Our epoch questions how human activity has become the dominant influence on the Earth’s atmosphere, ecosystems and oceans. What would happen if we could educate children to take care of all that surrounds them with nurture and respect, using a fairytale love story between a human being and a marine creature? This intent is encapsulated in the Japanese animated film ChaO.
The anime took 7 years to get to the silver screen, thanks to the dedicated work of the acclaimed STUDIO4°C and veteran animator Yasuhiro Aoki. We are presented with a futuristic setting, that will mesmerise for the way it is festooned with a multitude of colours and forms. As producer Eiko Tanaka explained, ChaO was created by more than 100,000 hand-drawn animations with papers and pencils, “because there are various hurdles in training skilled hand-drawn animators in the midst of 3D digitisation.” Therefore the creative approach is a glorious celebration to the hand-drawn technique in a time where technology seems to be a threat to this methodology.
Tanaka has also worked with Studio Ghibli in the past and her praise towards Director Aoki, equating him to Hayao Miyazaki is fitting, since ChaO adopts visual splendour to deliver a virtuous lesson. Furthermore, ChaO marks the first time as both Character Designer & Supervising Animation Director for Hirokazu Kojima, who has had an extensive experience in the field and brings his expertise to new heights in this film. Both Tanaka and Kojima have shown utmost sensitivity towards marine animated tales, since they worked together on the 2019 Children of the Sea, the Japanese animated fantasy surrealist film directed by Ayumu Watanabe.
The plot of ChaO reproposes the archetype of The Little Mermaid through a different angle, because we are in an indefinite future where humans and Merfolk already coexist, but not without difficulties. The young goofy journalist Juno manages to get in touch with Stephan — an anxious employee at a shipbuilding company — who will tell him about the way his life changed when he married the bubbly mermaid princess Chao. The film was presented at the 2025 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, and was picked up for US distribution by GKIDS Films. It will captivate also for the use of its music, including the theme song performed by Koda Kumi.
This genre-defying film has elements of slapstick comedy, family drama, otherworldly science-fiction and fairytale wonder. The picture is bound to provide food for thought to an intergenerational audience. As we are overwhelmed by the consumeristic society, that pushes towards an ostentatious type of lifestyle, the takeaway message of ChaO reinforces the idea that the bare necessities lead to happiness.
Above all, this film is a parable of boundless love for every creature on our planet. The romance between a mermaid and a human allows us to observe the interaction between the merman society and our species. It provides an allegory for how the animal and plant kingdoms too often have to endure the repercussions of human malfeasance. ChaO is an educational motion picture that bestows the importance of understanding different cultures in today’s world. Its release arrives at a time where conflicts are increasing exponentially at a global level, and peace talk is very much needed. Co-existence through loving tolerance and mutual care becomes the key to re-establishing lost harmony. This is the subliminal message for the viewers of ChaO who are bound to shape the future of humanity.
Final Grade: B
Photos credits: GKIDS Films