Disney Slates US Theatrical Release of Tales from Earthsea

Disney has announced the forthcoming US release of Studio Ghibli’s Tales from Earthsea directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Miyazaki. The delay has been attributed to a rights issue between Disney and SyFy Channel over an existing non-compete agreement, as the TV network based a 2007 miniseries on the same Earthsea novel series as the 2006 animated adaptation.

In a shift from its normal distribution arrangement, Disney will distribute the film under the Touchstone Pictures brand, with the last animated film distributed under the banner being Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas.  The voice cast for the film is composed of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin and Mariska Hargitay also marking another change from the typical casting pattern for Disney/Studio Ghibli films.The film will be released in theaters on August 13th of this year.

[via Scott Green and Cartoon Brew]