Both the DVD and Blu-ray give you the option to watch Ponyo in either its original Japanese soundtrack or its �all-star� English dub (as heard in the film�s US theatrical release last year). Thankfully, the English language cast -- including such A-listers as Matt Damon and Tina Fey (as Sosuke�s parents) and Liam Neeson and Cate Blanchett (as Ponyo�s parents) -- doesn�t distract, even with the presence of both a Cyrus (Miley�s little sister Noah as Ponyo) and a Jonas (younger brother Frankie as Sosuke). (For once, Disney synergy doesn�t muck things up.) Betty White, Cloris Leachman and Lily Tomlin round out the cast as a trio of seniors who are also affected, Cocoon style, by Ponyo�s magic.

The Blu-ray also features the option to watch the film alongside the original Japanese storyboards, which appear in a panel in the upper right hand corner of the screen. As one would expect with the exacting nature of Miyazaki�s artistry, the final product doesn�t differ much from the original storyboards. Both the Blu-ray and the DVD also include an optional �introduction to Ponyo�, this time featuring producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall touting the merits of Miyazaki�s work instead of John Lasseter, who usually is tasked with that (now somewhat unnecessary) assignment.

Lasseter does get to sit down with Miyazaki for a brief �Conversation with�, which leads off the Blu-ray�s other bonuses, under �The World of Ghibli� section titled �Behind the Studio�. Among the featurettes included here are ones covering the creation of Ponyo (wherein Miyazaki states he wanted to make a movie for five year olds), how Ponyo was named and who Fujimoto was based on, how the story ended up being set in a senior center instead of a nursery school and how Miyazaki�s method of moviemaking hasn�t changed over the years. Longer features spotlight the locations that helped inspire Ponyo and Miyazaki�s longtime collaborator, composer Joe Hisaishi, as well as a �Behind the Microphone� profile of the English language cast (in which Tina Fey shares that she based her character on her favorite �movie moms�, Poltergeist�s JoBeth Williams and E.T.�s Dee Wallace). Two original Japanese trailers are also included, the first of which serves as a music video of sorts for the infectious Ponyo theme song (�Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo ... tiny little fish; she's a little fish from the deep blue sea ��).

The remainder of the bonuses are cross-promotional tie-ins to three other Studio Ghibli titles with brand new �Special Edition� DVDs (alas, no Blu-rays) also available this week: Castle in the Sky, Kiki�s Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro, all equally recommended. This includes an interactive feature that allows you to �Enter the Lands� to explore the many unique worlds of the Studio Ghibli films. Disappointingly, even though all of the Ghibli movies are represented, you can only access the �lands� of Ponyo and these three other titles. Hopefully, this will be rectified on a future Blu-ray release.

Nevertheless, one will no doubt see that, at least in Miyazaki�s world, hand drawn animation is far from a �dying art�.

• Tim Burton goes down the rabbit hole (along with his regular leading players Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter) for his sure-to-be-trippy take of Alice in Wonderland � and in 3-D, no less (March 5).
• The Academy Award nominated The Princess and the Frog makes its DVD and Blu-ray debut March 16.
• Buzz, Woody and the gang also make their high def home debuts with the March 23 release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on Disney Blu-ray.

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