Napping Princess

16th August 2017 (Opens Nationwide), 18th August 2017 (Select Cinemas)

Out on:Theatrical 16th Aug. 2017

Fast sell:

A charming fantasy about everyone’s favourite part of the day: sleep, Napping Princess is a genre-bending story of family and a magical reminder that opposites may be more intertwined than they seem. Presented by Anime Limited and National Amusements (Your Name, A Silent Voice).

Key talent:

Director & Screenplay: Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex)
Studio: SIGNAL.MD (Atom The Beginning, Cyborg 009: Call of Justice)
Composer: Yoko Shimomura (Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts)
Character Designer: Satako Morikawa (The Cat Returns, Eden of the East)

Stars:
Mitsuki Takahata (Evergreen Love, Blue Spring Ride)
Shin’nosuke Mitsushima (Erased)
Tomoya Maeno (Silver Spoon)
Arata Furuta (Shin Godzilla, One Piece Film: Gold)
Hideki Takahashi (Pokémon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom)
Yōsuke Eguchi (Rurouni Kenshin)
Rie Kugimiya (Toradora!, Fullmetal Alchemist)
Wataru Takagi (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable)

Dub cast:

Kokone/Ancien – being voiced by Brina Palencia
Momotaro/Peach - being voiced by Doug Erholtz

Watanabe/Bewan - being voiced by Lex Woutas
Morio - being voiced by Chris Niosi

Joy - being voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey

ADR Directors:

Stephanie Sheh
Michael Sinternklaas

Synopsis:

Could dreams and reality be more connected than we thought?

Kokone (Mitsuki Takahata) is a young girl who should be studying for exams but can’t stay awake. Her father, a hipster mechanic too talented for his post. Venturing into the realms of her tired fantasies, the young girl discovers a world aflutter with magic and warring robots, but could these visions be more than mere illusion - the key to family secrets once locked away? And once unearthed, will they bring Kokone closer to her family, or drive them further apart?

We like it because:

While pondering the place of animation in the current world climate, a single suggestion stood out to a director renowned for political science fiction: make something he would want his daughter to see. Kenji Kamiyama’s resulting vision is that of a sweet father-daughter story, peppered with the magic of youth. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Kamiyama film without his trademark societal commentary, which is cleverly threaded through the core of Napping Princess’ worlds.

Rather than relying on anime voiceover regulars, Napping Princess breaks the mold for the majority of its cast, drawing in talent from live-action performers like lead actress Mitsuki Takahata, who was recently awarded the 40th Japan Academy Prize for Newcomer of the Year.

Eagle-eyed viewers may note similarities between Kokone’s robot companion Hearts and a certain other loveable android - after all, Napping Princess’ mechanical designer Shigeto Koyama also designed Baymax for Disney’s Big Hero 6!

Hot Quotes:

'Beautiful' Four Stars - Matt Looker, Total Film
Four Stars - NEO
Four Stars - Time Out

Editor's Notes:

About Kenji Kamiyama:
Born in 1966, Kenji Kamiyama worked as a background artist for anime films including Akira and Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service before joining Production I.G, where he wrote the screenplay for Blood: The Last Vampire (2000). His directorial debut would come two years later, with the release of the three-part Original Video Animation Mobile Police Patlabor Minimum: Minipato.

Kamiyama would later gain recognition for helming Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002-2006), a critically acclaimed anime series based on Masamune Shirow’s iconic manga. More recently, Kamiyama served as Chief Director and screenwriter on the Netflix Original series Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, released internationally earlier this year.

About Anime Limited:
Based out of Glasgow in Scotland, Anime Limited brings a fresh approach to distributing the best in anime direct from Japan. As an independent company, the emphasis is on breathing new life into much loved classics and introducing the cutting edge of theatrical offerings. With a focus on bringing more anime to the big screen, releasing beautifully packaged collector’s editions and trying new ways to reach fans digitally, Anime Limited is committed to offering a wide range of experiences for UK audiences.

About National Amusements
National Amusements owns and operates Showcase and Showcase Cinema de Lux, a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry operating more than 940 screens in the US, UK, Brazil and Argentina. National Amusements is also distributor specialising in event cinema with a focus on anime and pre-school with recent releases including Your Name, Akira, Dragonball Z: Resurrection F, and Thomas & Friends: The Great Race. Based in Massachusetts, National Amusements is a closely held company operating under the third generation of leadership by the Redstone family. National Amusements is also the parent company of both Viacom and CBS Corporation.

Gallery

RELEASE INFORMATION

Distributor
Anime Ltd
Certificate
TBC
In Cinemas
16th August, 2017
Release date
16th August, 2017

KEY TALENT INFORMATION

Director
Kenji Kamiyama

CONTACT / ORDER MEDIA