Terao plays the imaginary dog, Sugisaki voices the aurora in the movie December 15
The official website for Studio Ponoc’s anime film based on the novel The Imaginary by AF Harrold and Emily Gravett revealed two new cast members for the film on December 15. Monday. The new cast includes:
Akira Terao as Old Dog, an imaginary dog
© 2023 Ponoc
Hana Sugisaki as the mysterious Aurora
© 2023 Ponoc
Image via Comic Natalie
© 2023 Ponoc
The film’s main cast includes: (from the picture above, from top left to bottom right)
Studio Ponoc said they will have more announcements about the film soon, including the English voice cast.
© 2023 Ponoc
The film will open in Japan on December 15.
Studio Ponoc delayed the film last year from its original summer 2022 release date due to “new challenges” stemming from the film’s production methods and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film’s title in Japan is Yaneura no Rudger (Rudger in the Attic).
Yoshiyuki Momose (“Life Ain’t Gonna Lose” in Ponoc’s Modest Heroes anime anthology, Ni no Kuni, Ponoc’s Olympic Games short “Tomorrow’s Leaves”) is directing the film. Yoshiaki Nishimura — producer of many Studio Ghibli films, as well as the Ponoc films Mary and The Witch’s Flower and Modest Heroes — is producing the film.
-Bloomsbury Publishing released the original novel The Imaginary by AF Harrold in 2001 with illustrations by Emily Gravett. The publisher describes the novel:
Rudger is Amanda Shuffleup’s imaginary friend. No one else can see Rudger—until the evil Mr. Bunting arrives at Amanda’s door. Mr. Bunting hunts the imagination. Rumor has it that he even eats them. And now he has found Rudger.
Rudger is soon alone and chasing his fantasy life. He needs to find Amanda before Mr. Bunting catches him—and before Amanda forgets about him and he disappears into thin air. But how can an imaginary boy stand alone in the real world?
Source: The Imaginary official website, Natalie Comics
