Crunchyroll has acquired the global distribution rights outside Asia, except for India, to acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai’s next feature film. Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment will co-distribute the upcoming anime film internationally. The announcement was made on August 12. The film’s title, story, and release date have not yet been revealed. The project will continue Shinkai’s relationship with Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures, which previously handled the international distribution of his 2022 film Suzume. The film went on to gross more than $300 million worldwide and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature. It was also selected for competition at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.
Makoto Shinkai Comments on the Early International Announcement
Following the overseas distribution news, CoMix Wave Films confirmed that announcements from international partners had begun appearing ahead of the movie’s domestic reveal. The studio stated: “Regarding director Makoto Shinkai’s latest work, which is currently in production at CWF, our overseas distribution partners have begun releasing announcements regarding distribution in their respective territories. We will continue working hard on the production together with many people so that we can bring this film to audiences. We hope you will look forward to it, and please stay tuned for further updates!”
Shinkai also addressed the situation through his personal X account, explaining that the overseas announcements coming before the Japanese production reveal were the result of some internal circumstances. He added that the team has been collaborating with international partners for several years with the goal of bringing the film to audiences around the world.
Shinkai wrote: “Several of our overseas partners have released announcements regarding the new animated film we are currently producing. The fact that the overseas announcements came before the production announcement in Japan was due to some internal circumstances, haha. In any case, we have been working together with our global partners for several years now so that we can bring the film to audiences as widely as possible, both in Japan and overseas. Reserving a seat, paying a price that isn’t exactly cheap, leaving your home and traveling all the way to a theater. Watching a movie is entertainment that requires a considerable investment. We are all working hard to create a film that is worth that effort, and hopefully one so exceptionally entertaining that audiences feel they got even more than they paid for. The production announcement in Japan and the theatrical release aren’t really that far away anymore, probably. I hope you’ll look forward to it!”
Shinkai’s previous feature films include Your Name., Weathering With You, The Garden of Words, 5 Centimeters per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, and The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Released in 2016, Your Name. became one of the highest-grossing anime films worldwide and earned Shinkai Excellent Director of the Year and Screenplay of the Year at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize. Weathering With You followed in 2019, winning Animation of the Year at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize and serving as Japan’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. His most recent feature, Suzume, marked his third consecutive film to surpass 10 million admissions in Japan. It was also the first Japanese animated feature in decades to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival. Shinkai previously planned to reveal details about the new film in 2025.
