FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN

Debuts on DVD & VHS October 23rd from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment

Ground-Breaking Sci-Fi Film's DVD Is Double-Disc Special Edition Loaded with Extras, Including Unique Interactive Features

• Cutting-Edge Sci-Fi Action Film Made Cinema History With The First-Ever Cast Of Photo-Realistic, Computer-Generated Characters
• Directed By Hironobu Sakaguchi, Visionary "Final Fantasy" Game Series Creator
• Visual Feast Of Motion, Design And Imagination With All-New, hyperReal Characters Voiced By Alec Baldwin (Pearl Harbor), Steve Buscemi (Armageddon), Peri Gilpin (TV's Frasier), Ming-Na (TV's ER), Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible), Donald Sutherland (Space Cowboys) and James Woods (The General's Daughter).

SPECIAL DVD FEATURES

DISC ONE:

• Two feature-length commentaries:
  • Co-director (Motonori Sakakibara), sequence supervisor (Hiroyuki Hayashida), sets & props lead artist (Tatsuro Maruyama), Phantom supervisor (Takao Noguchi)
  • Animation director (Andy Jones), editor (Chris S. Capp), staging director (Tani Kunitake)
• Isolated score with commentary by composer Elliot Goldenthal
• Storyboard/Playblast selects of the film with optional filmmaker commentary or subtitled factoids
• Theatrical trailers
• Interactive animated menus, featuring CGI introductions created by Square Pictures
• Scene selections with motion images
• Production notes

DISC TWO:

• Original interactive documentary - The Making of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Dig deeper and link-out to information pods which spotlight:
  • Final Fantasy Thriller Music Video
  • Alternate opening sequence
  • Mini-movie: Aki's Dream
  • Trailer exploration
• Multiple workshops including:
  • Seven in-depth character files
  • Three vehicle scale comparisons (Bandit, Quatro, Black Boa)
  • Two face wraps (Aki, Dr. Sid)
  • Character morphs
  • Compositing builds
  • Matte art exploration
  • Sets and props
• Final Fantasy Shuffler: Become the filmmaker by re-editing a pivotal scene from the film. Complete the edit and play back your final cut.
• Interactive animated menus
• DVD-ROM exclusive interactive film exploration
  • Includes complete screenplay
  • Virtual tour of Square Pictures
  • Screensaver
  • Weblinks

THE NEWS

Culver City, CA (8/13/01) -- On October 23, 2001, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment will release the ground-breaking animated action-adventure hit FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN in a double-disc Special Edition DVD, as well as on VHS.

FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN emerges from its highly successful interactive game roots to deliver the next step in the evolution of motion pictures. A fresh, provocative take on the sci-fi genre, the film blends the eternal conflict of humans versus nature with the energy of the digital gaming medium and the scope of the motion picture environment. Hironobu Sakaguchi has seamlessly combined dazzling computer graphics technology with the art of motion pictures to create an exciting new form of entertainment. With the DVD release of FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN, viewers will be able to experience a visual feast of concept, motion, design and imagination with all-new, hyperReal characters as they embark on a mind-bending adventure.

FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN takes place in the year 2065. Earth is under siege. A meteor has crashed onto the planet, unleashing millions of alien creatures who roam the land, threatening to extinguish life itself. The survivors have retreated to "barrier cities" built to shield their citizens from the marauding invaders, but time is running out. Yet the spirit of humankind is resilient and embodied in the brilliant and beautiful Dr. Aki Ross (Ming-Na), Earth's last hope for defeating the alien predators. With the guidance of her scientific mentor Dr. Sid (Donald Sutherland) and the Deep Eyes Military Squadron led by the courageous Capt. Gray Edwards (Alec Baldwin), Aki races to save both the planet and herself.

Hironobu Sakaguchi directs from an original screenplay written by Al Reinert and Jeff Vintar. Original story by Hironobu Sakaguchi. Motonori Sakakibara co-directs. Hironobu Sakaguchi, Jun Aida and Chris Lee are producers. The film's creative team includes animation director Andy Jones, staging director Tani Kunitake and composer Elliot Goldenthal.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DVD SPECIFICATIONS

• Digitally Mastered Audio & Video
• 1.85:1 Widescreen Film Presentation (enhanced for 16x9 TVs)
• Dolby Digital 5.1 (English) and Dolby Surround 2.0 (French)
• English and French subtitles
• Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
• Color
• Closed-Captioned
• 106 minutes

Other Information

DVD
Catalogue DVD: #06249
UPC #0-43396-06249-8
Cost: $24.95 MAP / $29.95 SLP

VHS (Slipsleeve)
Catalog #06368
UPC #0-43396-06368-6
Spanish subtitled Catalog #07426
Spanish subtitled UPC #0-43396-07426-2
Cost: NSL