Written by: Gabriel Castillo | Published on: July 19, 2021 at 2:49 PM PHT (GMT+8)
Benelic Co. Ltd., the company in charge of Studio Ghibli merchandise, announced a new item to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the studio’s global hit Spirited Away: the Michiannai no Kantera or Lantern Guide. The new release will be available by the end of December 2021 at JPY 8,800.
This friendly entity helped guide Sen and her friends through the forest to Zeniba’s house and the product looks exactly like the helpful hand-lamp. The base looks quite sturdy while the lamp part is removable and the candle light responds to movement by flickering and swaying, giving an authentic feel. The wait for December is quite long but customers can pre-order starting July 22. On the same day, an official collection of 20th Anniversary Limited Model Spirited Away Seiko watches will be released to keep fans going.
Each piece goes for JPY 15,400 with four unique designs based on iconic characters from the film.
No Face Black
No Face Red
Haku
Haku Dragon
Apart from the lovely merchandise, a special campaign will be held to further commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film’s release. New decorations and projects featuring the 20th anniversary logo will be available in stores and online. Check out the gorgeous logo below.
Spirited Away is a Japanese fantasy film released in 2001 written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film follows ten-year-old Chihiro and her parents heading towards their new home. They decide to take a shortcut that leads them to the entrance of an abandoned theme park. Inside, the parents find a stall packed with food which they dive into and start pigging out. Chihiro has a bad feeling about the food, refuses to eat, and wanders around on her own. During her solo exploration, she meets a boy who demands that she leaves before dark. In a panic, she runs back to her parents only to find them transformed into pigs. Night falls and spirits roam the park. The boy, named Haku, helps Chihiro sneak past spirits and figure out a way to survive in that world. From there, their adventures begin. After grossing close to USD 400 million worldwide, the movie won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards making history as the first and only hand-drawn and non-English animated film to win.
Sources: PRTimes, SoraNews24
