Compilation of Final Fantasy VII | Advent Children | FAQ

Compiled by Reeve. Last updated: May 5, 2006

1. What exactly is Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children?
         FFVII: Advent Children (from here on referred to as Advent Children or AC) is a computer-generated movie produced by Square Enix. It serves as a sequel to the 1997 game Final Fantasy VII and features numerous characters and locations from the original, as well as some new faces.
   


2. When will it be available?
         The official release date for Japan was September 14, 2005; for North America, it was April 25, 2006; for the United Kingdom, it was April 24, 2006; and for Australia, May 3, 2006. It must be noted that the film's near-simultaneous DVD release in both North America and the UK is likely a first for Square, and certainly a rare occurance for any motion picture.
         AC's release has been delayed numerous times. The movie was originally scheduled to be out in Japan during Summer 2004, but for various reasons, the date kept being pushed back. For North America, a tentative date of November 29, 2005 was sent to retailers, before quietly being pushed back, first to a January 2006 date, and then to an (at the time) undetermined one. The English-language release delays are believed to have been caused by voice casting issues.
   


3. Will Advent Children be shown in theaters?
         The original intention was to have AC go direct-to-DVD, but since then, Square Enix has announced some theatrical screenings. The film debuted on August 31 at the 2005 Venice International Film Festival, followed by some screenings in Japan prior to the DVD release; these latter showings were limited only to Shinra fan club members. After the film's Japanese DVD release, AC has appeared at other film festivals around the world; it most recently appeared at a London fest in April 2006.
         Elsewhere, a promotional screening was held in Hollywood, CA in early April 2006, with voice actors in attendance.
         Prior to the completion of the movie, preview versions (each ranging somewhere between twenty-five and thirty minutes in length) have been shown at at least three film and/or new media festivals, including the 2004 Venice fest.


4. What formats will AC be available in?
         In Japan, North America, and the UK, AC was released simultaneously on DVD and UMD (Universal Media Disk, the format used by the PSP). Similar releases are expected for the rest of the world.


5. What versions of the AC DVD are available?
         In Japan, AC was released in a couple of different editions. The regular edition contains the movie and a few extras, including a brief synopsis of FF7's story and a Compilation of FFVII trailer; as is the tradition with Square's own music CDs, the first pressing of the DVD came in special packaging.
         For the truly hardcore, there was the expensive (¥29,500, or about $300 US) "Advent Pieces" box set. Limited to 77,777 sets, it included not only the regular edition disk, but also a second DVD featuring the Venice preview version of AC, a "making of" documentary, all of the various AC trailers, and an OAV ("original animated video") titled Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. That's not all: also featured in this set were a number of collectables, including a Cloud and Fenrir Play Arts figure set, a t-shirt and cap, a fascimile voice recording script, a special pressing of FFVII International (with display case), and an individually-numbered keychain.
         Please note that both of these releases are Region 2 DVDs in NTSC format, and are in Japanese only.


6. What extras are included in the North American and UK releases of the AC DVD?
         Both regions versions of AC are two-disk sets which feature the following extras: the "Reminiscence of FF7" story digest, "The Distance: The Making of Advent Children", the Venice Film Festival preview version of AC, previews of upcoming Compilation of FFVII games, various AC trailers, and—unique to this edition—a collection of deleted scenes. Features and extras for any other releases have not yet been announced.


7. How long is AC?
         AC comes to 101 minutes in length, including credits. This does not include any of the extras.


8. Where can I buy AC merchandise that's exclusive to Japan?
         One of my personal favorites is the online hobby shop HobbyLink Japan; all of their merchandise is sold at the actual Japanese retail price, making it one of the best deals on the Web for import goods. Another site that carries Japan-only AC goods is the Play-Asia.com, an import game, music, and movie specialist which is a little bit more expensive than HLJ. Of course, there are other online retailers that carry Japanese AC merchandise—and will ship outside of Japan—but these are the first two that came to mind (I've also had the experience of ordering from both these shops, and they're both excellent).