Otakon 2014 to Feature Stars of Classic Sailor Moon Dub

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At Otakon 2014, members can meet the stars of the well-known North American dub that introduced the Sailor Moon franchise to millions of English-speaking fans. It's hard to believe, but it's been 20 years since English-speaking audiences were introduced to the series (and 21 years of the Otakon convention). Otakorp Inc. is pleased to welcome Canadian talents Lynda Ballantyne, Katie Griffin and John Stocker to their first Otakon.

Ballantyne is best known as the starring voice of Sailor Moon. She continues to work in animation with roles on such shows as; George of the Jungle, BeyWheelz, Mia and Me, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Gundalian Invaders, Toot & Puddle, Yin! Yang! Yo!, Cyberchase, and Care Bears and is well known for providing the voice of Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) on The Avengers animated series, as well as voicing Percy in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. She has been the "voice" of the Comedy Network for13 years and is currently creating and writing an animated series, Simply Wicked. Check out her new radio show called I’m Just Sayin’ on SiriusXM Satellite’s newest channel Canada Talks (#167).

The voice of Sailor Mars, Griffin has worked with such acting powerhouses as Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close, Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe. She's also known for her portrayal of Alex on Totally Spies, Yoko on Team Galaxy, Zair on Redakai, as well as Julie and Sellon on Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Hikaru on Beyblade. In addition, she portrayed Nina Harper on the Emmy-Award-winning Braceface, Ruby on Max and Ruby and Laugh-a-lot Bear in Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot. She has had numerous guest starring roles on shows such as 6-teen, Stoked and The Dating Guy.

Since voice directing Sailor Moon, Stocker has gone on to helm many productions, including Totally Spies, Beyblade, Caillou, Redakai, Medabots, Pandalian, Mike the Knight, and Ella the Elephant. He has worked on-screen with John Candy, William Shatner, Dan Aykroyd, Mark Wahlberg, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy and Gilda Radner and has been the voice of thousands of TV and radio commercials. His animation voice career includes parts in Droids and Ewoks, and includes many iconic roles, such as Beastly in Care Bears, Toad in Super Mario Brothers, Basil in Babar, Longarm in C.O.P.S., Ultron in The Avengers, Creed in X-Men, The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in The Real Ghostbusters, Thompson in Tin Tin, Newton Gimmick in Teddy Ruxpin and Bugsy in Dog City. Some of his recent roles include Mayor Swifty in Sidekick, Mr. Owl in Franklin, Mission Control in Rob the Robot and both Naga and King Zenoheld in Bakugan.



VIZ Media Acquires Sailor Moon License

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As part of the new agreement, VIZ Media has licensed all 200 episodes of the original SAILOR MOON anime series (rated ‘TV-PG’), including the never before licensed for North America fifth and final climatic season, “Sailor Stars.” The three feature films and additional specials for the long-running show are also part of the acquisition. SAILOR MOON will be presented digitally for the first time, with subtitled EST sets available starting Summer 2014 and dubbed editions late 2014, and DVD and deluxe limited edition Blu-ray/DVD combo packs are planned for Fall 2014. The uncut and uncensored VIZ Media release of SAILOR MOON, featuring its original uncropped 4:3 aspect ratio, will also feature all original Japanese names, story elements and relationships, as well as an all-new, uncut English dub with a new voice cast.
 
VIZ Media will premiere SAILOR MOON Episodes 1-4 (subbed) today on its free NeonAlley.com anime streaming destination and also via the subscription-based Hulu Plus in High Definition. Two new SAILOR MOON episodes will premiere every Monday. Visit www.NeonAlley.com and Hulu.com/sailormoon for more information; the trailer may also be viewed at http://www.hulu.com/watch/635233 and http://youtu.be/RWPyM9afQ-w.
 
VIZ Media has also acquired the new SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL, and more details are forthcoming.
“We’re pleased to partner with VIZ Media to bring the beloved SAILOR MOON anime series back to North America,” says Masayuki Endo, General Manager, Toei Animation, Inc. “This fresh uncut and uncensored release of SAILOR MOON featuring the most accurate adaptation available will be just as creator Naoko Takeuchi intended. We look forward to fans current and new discovering and falling in love with this classic series all over again!”
 
“SAILOR MOON is one of the extremely rare breed of anime series truly deserving of the title of ‘Legendary’,” says Charlene Ingram, VIZ Media Senior Manager, Animation Marketing. “Since its initial debut in the mid-1990’s, SAILOR MOON has been unavailable to English-speaking fans for nearly a decade. It has also never seen a complete and proper unedited release in North America...until now!”
 
“SAILOR MOON was groundbreaking in the way its storyline and main characters resonated with both a male and female audience, and these aspects continue to attract a new generation of fans eager to see this iconic series,” says Brian Ige, VIZ Media Vice President of Animation. “We’re thrilled to be able to release this empowering action title uncut and in its entirety. We invite fans to catch the official premieres on Neon Alley and to enjoy the series on DVD and Blu-ray later this year!”
 
VIZ Media will be celebrating SAILOR MOON at the 2014 Anime Expo, taking place July 3rd–6th at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. Now celebrating its 23nd consecutive year, Anime Expo is sponsored by the SPJA and is the nation’s largest anime convention. VIZ Media will host a variety of special activities and panels throughout “Sailor Moon Day,” on Saturday July 5th. More details forthcoming.
 
The smash hit SAILOR MOON anime series is inspired by the bestselling manga (graphic novel) series created by Naoko Takeuchi (published in North America by Kodansha). In the series, Usagi Tsukino is a clumsy but kindhearted teenage girl who transforms into the powerful guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon. Meeting allies along the way who share similar fates, Usagi and her team of planetary Sailor Guardians fight to protect the universe from forces of evil and total annihilation!