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Ghost Cat Anzu French-Japanese Co-Production Film Reveals Cast, July Opening

TOHO animation began streaming a trailer on Thursday for Ghost Cat Anzu, Shin-Ei Animation and France's Miyu Productions' 2D-animated film based on Takashi Imashiro's Bakeneko Anzu-chan manga. The trailer reveals the film's two lead cast members, and also reveals its July opening date in Japan. TOHO NEXT distributes the film in Japan.

Mirai Moriyama voices the titular Anzu, while Noa Gotō voices Karin. In addition, both actors also acted as the characters in footage that served as a reference for animating the characters, with their spoken lines during the filming of their movements also being used in the film.

The film screened as a work-in-progress at the Annecy Animation Festival in June 2023. The Paris-based CHARADES company will handle international sales. GKIDS has acquired the North American rights to the film.

Yōko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita are directing the film and Shinji Imaoka is writing its script. The film will be 90 minutes long and will utilize mixed animation techniques combining 2D digital animation with rotoscopy.

Miyu Productions describes the film's story:

Karin, 11 years old, is abandoned by her father at her grandfather's house, the monk of a small town in the Japanese countryside. Her grandfather asks Anzu, his jovial and helpful although rather capricious ghost cat, to look after her. The meeting of their strong characters causes sparks, at least at the beginning…

Kodansha published the one-volume Bakeneko Anzu-chan manga in 2007.

Shin-Ei Animation is best known for producing Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan, two long-running television anime that both consistently rank among the highest weekly ratings for animated programs in Japan. Daikichirō Kusube founded the studio in 1976.

Source: Comic Natalie