Japanese anime gains ground in holiday theatrical releases
Riding the wave of Disney animation already dominating the box office thanks to the anthropomorphic animals of Zootropolis 2, the holiday cinema schedule offers many other worlds to discover or rediscover.
It is a varied lineup in which Japanese animated films are gaining increasing prominence, ranging from new classics and great auteurs to hidden gems such as Little Amélie (already nominated for the Golden Globes), which could also enter the Oscar race. Not included on this list is the highly anticipated Avatar: Fire and Ash by James Cameron (in theaters from December 17). Like its predecessors, it is made with live actors using cutting-edge motion capture and some physical elements, and is therefore considered—also by the Academy Awards—under the criteria of a live-action film, CE Report quotes ANSA.
For anime fans, Angel’s Egg, the 1985 masterpiece by Mamoru Oshii, is unmissable, presented here in a restored 4K version. This existential fantasy centers on an encounter in a dark, ruined world—within an abandoned city—between a girl who devoutly protects a mysterious egg and a wanderer who arrives from space. Also already in theaters is Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, a journey through the animated series (between the second season and two preview episodes from the third), based on the manga by Gege Akutami and set in a modern world immersed in a battle between Curses and sorcerers.
Recently released as well is Lupin the IIIrd – The Movie: The Immortal Lineage by Takeshi Koike, a return to the most authentic soul of the legendary gentleman thief—ironic and unpredictable—created by mangaka Monkey Punch, inspired by Arsène Lupin, and first brought to television in 1971 with the animated series by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Masaaki Osumi.
An eleven-year-old boy with a unique trait—the ability to glow—is the protagonist of a stop-motion adventure celebrating friendship and diversity: Tony, Shelly and the Magical Light by Czech director Filip Pošivač, an Annecy award winner, hitting theaters on December 18. A family of holiday-loving rodents will find themselves facing a human family in their countryside home in the live-action/CGI family comedy A Mouse Under the Christmas Tree by Norwegian director Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken.
As reported by CE Report, Amélie Nothomb’s autobiographical novel The Character of Rain is the basis for the animated adaptation Little Amélie by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, winner of the Audience Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, arriving in theaters on January 1. It offers an immersion into the “magical” everyday life of a Belgian girl born in Japan. Also on New Year’s Day, the energetic yellow sea sponge—already the star of a cult animated series launched in 1997—returns to the big screen with SpongeBob – A Pirate Adventure by Derek Drymon. This time, the hero sets out to track down the Flying Dutchman, a legendary ghost pirate.
