The Movie" Headed to Japanese Home Video in October". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
22. Chapman, Paul. "Former Directors Gather for "Ghost in the Shell" All-Night Event in June". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
23. "Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie English Dub Trailer Reveals Theatrical Release Dates". Anime News Network. 22 June 2023.
24. Eisenbeis, Richard (23 June 2015). "Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie Helps Make Arise Better". Kotaku. Retrieved 20 July 2015.

External links

• Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie at IMDb
• Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie at Rotten Tomatoes
• Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie at Box Office Mojo
• Official website (in Japanese)
• Official website (in English)