The official distributor for Secondhand Lions in Japan , Nippon Herald Films , continues it's stellar treatment of the film in Japan by releasing it in DVD and VHS versions , complete with new, classy packaging and artwork that continues to delight fans of the film worldwide.

2 versions of the Region 2 DVD were released on 17th November 2004 , the first one being the Collector's Edition DVD featuring beautiful artwork reminiscent of, yet different from that used in the theatrical posters .

The Collector's Edition is the only version of the DVD available for sale currently, and consists of a transparent plastic clamshell case with artwork in a paper insert that is printed on both sides , showing through the transparent casing.

DVD case Front view	DVD case Back view
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Here is the single paper insert when seen in its complete form from the front ...

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On the reverse of this , another beautiful artwork is printed ....

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The DVD itself features similar artwork as the image on the inside of the DVD paper insert ....

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And when the DVD is placed in the transparent clamshell case with paper insert in place, you get a beautiful whole , with the plane flying across the sky and across the DVD itself !

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It's wonderful little touches like this that adds up to the classy way that Nippon Herald Films has been handling the release of the film in Japan, and we SHL fans really appreciate them for it !

We have yet to explore the special features in the DVD yet, so check back with us again soon for additional news on the DVD features .....

As if the beautifully packaged Collector's Edition was not enough, Nippon Herald Films also released another version of the DVD with DIFFERENT and stunningly new artwork, not seen before in the theatrical promotion , this time ONLY for DVD rental , not for general sale .

This stunningly beautiful artwork, featuring a silhouette of Hubb McCann on a rearing horse as the centrepiece, is also used for the VHS release, which is available both for sale and rental ....

We are still in the process of getting a copy of either the rental DVD or VHS so that we can bring you closeups of the new artwork used , so do check back with us again really soon.

What we really admire about the way the Japanese have chosen to release Secondhand Lions on DVD and home video is that they have taken pains to provide new artwork and packaging not only for the collector's edition DVD on sale, but that the rental version also warranted completely new artwork . That to us is just amazing , and just goes to show how much the Japanese appreciated the film !