The undeniable weight of nostalgia attacks the
veteran community again. After twenty-eight long years of
absolute silence in movie theaters, the gigantic Toei Animation studio
dropped a huge bombshell to celebrate its seventieth anniversary: the official
production of a new animated film based on the iconic
space franchise Galaxy Express 999 (Ginga
Tetsudo 999), bringing back the magical and unparalleled universe of the
late master Leiji Matsumoto to the big screen.
新作劇場アニメーション作品『銀河鉄道999』製作決定https://t.co/eJDqQl6W9p#銀河鉄道999 pic.twitter.com/7ozIXEAA2K
— 『銀河鉄道999』公式 (@GE999_Official) July 25, 2026
To ensure that this monumental project
maintains the classic essence that made an entire generation fall in love,
legendary director Rintaro (known for untouchable gems
such as Metropolis and X/1999) will be in charge of
writing the draft of this unpublished story. The choice of Rintaro is no
coincidence, as he was the same mastermind who directed the acclaimed films of
the franchise in the late seventies. Makiko Matsumoto, daughter of the original
creator and current legal representative of his intellectual properties,
confessed with deep emotion that this project fulfills the greatest ambition in
her father's life: to continue creating animated works and expanding this
melancholic intergalactic journey regardless of the passage of time.
Although the news is a cause for pure
celebration, it comes with an inevitable bittersweet tone for fans of
yesteryear. The announcement of this new production comes just a few months
after the painful and recent physical losses of Masako Ikeda, the unmistakable
voice of the mysterious protagonist Maetel, and Nozomi Aoki, the historic
composer of the series. Despite the immense void left by these figures,
the production committee is determined to honor their memory,
coinciding with this long-awaited return in theaters with a spectacular
traveling art exhibition throughout Japan that will land in Saitama prefecture
on September 19, boasting more than three hundred original pieces of the original
work.
Knowing that it's been almost three decades
since the release of the film Eternal Fantasy in 1998 and that
irreplaceable figures of the original voice talent are no longer with us
