Cover Art Comparison: Escaflowne (Movie)

To wrap up the month, here’s another short post – a second entry in what I might make a regular thing, a bit of ‘Cover Art Comparison’.

Last time I went with Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit and its new box art, but today I’ve got something a bit older, with the Escaflowne movie.

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There two aren’t split between ‘reissue’ and ‘old’ cover art, but what I thought was the International poster/dvd/blu-ray is on the left with the Japanese one on the right… but now I’m not sure if that’s actually the way the promotional material worked at all 😀

In any event, I think the left speaks to the tone of the movie a lot better – more shadow, more sense of menace with the sword signalling violence but the moons and Hitomi floating speaking to the fantastical. It also has some of the ensemble feel, and probably puts Van as ‘lead’.

Obviously, in contrast on the right there’s so much soothing blue, feathers and a sense of calm and repose to Hitomi. When I see this, I could almost think romantic fantasy/school drama with her as the obvious lead. Yet that winged skeleton has a touch of darkness to it.

Each version has a different purposes too, I think, in terms of speaking to differing audiences and with the art on the right, I wonder if it was always used as the ‘ultimate’ edition, for re-issues etc.

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Over to you – got a fav between the two?

(There’s also this one I found on IMDB but don’t think I’ve ever seen on disc, must have just been a poster – really working the live action conventions of an action/fantasy movie poster I reckon).