Summary
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Studio 4°C is making a new anime film titled ChaO, which will debut in summer 2025 in Japan.
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The film has been in production for seven years, hand-drawn with over 100,000 drawings.
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Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, the plot involves a mermaid princess who asks an employee to marry her.
Quick links
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Directed by Naruto: The Ultimate Assistant Director of Animation
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The premise of ChaO's plot seems like a fun sort of Little Mermaid tale
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Studio 4°C is working on a new original anime film! The project was announced during the Toei 2025-2026 lineup press conference, because Toei (Dragon Ball, One piece) will distribute the film, at least in Japan.
4°C was founded in 1986 and has been increasingly involved in anime production since the 2000s: they animated series before the 2000s, but their involvement with this type of production was more limited. They produced some Animator (2003) episodes and also animated the Berserk: Golden Age Arc trilogy.
The new the film is called ChaOand is scheduled to debut in summer 2025 in Japan. Since Toei is involved in this production, there is a possibility that they will aim to release it internationally, either in theaters or directly on streaming services.
So far, no information regarding international releases has been revealed, but Studio 4°C has released the film in English, also giving the impression that they want the film to reach foreign audiences:
Second OriconStudio 4°C worked on this film for seven years, and the production is handcrafted, with over 100,000 drawings.
Directed by Naruto: The Ultimate Assistant Director of Animation
Yasuhiro Aoki is responsible for the management. Him he is credited as assistant director of animation The latest: Naruto the moviea film leading up to Naruto and Hinata's wedding and considered canon by many fans. He also worked, this time as a director, on Senjutsu Choukoukaku Orion, Honey Tokyo and episode 4 of Batman: Gotham City.
Hirokazu Kojima (Deadman's Wonderland) is the character designer and chief animation director, while Hiroshi Takiguchi (Ajin, Weatherproof with you) is the artistic director. The head writer (or writers) has not been revealed, but there is a possibility that Aoki is also writing the script.
The premise of ChaO's plot seems like a fun sort of Little Mermaid tale
The story is set in the future, but a future where mermaids and humans coexist. In this scenario, Chao, a princess from the mermaid kingdom, suddenly asks an employee named Stephen to marry her.
No information regarding the international release has been officially announced.
Source: MyAnimeList, ANN