Sony has set a winter 2025 release window for directorMamoru Hosoda’s highly anticipated animated filmScarlet. The collaboration marksSony Pictures’ first venture with Studio CHIZU, the animation studio co-founded by Hosoda and producerYuichiro Saitoin 2011. While plot details are tightly under wraps, the movie is described as “the story of a brave princess who transcends time and space.”
Scarlet’s producers includeYuichiro SaitoandNozomu Takahashiof Studio CHIZU, andToshimi Tanioof Nippon TV. Sony will distribute the feature outside Japan while Toho will handle the film’s domestic theatrical distribution. The feature follows Hosoda’s Cannes hitBelle, which takes inspiration from the 1756 French fairytaleBeauty and the Beast. The film was widely acclaimed by anime fans and critics for its visuals, storytelling, and themes. The feature went on to become the third-highest-grossing Japanese film of 2021, garnering $64.7 million at the box office. The movie has a 95% rating on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes.
Mamoru Hosoda Has a Slew of Acclaimed Animated Features
The fan-favorite director began his career as an animator at Toei Animation in 1991 and made his directorial debut in 1999 withDigimon Adventure. His other credits includeDigimon Adventure: Our War Game!andThe Girl Who Leapt Through Time,which garnered the Japan Academy Prize for Best Animation, as well as numerous other awards. He continued his success with 2009’sSummer Wars. Based on a story he wrote,Summer Warswas screened at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival and earned a nomination for the 2011 Best Director Annie Award.
Fans will also know Mamoru Hosoda well for directing theOne PieceTV series andOne Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Islandmovie. He went on to direct and write the screenplay forWolf Children,which marked his first screenplay and second directorial feature, and followed its success withThe Boy and the Beast,which garnered numerous animation awards. It was his work onMirai,which follows a 4-year-old boy who is struggling to cope with the arrival of a little sister in the family, that scored an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, along with Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards nominations, making him a household name. It remains to be seen howScarletunfolds, given Hosoda is well known for his character designs, depiction of magic, and plots that tug at your hearts.
Scarletwill hit theaters in winter 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates, and watchWolf Childrenon Crunchyroll.
Wolf Children
Wolf Children follows the life of a young woman who falls in love with a mysterious man harboring a secret about his origins, leading to the birth of their two unique children. After sudden tragedy, she faces the challenges of raising her children who possess both human and wolf characteristics.
