More animated movies from Netflix and Japanese Studio Colorful

After the success achieved with cat love, Netflix Y colorful studio They will collaborate again in the production of three feature films. the first will be drifting home, which will premiere on September 16. Tomotaka Shibayama will direct one of the other two films from Studio Colores, which will be released on the platform in 2024.

On the occasion of this agreement, Netflix has published an interview with Yūji Yamano, Japanese Content Director at Netflixand with the president of Colorful Studio, Koji Yamamotoabout the importance of this collaboration and his first memories of animation.

Netflix and Studio Colores started collaborating in 2020. What led to that collaboration?

Koji Yamamoto: It was a conjunction of coincidence and opportunity. The theatrical release of cat love in 2020 it had to be postponed several times due to COVID-19. But given our experience with Penguin Highway: Mystery of the Penguins, we also knew that it was difficult for an original film like cat love became an immediate box office success. So we went with another strategy and decided to release it worldwide on Netflix.

Yūji Yamano: The endearing and bizarre romance that tells cat love audiences around the world loved it, becoming one of the top 10 most viewed films in over 30 countries. Studio Colores’ talent for recreating completely original stories using high-quality 2D animation seemed magical to us.

What are you most excited about this new collaboration to co-produce other films?

Yamano: colorful studio features some of the best animation creators in Japan, who have been producing the best original animated feature films for 10 years. In Netflix We prioritize authentic material, both for our core fans and to attract new viewers. This collaboration expands our growing catalog of films in Japan, as well as adds to our collection of lighter, more familiar stories. We will also study releasing the next films that we co-produce in theaters as well as in Netflix. The first example of this will be drifting home, which will premiere on the same day Netflix and in theaters.

Yamamoto: cat love It gave us the opportunity to detect a business model in which streaming and theatrical releases could coexist. Our first premiere in Netflix it also killed the idea that a Japanese film could only be well received in certain countries. It was exciting for us to discover a new sector of the public that transcended that of the die-hard anime fans.

What does this agreement mean for animated films in Japan and abroad?

Yamano: We share Japan’s talent and stories with global audiences, thereby cementing anime as an art form with universal appeal. Hopefully, more people will understand that Japanese animation is no longer something limited to Japanese consumers, but an international business with fans all over the world.

Yamamoto: I hope that this agreement will show consumers, and the industry, that theaters and streaming are complementary. We hope that this collaboration will be a successful example of giving consumers choice.

Can you tell us something about the upcoming movies?

Yamamoto: In Studio Coloror we use the expression “magical realism.” Our films have always sought to transport viewers into a fantasy world from an environment close to their everyday life. Our target audience is usually teenagers and young adults, and that would be the guideline for our next films, including the one we’re developing right now, directed by Tomotaka Shibayama, which will premiere in 2024.

What is your first memory or your favorite memory related to animation?

Yamamoto: the castle in the sky Y Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. As a young man he dreamed of working in the Studio Ghibli. When I was in my twenties, I applied for a managerial training position run by Isao Takahata Y Hayao Miyazakico-founders of Studio Ghibli. They did not accept me. But the castle in the sky continues to inspire the works of our studio.

Yamano: I was about five years old when I first saw the castle in the sky, of Studio Ghibli. I saw it over and over again. Now I have a four-year-old daughter who also loves TV movies. Studio Ghibli. I think we’ve seen my neighbor totoro more than 50 times! I am lucky to have a job where I can continue to honor the art of cinema and pass on stories to my own family.