GKIDS BRINGS
“INU-OH” THE NEW FEATURE FILM FROM ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR MASAAKI YUASA GKIDS BRINGS
Critically Lauded Film Made Its World Premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, Followed by North American Premiere at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival.
NEW YORK (May 26, 2022) – GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of multiple Academy Award®-nominated animated features, announced today it will bring INU-OH, the latest feature film from renowned director Masaaki Yuasa (Ride Your Wave, Keep Your Hands Off Of Eizokuen!), to cinemas nationwide starting August 12th. The film made its world debut at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, followed by a North American premiere at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival, marking the lauded director’s first invitation to both festivals. Following the film’s previous presentation as a work in progress at the 2020 Annecy Film Festival, Yuasa returns to Annecy honored as the patron of the 2022 Mifa campus. The visionary filmmaker will also present the new rock musical at a screening event at the festival.
Featuring character creation from manga artist Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet), who previously collaborated with Yuasa on the anime adaptation of Matsumoto’s series Ping Pong the Animation, the musical animated feature tells the story of the friendship between the legendary 14th century Noh performer Inu-oh, and the blind biwa player Tomona. As the two rise from hardship to stardom through their creative partnership, they also come to break each other’s curse.
Animated by Japanese production company Science SARU INC., in collaboration with its partner, the Japanese production, distribution, and sales company Asmik Ace, Inc., the feature opens domestically in Japan on May 28th.
INU-OH marks GKIDS’ fifth title from visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, following local releases of Lu Over the Wall, The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, Mind Game, and most recently, Ride Your Wave.
SYNOPSIS : From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, hailed by IndieWire as “one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation,” comes a revisionist rock opera about a 14th-century superstar whose dance moves take Japan by storm.
Born to an esteemed family, Inu-oh is afflicted with an ancient curse that has left him on the margins of society. When he meets the blind musician Tomona, a young biwa priest haunted by his past, Inu-oh discovers a captivating ability to dance.
The pair quickly become business partners and inseparable friends as crowds flock to their electric, larger-than-life concerts. But when those in power threaten to break up the band, Inu-oh and Tomona must dance and sing to uncover the truth behind their creative gifts. Featuring character design by Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet, “Ping Pong the Animation”) and awe-inspiring vocals by Avu-chan (Queen Bee) and Mirai Moriyama, INU-OH is a glam-rock ode to the power of music and a forceful statement on artistic freedom from one of animation’s singular talents.
About GKIDS
GKIDS is the producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, the company has scored an astounding 12 Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, Mirai in 2019, and Wolfwalkers in 2021. GKIDS also handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others; as well as the critically acclaimed television series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. GKIDS also hosts ANIMATION IS FILM (AIF), an annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions. www.gkids.com
About Science SARU
Science SARU is a production company founded by Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi in 2013. Committed to the cultivation of new talent and the implementation of cutting-edge technology, the company has actively announced projects across different mediums, including TV broadcast, theatrical release, and digital streaming. Some of Science SARU’s most well-known work includes Lu Over the Wall, which was the recipient of various international accolades, including the Cristal Award for best full-length feature film at the Annecy International Film Festival, as well as The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (2017), DEVILMAN crybaby (2018), and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (2020), among others. The Heike Story was released to advance streaming in 2021, with its TV broadcast in 2022 garnering critical acclaim. 2022 will see a number of other projects by the studio released as well, starting with the theatrical release of INU-OH, and followed by the TV broadcast of the series Yurei Deco in July and the theatrical release of Tatami Time Machine Blues in September.
About ASMIK ACE, INC.
Asmik Ace, Inc. was established in 1985. In 2012, Asmik Ace became part of J:COM Group (JCOM Co., Ltd.), Japan’s largest cable TV conglomerate, enabling it to open up new possibilities in the entertainment industry. Asmik Ace have produced and distributed many acclaimed live-action and animated titles, including adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s masterwork Norwegian Wood, Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film Air Doll, Shinya Tsukamoto’s Venice Competition title TETSUO THE BULLET MAN, the live-action Ping Pong as well as anime adaptation of Tekkonkinkreet and Masaaki Yuasa’s early work Mind Game. Its recent animation line-up includes Sumikkogurashi: Good to be in the corner franchise, a smash hit movie series in Asian countries, as well as Tatami Time Machine Blues.
