Have you ever been watching one of the fine animated films from Studio Ghibli and thought to yourself, “Man, I really wish I could light this Djarum Black or start a small brush fire while showing off my appreciation for My Neighbor Totoro?”  I know I have.  Well now you can add a little flair to your smoker’s/arsonist’s lifestyle with these new Zippo lighters featuring notable characters from Studio Ghibli’s storied resume of films.  Show your friends you still pine for Princess Mononoke, or that Ponyo and The Cat Returns remain unfairly underrated.  Hit the jump to find out where you can buy them, along with more than 25 images of the various lighters for sale.

Fans of Studio Ghibli will be happy to hear they’ve added two new films to their upcoming slate from two of the medium’s most acclaimed directors.  First up from Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu). Based on his most recent comic, The Wind Rises centers on Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed the Zero Fighter used by Japanese pilots in World War II. In an interesting note, the manga’s characters happen to be anthropomorphic pigs.

Also added to Studio Ghibli’s list is Princess Kaguya Story (Kaguya-Hime no Monogatari), the new film from director Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies). This film is based on the Japanese folk story, “Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” which was also referenced in Takahata’s 1999 work, My Neighbors the Yamadas. Hit the jump for a look at images from Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises manga.

Back in August, we brought you the trailer for Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill, written by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by his son Goro Miyazaki.  Now, we have word that the English version has a planned theatrical release of March 15th, 2013.  Lending their voices to that version will be such top talent as Gillian Anderson, Ron Howard, Christina Hendricks, Jamie Lee Curtis and Beau Bridges, among others.  Hit the jump to see who else is joining the party, along with the synopsis for From Up on Poppy Hill.

Written by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by his son Goro Miyazaki, From Up on Poppy Hill is the latest animated film from Studio Ghibli to grace our shores.  Based on a popular manga by the same name, From Up on Poppy Hill follows a group of teens who attempt to prevent their school clubhouse from being demolished by a local developer.  The trailer steers away from that plot and focuses on an interesting dynamic between a young boy and girl.  From Up on Poppy Hill was released in Japan on July 16th of last year, but will be distributed domestically by GKIDS in March of next year.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

Hayao Miyazaki‘s last film was about the friendship between a goldfish and a five-year-old boy.  His next movie looks like it will be slightly more serious.  According to ANN [via  Twitch], the legendary director’s next film is based on the life of Jiro Horikoshi, “the man who designed the Zero fighter plane used in the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. Horikoshi was an aeronautical engineer who developed a number of military aircrafts, with Zero being his most famous invention.”  Miyazaki’s films are known for their supernatural and mystical aspects, so I’m not sure where they would fit into this story, if they do at all.  Based only on the subject matter, I’m reminded of another Studio Ghibli picture and one of the saddest movies ever made, Grave of the Fireflies (if you haven’t seen it, watch it and bring a crate of tissues).

Completion on Miyazaki’s untitled picture is slated for late 2013.

We’re only 24 hours or so into the 2012 SDCC, and already Mondo – the movie-poster producing arm of Tim League’s ever-expanding Alamo Drafthouse brand—has caused quite the stir:  last night’s archive sale put a slew of Avengers posters into the hands of eager fans who’d been unable to catch them during their drop dates, and today the company unveiled three new posters—for The Dark Knight Rises, Princess Mononoke, and HBO’s Game of Thrones–  that resulted in the kind of sprawling lines usually associated with theme park rides.  Want to see Mondo’s latest, and hear about what it was like on the frontlines?  Meet me after the jump, folks.

With Pixar’s Brave opening this weekend, Disney recently held a press junket in Scotland where I got to interview some of the cast and filmmakers.  The film centers on Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), a young girl who accidentally sets loose an evil curse when she wishes for the freedom to escape her restrictive life.  But the big news about Brave is that it’s Pixar’s first film with a female protagonist and their first fairy tale.  I imagine in won’t be their last.  Brave also features the voices of Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, and Julie Walters.  For more on Brave, here’s all our previous coverage and four clips.

During my interview with John Lasseter we talked about the technical challenges of Brave, the challenges Pixar will overcome in the future, his favorite Studio Ghibli film, if there’s a chance Pixar and Marvel could make a movie together, and limited art prints.  Hit the jump to watch.

Though Pixar are often considered the reigning champs of cinematic batting averages (they have one of the best records for quality), Studio Ghibli is their equal, which may explain why Pixar’s John Lasseter has shepherded Ghibli’s work into American theaters.  This has everything to do with filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, whose work on films like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away puts him in the pantheon with Walt Disney.  The Secret World of Arrietty wasn’t directed by him (though he has a credit as its planner), but it falls in line with his whimsical children’s films.  Our review of the Blu-ray of Arrietty follows after the jump.

A few days ago, I posted an awesome Loki figure from The Avengers made by Hot Toys.  It was the first “Geek Gifts” article in a long time and I mentioned that the response to the post would determine if we’d continue the column.  Let’s just say it was a success.  So, as promised, it’s time for another “Geek Gifts” article and this one is especially relevant for those that like cool t-shirts.

