Netflix announced that it has acquired the global streaming rights to Studio Ponoc’s animated film The Imaginary. The company will begin broadcasting the anime worldwide later this year. The film begins showing in theaters in Japan on December 15, 2023.
Netflix also confirmed that it has signed a multi-film partnership with Ponoc to exclusively offer upcoming animated films to its service. The streaming service announced a similar deal with Studio Colorido in April 2022.
© 2023 Ponoc
The Imaginary is directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, who previously worked on the 2019 Ni no Kuni anime film and was the character designer for the Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom video game. Yoshiaki Nishimura will serve as the film’s producer.
Meanwhile, the main voice cast includes:
• Kokoro Terada as Rudger • Rio Suzuki as Amanda • Sakura Andou as Lizzie • Riisa Naka as Emily • Takayuki Yamada as Zinzan • Atsuko Takahata as Granny Downbeat • Issey Ogata as Mr. Bunting • Akira Terao as The Old Dog • Hana Sugisaki as Aurora
The anime film is based on AF Harrold and Emily Gravett’s 2014 novel of the same name. It was originally planned for release in summer 2022 but was delayed to around March 2022.
© 2023 Ponoc
Studio Ponoc describes the film’s synopsis as:
The main character of The Imaginary is Rudger. Born from the imagination of a young girl, Rudger is a boy no one can see living in a world where imagination can live and be eaten by others. The Imaginary is an incredibly moving and beautifully hand-drawn fantasy in which Rudger and his new friends from “The Imaginaries Town” embark on an adventure no one can see coming at the peril of their lives. the future and fate of the people they love happen.
Source: press release