Coraline and ParaNorman 4K, Goodbye Don Glees Release This December

Last year, independent distributor Shout Factory signed a distribution deal with the renowned stop-motion animation Studio LAIKA. The deal saw them release new editions of the studio's first four films with new special features. Now their partnership is set to continue, with the announcement that they would be bringing two of their films to 4K for the first time.

Coraline and ParaNorman will both be released as 4K+Blu-Ray combo packs. They will be released both in standard editions and in Limited Edition Steelbook editions, complete with exclusive new artwork. All editions will also contain the previously released special features drawn from LAIKA's archive.

Both films have been newly restored in 4k and overseen by LAIKA themselves. The painstaking process was led by LAIKA CEO Travis Knight and Visual Effects Supervisor Steve Emerson, who pored over every frame to make sure they looked better than ever.

The use of Dolby Vision enhances the experience even more with vivid colours and better picture quality really unleashing the power of HDR technology. The audio was also mixed in Dolby Atmos, picking up more details in the soundtrack and making for a more immersive expereince. 

The new 4K editions will be available from December 13. Click to preorder Coraline  or ParaNorman (Amazon links).

Also out in December is Goodbye, Don Glees, in partnership with GKIDS Films. Released in cinemas last month, the coming-of-age film comes from acclaimed anime studio Madhouse and writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka.  It screened at various film festivals around the world including Annecy International Animation Festival, Fantasia and Tokyo International Film Festival.

The film follows three teenaged misfits who call themselves the "Don Glees", an informal name for the adventures they have in the woodland near their homes. When they find themselves blamed for a forest fire, they set off to try and prove their innocence. Along the way, tensions flare as they discover that growing up has sent them on starkly different paths in life.

It is the first original feature from Ishizuka, who earned coniserable acclaim for the  TV series A Place Further Than The Universe. The Blu-Ray edition contains an interview with the director and trailers.

Goodbye Don Glees arrives on Digital from December 13, with the Blu-Ray+DVD Combo arriving on December 27. Preorder from Amazon here.