The computer animated film ULTRAMAN RISING premieres worldwide on Netflix on June 14th. Photo courtesy of Netflix ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

Source: Tsuburaya Productions, Netflix
Official Site: https://netflix.com/ultramanrising (US), https://m-78.jp/videoworks/ultraman-rising/ (Japan)

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Tsuburaya Productiions has provided SciFi Japan with new images, trailers and press notes for ULTRAMAN RISING, the feature-length CG animated film co-produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Netflix which will be distributed worldwide on Netlflix on June 14th.

 

■ What is ULTRAMAN RISING?

The Netflix film ULTRAMAN RISING is directed and written by Shannon Tindle, co-writer and character designer for KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016), working with co-director John Aoshima and co-writer Marc Haimes (both of whom also worked on KUBO). The movie is produced by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the special effects studio behind intenationally acclaimed masterpieces and box office hits, including the Star Wars and Jurassic Park series. They have created a new story with the iconic and everlasting hero Ultraman, beloved globally for over half a century, with the themes of "parent-child" and "family" that can be enjoyed by all generations.

 

Photo courtesy of Netflix. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

■ Synopsis

Superstar baseball player Ken Sato has another identity -- Ultraman, a giant superhero who protects the earth from monsters and alien invaders. With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, Ken reluctantly returns to his home country of Japan. He joins a local baseball team, but his peaceful new life is disrupted by the sudden appearance of a powerful kaiju named Gigantron. Ken transforms into Ultraman to fight the beast, who counterattacks with ever-increasingly intensity.

In the aftermath of the battle, Ken finds himself in the unexpected situation of being entrusted with the care of a baby kaiju, the 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing  newborn child of his foe. While struggling as the new father of an adopted baby, whom he names Emi, Ken must deal with his ego, the strained relationship with his own father, and the relentless Kaiju Defense Force who seem bent on exploiting Emi for their own dark plans, to finally  discover what it truly means to be Ultraman...

 

From left to right: Voice actors Fumiyo Kohinata as Professor Sato, Yuki Yamada as Ken Sato, and Akari Hayami as Ami Wakita. Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

■ Japanese Voice Cast Revealed

ULTRAMAN RISING will be released internationally in several different languages. In November 2023, Yuki Yamada (GOKAIGER, GODZILLA MINUS ONE) was announced as voice actor for the the lead role of Ken Sato for the film's Japanese dub. Several more Japanese cast members have now been revealed.

Fumiyo Kohinata (RING 2, ALWAYS -SUNSET ON THIRD STREET-) plays Professor Sato, Ken's estranged father. Akari Hayami (SHIN ULTRAMAN) plays Ami Wakita, a single mother journalist who develops a relationship with Ken. Fumihiko Tachiki (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, Kamen Rider series) has been cast as Dr. Onda, the cold-hearted commander of the Kaiju Defense Force (KDF), an organization that confronts Ultraman over Emi. Ayumi Tsunematsu (DEATH NOTE, Gundam series) will voice Mina, a supercomputer who takes care of Ken.

Also, Hiroko Sakurai, who starred as Yuriko Edogawa in ULTRA Q  (ウルトラQ, Urutora Kyū, 1966) and Akiko Fuji in ULTRAMAN (ウルトラマン,  Urutoraman, 1966), plays Ami's mother, while Takaya Aoyagi, who played the role of Jugglus Juggler in ULTRAMAN ORB (ウルトラマンオーブ, Urutoraman Ōbu, 2016) and ULTRAMAN Z (ウルトラマンＺ, Urutoraman Zetto, 2020), plays Captain Aoshima, Dr. Onda’s right-hand man. 

 Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

▼Comment from Yuki Yamada (Ken Sato)

To all the Ultraman fans who are looking forward to this work, and to everyone who loves heroes. This time, Ultraman is a work that the whole family can enjoy.

It's a story full of love that you can watch while imagining, thinking about, and  reflecting on various things. That could be your relationship with your family or, if you have experience in raising children, how you treat your children.

I hope it will reach many people. Please watch it.

 

 

 Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

▼Comment from Fumiyo Kohinata (Professor Sato)

When ULTRAMAN was broadcast in 1966, I was 12 years old and watched it from the start.

This film is a story about family love. I hope you will watch it with your family.

There is a very cute monster named Emi. She looks like a human baby and has a lot of facial expressions, and everyone will love her. There are parts of the story that deal with the difficulties of raising a child, so I hope that families with children and elderly people who have raised children will watch the film with their families.  Please everyone take a look.

 

 

 Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

▼Comment from Akari Hayami (Ami Wakita)

I'm honored to be invited back to the Ultraman series.

For those who are looking forward to this film, please prepare to see a new Ultraman. Emi is so cute that I felt like I wanted to hug her tightly. Ultraman is raising his child just like a human mother and father. 

There are a variety of themes in the film, such as the relationship between parents and children and the coexistence of humans and monsters, so I hope you enjoy watching it.

 

 

■ New Trailer Released

The English and Japanese versions of the latest trailer feature Ken Sato fighting as Ultraman, and scenes where he becomes the parent of the baby monster Emi and struggles to raise and protect her from being abducted by the Kaiju Defense Force. The music of Grammy-winning superstar EDM producers Diplo, Oliver Tree, and Alicia Creti further enhances Ultraman’s battles. 

 

Ultraman becomes a father to the baby kaiju, Emi. Photo courtesy of Netflix. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

■ Details

Title: ULTRAMAN RISING  (ウルトラマン: ライジング, Urutoraman: Raijingu)
Distributor: Netflix worldwide distribution
Release Date: Friday, June 14, 2024
Running Time: 108 Minutes

Cast

Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

For more on ULTRAMAN RISING, please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan...