Variety
magazine dropped a bombshell for manga fans: Taiyo Matsumoto's
acclaimed work, "Sunny," will be getting an anime film adaptation,
and if all goes well, it will be released in 2029. The project is
being produced by GKIDS, known for bringing high-quality animated films to
Western audiences. The news was revealed as part of the Annecy
Animation Showcase, a special event taking place on May 18, 2025, as part of
the Cannes Film Festival. Five new animated projects will be shown
there, and the "Sunny" film is one of them. There's even a first
image to get you started.
Most
interestingly, the studio in charge will be Dwarf Studios, famous for their
stop-motion work on projects like "Pokémon Concierge" and
"Rilakkuma to Kaoru." So we can expect a super unique and handcrafted aesthetic that
will surely give a very special touch to this very human story. And if that
weren't enough, the direction is in the hands of Michael Arias ,
known for his work on "Tekkonkinkreet" and "Harmony," who
also translated the original manga into English.
According
to Variety, the film will be a heartwarming story set in 1970s Japan and will
take us inside "Star Kids," a foster home for children who have
fallen through the cracks. The story is told from the children's perspective, showing how
they find strength in their new makeshift family and face life with a mixture
of sadness and hope.
Sunny's
manga ran from 2010 to 2015, first in Monthly Ikki magazine and then in Monthly
Big Comic Spirits, with a total of six compiled volumes. Since then, it
has garnered several awards and nominations in Japan and abroad: it won the
Shogakukan Award for Best General Manga in 2016, an Excellence Award at the
Japan Media Arts Festival, and was nominated for the Eisner, Harvey, and
Angoulême prizes, among others.
The
publishers describe the story as follows: " What is Sunny? Sunny
is a car. But not just any car. It's one you drive with your mind, and it takes
you to the place of your dreams. Sunny is a story about moving forward when
everything seems against you. Another gem from the incredible Taiyo Matsumoto ." With
all this talent behind it and a story that has already made more than one
person cry and reflect, this film looks set to be one of the most anticipated
animated projects of the coming years.
