Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production CommitteeSource: Toho Co., Ltd. Additional Material: Anime Limited press release Official Site: penguin-highway.com (Japan)
A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE
Teaser poster. Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production CommitteeToho Co., Ltd. has provided information and high-res images from PENGUIN HIGHWAY (??????????, Pengin Haiuei). The anime film will be screened nationwide in Japan on August 17 through Toho’s ODS (Other Digital Stuff) distribution division, which is also handling the domestic theatrical release of the Godzilla "Anigoji" Trilogy. British distributor Anime Limited will release the film in UK cinemas in early 2019. PENGUIN HIGHWAY is based on the novel of the same name by Tomihiko Morimi, author of such bestselling works as Night is Short, Walk on Girl and The Eccentric Family. It is the first feature film from the up-and-coming animation house, Studio Colorido, and is directed by Hiroyasu Ishida, a young filmmaker who has won several Japanese and international awards for his short films. The screenplay is written by Makoto Ueda (NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL), with character designs by Studio Colorido co-founder Yojiro Arai (THE WIND RISES, TYPHOON NORUDA), music by Umitaro Abe and the theme song by Hikaru Utada (KINGDOM HEARTS, EVANGELION: 3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO). STORY Aoyama is a young boy who works hard every day, takes notes, finds things to research, and expands his world with curiosity. He?s just a 4th grader, but he knows all kinds of things just like a grown up. There?s no telling how great he?ll grow up to be. If anything, he might be TOO great !He begins to take an interest in "The Lady" who goes to dental school. She is very friendly and has a big heart, but is also a bit mysterious. Why does she make his heart stir so..? To solve that riddle, he begins to research her. And then suddenly, many penguins appear in the town. It?s nowhere near the sea, so where did they come from? And then, Aoyama`s classmate Hamamoto tells him that a large, transparent sphere is floating in the grassland beyond the nearby forest from the classmate Hamamoto. Aoyama suspects there is some connection between the sphere, the penguins and The Lady. To solve this mystery, he teams up with his friends Uchida and Hamamoto for an investigation they call “Project Amazon”. And when they see The Lady’s smile as she transforms a can of soda into a penguin, a slightly mysterious and unforgettable summer begins!
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production CommitteeDIRECTOR PROFILE Born in 1988 in Aichi Prefecture, Hiroyasu Ishida graduated from the Animation Department of Kyoto Seika University. He has independently produced various animated shorts since his high school days. In 2009, his short movie entitled FUMIKO’S CONFESSION (??????, Fumiko no Kokuhaku) drew world attention as it won several awards such as the Japanese YouTube Video Award and a Special Mention at Ottawa International Animation Festival. In 2011, his graduation work RAIN TOWN also won numerous awards including the New Artist Prize of the Japan Media Arts Festival. In 2013, he directed the critically acclaimed short movie SONNY BOY & DEWDROP GIRL (?????????, Yoonata no Aoshigure).
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production CommitteeABOUT STUDIO COLORIDO Founded in 2011 by Hiroyasu Ishida and Yojiro Arai, formerly of Studio Ghibli, Studio Colorido gathers young and dynamic creators. Although using only digital animation techniques, their works are characterized by a warmth and gentle expression. In 2013, Studio Colorido released its first theatrical short movie, SONNY BOY & DEWDROP GIRL, the animation quality of which was highly praised and perceived as very promising. Since then, the studio has worked on various projects including a short animated web site for YKK in collaboration with the J-pop group Perfume; a TV commercial for the game PUZZLE & DRAGONS, and the theatrical short film TYPHOON NORUD (??????, Taifuu no Noruda).
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production CommitteeCREDITS Japanese Theatrical Release: Friday, August 17, 2018 (Nationwide Roadshow) Running Time: 119 Minutes Cast Aoyama: Kana Kita The Lady: Yu Aoi Uchida: Rie Kugimiya Hamamoto: Megumi Han Suzuki: Miki Fukui Hamamoto’s Father: Naoto Takenaka Misaki Kuno Aoyama’s Father: Hidetoshi Nishijima Mamiko Noto Staff Director: Hiroyasu Ishida Original Story: Penguin Highway by Tomihiko Morimi (Published by Kadokawa Bunko) Original Character Design: Yojiro Arai Screenplay: Makoto Ueda (Europe-Kikaku) Music: Umitaro Abe Theme Song: "Good Night" by Hikaru Utada (EPIC Records Japan) Production Companies: Studio Colorido Distributor: Toho ODS World Sales: Fuji Creative Corporation © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production Committee
Image courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2018 Tomihiko Morimi, KADOKAWA / Penguin Highway Production CommitteeAbout Toho Company. Ltd.
Founded in 1932, Toho Co., Ltd. is one of the leading entertainment conglomerates in Japan. Toho is best known worldwide as the producer of the Godzilla films, as well as most of the films by the world-renowned director, Akira Kurosawa. Besides film production, Toho also distributes Japanese films (earning the highest box office receipts for decades in Japan) as well as foreign films through its subsidiary, owns first class movie theaters throughout Japan, produces legitimate plays and musicals, and has more than 100 entertainment-related subsidiaries.