The Japanese-French co-production will open in Japan on July 19
Kodoani.com – According to the official website of the anime film adapted from the manga Ghost Cat Anzu (Bakeneko Anzu-chan in Japan) by Takashi Imashiro confirmed today that the film will screen at the Director's Fortnight program during the 77th Cannes International Film Festival, scheduled to be held from May 14 to 25. year 2024.
“Directors' Fortnight” is a high-level competition in which films that promote cinematography are selected and are known as the gateway to success for world-class filmmakers, and this will be the premiere. world premiere of the film ahead of its theatrical release in Japan on July 19, 2024.
The film is co-produced by Japanese animation studio Shin-Ei Animation (Doraemon) and French studio Miyu Production, and co-directed by Atsuhiro Yamashita (recent work: live-action adaptation of Karaoke Iko ! Yama Wayama!) and Yoko Kuno (who worked on the 2015 film The Case of Hana & Alice as rotoscope director).
Yamashita shared on the film's official Twitter that “At first I thought it was a joke” and added, “I think it's all thanks to the hard work of the animation director, Yoko Kuno-san . So I wanted to treat Kuno-san to some seafood in Cannes.”
Meanwhile, Kuno said: “I had no idea that Anzu-chan was the ghost cat that would take us to Cannes…! For the past year and a half, our Japanese and French staff have been working worked hard for this anime, but we were really surprised when it was discovered this way, as we never expected it. I'm happy to be able to give a great report to people associated with this hand-searched and hand-made film!”
World-famous actor/dancer Mirai Moriyama (voice of Tomona in Masaaki Yuasa's 2021 anime film INU-OH) has been cast in the lead role of Anzu, a 37-year-old ghost cat, while 13-year-old Noa Goto provides the voice for the 11 year old Human Girl, Karin. They played their characters as if they were in a live-action film and their voices were then used in the animation.
GKIDS bought the film rights in North America and announced on the company's official Twitter that the film will hit theaters in North America later this year.
The manga was serialized in Kodansha's children's manga magazine Comic BomBom from August 2006 to November 2007, then compiled into a tankobon volume. The film's official website describes the story as follows:
In the pouring rain, a monk at a temple found a meowing kitten in a cardboard box. The kitten was named Anzu and was raised carefully. However, the strange thing is that it still hasn't died after 10 or 20 years. After 30 years, it somehow became a 'ghost cat' that spoke human language and lived like a human. Its means of transportation is a motorbike. The cat works as a part-time masseuse. Now he is 37 years old. After a quarrel between father and son, the monk's son, who had been missing for a long time, returned with his 11-year-old daughter Karin. However, he had another fight with the monk and left her behind. Karin is always a very “good” girl in front of adults. Anzu is asked to take care of her and reluctantly does so, but there are signs that things won't be simple…