The Toronto
International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced that it will host
the North American premiere of the highly anticipated anime
film Scarlet, directed by Mamoru Hosoda and
produced by Studio Chizu. The film will be screened as a Special
Presentation during the festival's 50th edition, which will be held
from September 4 to 14 (local time). The full schedule of the
event will be published on August 12.
Scarlet:
A Princess, Revenge and the Journey to the Afterlife
With a
premiere scheduled for November 21 in Japan and December
12 in the United States, Scarlet is shaping up to be one
of Hosoda's most ambitious works. The story follows Scarlet, a
brave princess who, after failing to avenge her father's death, wakes up in the
enigmatic Land of the Dead. In this place, those who fail to
fulfill their purpose are condemned to become "nothing" and
disappear.
From that
dark and crazy setting, Scarlet's journey to demand justice begins. With
elements of action, romance and an aesthetic never before seen in
the director's filmography, the film promises a unique experience.
A
stellar cast for a fantasy epic
The voice
cast is headed by Mana Ashida as Scarlet and Masaki
Okada as Hijiri, a nurse from modern Japan. Also participating:
- Yutaka
Matsushige as Cornelius
- Kōtarō
Yoshida as Voltemand
- Kōji
Yakusho as Claudius
- Masachika Ichimura as Amulet, Scarlet's
father
- Yuki Saitō as Gertrude, Scarlet's
mother
- Shōta
Sometani as Guildenstern
- Munetaka
Aoki as Rosencrantz
- Kazuhiro
Yamaji as Polonius
- Tokyo
Emoto as Laertes
- Kayoko Shiraishi as a mysterious old woman
- Noa Shiroyama as a girl Scarlet finds
in the Land of the Dead
Many of
these characters share names with those of Hamlet, William
Shakespeare's iconic tragedy, suggesting that the film is inspired by
this universal classic.
A
completely new visual proposal
Hosoda has
stated that Scarlet will not be animated in traditional 2D or
CGI in the style of Hollywood, but is betting on a completely original
aesthetic. He also indicated that this work will be different from his
previous projects, with a strong presence of global themes, action and
romance.
The film
will be distributed internationally. TOHO will be in charge of the
premiere in Japan, while Sony Pictures will distribute the
film in the rest of the world, also participating as an investor in the
project.
With this
unusual change of being released in winter instead of the
classic summer – as was the case with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and
other works by the director – Scarlet marks a new stage in
Hosoda's career.
