Region 4 Winners and Losers

    The Region 1 United States release by Disney featured an English, Japanese and French soundtrack and the following extras:

• World of Ghibli – An Extraordinary Interactive Experience
• Enter the Lands – Meet the characters and hear the story of the movie
• Behind the Studio – Discover the film’s inspiration through documentaries, including all-new interviews with Hayao Miyazaki
• Meet Ponyo – Introduction by the Producers
• Storyboard Presentation of the Movie

     According to DanielB's initial review of the single disc edition here, there are two editions in Region 2 (Japan). There is a 9 disc box set (called the First Press Limited Edition) featuring:

• Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea with English Subtitles (seemingly with DTS-ES 6.1 soundtrack)
• Bonus DVD: Storyboard, Previews
• Ponyo Was Produced Like This - Hayao Miyazaki's Thinking Process 5-DVD Making Documentary
• Joe Hisaishi in Budokan - Miyazaki Anime to Tomo ni Ayunda 25 Nenkan 2-DVD Concert
• Drawing Tutorial DVD (Suzuki Toshio)
• Ponyo Sticker Seal Book
• Gatefold Sleeve.

     There is also a standard Japanese version which is similar to our local version excepting it does not include the English dub but does have English subtitles and the DTS-ES soundtrack. There are also Region 3 Korean and Hong Kong versions which both feature DTS-ES 6.1 soundtracks and English subs but no dub.

     If you desire an English-friendly release of Ponyo, you really can't look past this excellent two-disc Special Edition of Ponyo in Region 4 by Madman.