Crunchyroll has announced the acquisition of the rights for Makoto Shinkai’s upcoming film, Suzume no Tojimari. Scheduled to debut in Japan on November 11, 2022, the film will be available in other areas starting in early 2023.
The deal was negotiated by Crunchyroll’s Chief Content Officer Asa Suehira, Wild Bunch International’s CEO Vincent Maraval, and TOHO’s Akihiro Takeda, creating a collaboration set to bring the exciting and mysterious story to life for fans worldwide. While TOHO maintains the majority of the rights to the film, Crunchyroll will be the sole distributor in North America and co-distributor with Sony and Wild Bunch International in other significant territories.
“It’s with humility and honor that CoMix Wave Films, Makoto Shinkai, and TOHO have decided to partner with Crunchyroll on the next masterpiece,” said Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll, LLC. “It’s also an incredible opportunity to work with our partners at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Wild Bunch International to co-distribute this film across a wide swatch of territories. We know both animation fans and general audiences will fall in love with this prestigious film. We can’t wait to see the world’s reaction and reception to it in cinemas, festivals, and for awards consideration.”
Suzume no Tojimari is an exciting next step in the career of writer and director Makoto Shinkai, who has other popular films under his belts, such as Your Name (2016) and Weathering With You (2019).
The new film follows Suzume as she travels around Japan to disaster-stricken locations seeking mysterious doors. Drawn to the doors, Suzume finds they unleash more destruction once opened, so she sets out to close them and save Japan.
