Originally released on DVD back in 2002, the Escaflowne movie is basically a retelling of the original 26 episode series into a 98 minute time slot. This may sound absurd but the movie turned out to be one beautiful piece of work due to a few factors: the animation was done by studio BONES (Fullmetal Alchemist, Wolf’s Rain, RahXephon), the music was composed by Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf’s Rain, Turn A Gundam), the producer is SUNRISE (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex, Mobile Suit Gundam), and the director is Kazuki Akane (Heat Guy J, Geneshaft, Noein).

To those of you that are new to the Escaflowne world, here’s a brief summary:
The story centers on Hitomi Kanzaki, who is tired of life. Depressed and despondent, she wishes that she could just fade away, to make the pain of living stop hurting. Her pain resonates with
another on the world of Gaia, and when her wish is granted, she finds herself in a strange land. She is greeted as the legendary Wing Goddess, with the power to summon the legendary Escaflowne. Hitomi’s fate is intertwined with the brash young warrior king Van, who also feels that life has lost its meaning. By summoning Escaflowne, the Wing Goddess will choose a path for Gaia’s future. But will it be salvation…or destruction?

The release date is September 15 of this year and includes Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Japanese and English audio, English subtitles, and cast and staff interviews. The starting price is $39.98. I’m sure the movie will look fabulous on Blu-ray so be sure to check it out on its release.