The
official website of the Sumikko Gurashi franchise revealed on
Thursday a new teaser trailer and promotional visual for
the fourth animated film in the saga. Under the title Eiga
Sumikko Gurashi: Sora no Ōkoku to Futari no Ko (The Celestial
Kingdom and the Two Children), the film will hit theaters in Japan on October
31.
The teaser
introduces a new character named "Ōji" and another
enigmatic figure identified for now only as "???", arousing
curiosity among fans about his role in this magical story.
The
original team is back on board
The
direction will once again be in the hands of Naomi Iwata (Pingu
in the City, Obake Zukan) and the production will be carried
out by the Fanworks studio. The script was written by Takashi
Sumita, who already participated in the first and third films, while Kaori
Hino repeats as art director.
In
addition, Yoshihiko Inohara and Manami Honjō will
return as narrators, a hallmark of the previous installments. The distribution
will be in charge of Asmik Ace.
An
endearing franchise with proven success
Created
by San-X in 2012, Sumikko Gurashi's characters
are characterized by their quiet personalities and penchant for staying on
street corners. Among them are Shirokuma, a polar bear who hates
the cold; Penguin?, which is not even sure if it is a
penguin; Tonkatsu, an uneaten piece of pork chop; Neko,
a shy cat; and Tokage, one of the last dinosaurs hidden as a
lizard.
A
success story on the big screen
The first
film, Sumikkogurashi – Good to be in the corner, released in
November 2019, was a phenomenon at the box office, selling more than
1.22 million tickets and grossing 1.4 billion yen. It even
won Best Animation of the Year at the Japan Movie Critics Awards in
2020.
The second
installment, The Magical Child of the Blue Moonlit Night (2021),
and the third, The Mysterious Child of the Makeshift Factory (2023),
also enjoyed great reception, keeping the popularity of the franchise alive.
Beyond
Cinema: Anime and Musicals
The
franchise had its first anime series for television in October
2023, and it also expanded into the theater with a puppet musical that
ran in Tokyo during August and September 2024.
Currently,
a new batch of animated shorts titled Sumikko Gurashi:
Koko ga Ochitsukun Desu (This is Where I Feel at Peace) is airing in
the "ZIP! 1-Minute Anime" from NTV's morning
show ZIP!.
With this
new cinematic installment on the way, Sumikko Gurashi continues
to establish itself as one of the most adorable and successful franchises on
the Japanese scene today.
