Disney Home Entertainment to Release Its First Hindi Film, ‘Like Stars on Earth,’ January 12

An eight-year-old misfit with his head in the stars learns that being different can also mean being special in the emotional and entertaining Like Stars on Earth, coming to 3-Disc DVD/CD set January 12, 2010 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Disney’s first-ever Hindi-language release, Like Stars on Earth includes seven infectious Bollywood dance numbers, vividly imagined animated interludes and a brand new English-language track for a cross-cultural celebration of creativity and individuality. “A little twinkling star of a movie” according to BBC Movie Reviews, Like Stars on Earth is a sparkling example of why Indian cinema has rapidly become the most popular film import to the U.S.

Originally brought to a worldwide theatrical audience by UTV Motion Pictures, and produced, directed and starring Aamir Khan, one of India’s most acclaimed filmmakers (Lagaan, 2002 Academy Award® nominee, Best Foreign Language Film, India), Like Stars on Earth also features young newcomer Darsheel Safary in an astonishingly nuanced performance that earned him a 2007 nomination for Best Actor in India’s prestigious Filmfare Awards. Like Stars on Earth was one of India’s top grossing theatrical films of 2007.

In this touching and inspiring film, eight-year-old Mumbai native Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) lives in a world where letters dance exuberantly with the brilliant colors, lively animals and joyfully soaring kites of his fantastical imagination. Struggling to read and write and unable to deliver the good grades and disciplined behavior expected by his parents and teachers, Ishaan is shipped off to a boarding school to straighten out. Almost 200 miles from home and suffering from homesickness, Ishaan alone is unmoved when a new art teacher (Aamir Khan) energizes the classroom by asking students to think, dream and imagine, instead of merely following the rules. Determined to draw the introverted child out, the teacher sets about helping Ishaan find the wondrous power of creativity that lies within him.

Like Stars on Earth is rated PG for for thematic material, brief violence and language and has a suggested retail price of $29.99 (U.S.)