Was Whisper of the Heart (1995) the first animated feature to be theatrically released with 5.1 surround sound?
This is what I always thought growing up since my 2006 Disney DVD only has Dolby Digital 5.1 for all languages, but I just now realized this could a remix. There have been Disney DVD releases like Castle in the Sky, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Mario 1993 where 5.1 remixes are the only options on the disc and the original theatrical stereo mix is never re-released. I was able to easily debunk those three movies via Google Search, but I think people who saw Whisper of the Heart theatrically in 1995 or have the right LaserDisc equipment will have to pitch in for this wonder. It would be cool if it’s confirmed a Ghibli film actually got this achievement.
Edit: Just checked eBay and the only audio is 2.0 Dolby Surround, but this doesn’t confirm anything as AC3/DTS capability was still emerging on the LaserDisc format and wasn’t the norm for it yet. The fact it’s Pro Logic surely says something. This will be really difficult.