If you’ve ever seen my video interviews, you know I love wearing t-shirts.  I especially love wearing shirts that are inspired by my favorite movies and TV shows.  Recently, a friend turned me onto a company called RedBubble, and they let their users submit their own designs and some of them are pretty great.  Since I know a lot of you don’t have the time to go through the thousands of reader submissions, I’ve done the legwork for you.  So hit the jump if you like Studio Ghibli, Breaking Bad, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Tron, the original Superman, Battle of the Planets, The Lion King, and more.

Studio Ghibli and Level-5′s video game Ni No Kuni was one of my most-anticipated games of 2012.  Now it will have to be one of my most-anticipated games of 2013.  The PlayStation 3 game has already been released in Japan, and it was originally schedule to be released in the US this spring.  Then this spring turned into this winter.  Now this winter has turned into early 2013.  I’m not sure why there’s such a long delay, but it looks like we’ll have to tough it out and wait even longer for this gorgeous-looking RPG.

Adding insult to injury, a new English-language trailer has gone online, and it makes the game look even more spectacular.  Studio Ghibli’s wonderful storytelling seems to have easily made the transition to the gaming world, and so here’s hoping that Level-5 has delivered on the gameplay side.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Then remember you either have to wait almost a year to play the game.

Opening today in America is Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty.  Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, the film is an adaptation of Mary Norton‘s children’s novels The Borrowers, which focuses on miniscule people who attempt to hide their existence and “borrow” items from human beings in order to survive.  I recently saw the film and it’s fantastic.  It’s also great for both kids and adults.  Absolutely recommended.

Recently, I got to speak with Bridgit Mendler (she voices Arrietty).  We talked about how the movie shows our world but from a different perspective, does she have a favorite Studio Ghibli movie, how she got cast, the recording process, karaoke, and she also talks about her upcoming CD.  Hit the jump to watch.

Opening tomorrow in America is Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty.  Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, the film is an adaptation of Mary Norton‘s children’s novels The Borrowers, which focuses on miniscule people who attempt to hide their existence and “borrow” items from human beings in order to survive.  I recently saw the film and it’s fantastic.  It’s also great for both kids and adults.  Absolutely recommended.

Recently, I got to speak with Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett (they voice two of the characters).  We talked about how the movie shows our world but from a different perspective, do they have a favorite Studio Ghibli movie, is there anything in comedy that’s off limits, karaoke, Dunkin Donuts, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

On Friday, Mondo will release two prints for Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro by Olly Moss because of course they are.  They already have licenses for Pixar, DC Comics, Star Trek, and eventually everything else you love or will ever love.  The Totoro poster coincides with the start of the IFC Center’s Studio Ghibli retrospective.  Mondo is also planning to release a poster for Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso.

The folks who pick up some Totoro greatness should know that their money will go to a good cause (an actual good cause, not getting an awesome poster for yourself).  Mondo and Studio Ghibli will donate all profits to Ghetto Film School, a non-profit organization of educators and students who share of storytelling and filmmaking.  Hit the jump for the press release and more details on the poster and its variant.  The posters will go on sale at a random time on Friday.  Be sure you’re following @MondoNews for the announcement.

Back in October, we told you about an upcoming PlayStation 3 JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) called Ni No Kuni.  The game is notable not only for its gorgeous graphics, but because it comes from the celebrated animation studio, Studio Ghibli.  Studio Ghibli has been home to Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and the rest of Hayao Miyazaki’s filmography.  While he was not personally involved with the game, Ghibli has told other great stories and I hope that Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is one of them.

A new preview for the game has gone online and gives a better idea of what we can expect from Ghibli’s collaboration with game developer Level-5 (Dragon Quest IX).  The story revolves around Oliver, a young boy who is transported to a magical world where he attempts to find his deceased mother.  There doesn’t seem to be anything revolutionary about the gameplay, but sometimes it’s better to do a solid job with something familiar rather than innovate for innovation’s sake (I’m looking at you, every Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy X-2).  Hit the jump to check out the preview.  Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is due out in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2012, but it might get pushed back a little.

Earlier this year I was able to do a Hayao Miyazaki retrospective through Netflix DVD rentals, but his films lose their cinematic scope on the small screen.  Characters in My Neighbor Totoro (tied with Spirited Away as my favorite Miyazaki film), Castle in the Sky, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind soar through the air through massive landscapes and it would be wonderful to see these movies in theaters.  Thankfully, that opportunity will come to New York’s IFC Center beginning December 16th when Studio Ghibli and distributor GKIDS do a 15-film retrospective, which will include Miyazaki’s films.  The retrospective will run until January 12th, feature new 35mm prints, and will run both subtitled and English-dubbed versions.

But it gets even better.  GKIDS plans to bring the retrospective to Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Toronto, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, and other major markets in early 2012.  Fingers crossed one of those markets is Atlanta.  And even if it isn’t, GKIDS is also planning limited releases of select Studio Ghibli titles, many of which have never been released theatrically in the US.  If these movies swing by your city, make sure you check them out.  Hit the jump for the full press release and list of movies playing in the retrospective.  Advance tickets can be purchased at gkids.com.