Gkids, a film distributor known for partnering with Studio Ghibli and releasing exciting anime feature films in the United States, made headlines last week when they purchased the rights to Belle, Mamoru Hosoda's next feature film. Now, after its world premiere at the Annecy Film Festival, the distributor has picked up the North American rights to The Deer King, veteran Japanese animator Masashi Ando's directorial debut.
The Deer King tells an epic fantasy story about a former soldier and a little girl who are caught in the middle of a conflict between the two rival empires, Zol and Aquafa, after surviving an attack by wild dogs that carried a deadly disease known as Black Wolf Fever. The teaser released by Gkids promises many action scenes as well as sequences expressing a heartfelt connection between the soldier and the girl.
Ando's impressive animation resume includes work on highly-acclaimed films such as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Your Name, and Satoshi Kon's Paprika. Furthermore, Ando wrote the screenplay for When Marnie Was There. The filmmaker is joined on The Deer King by co-director Masayuki Miyaji, a veteran storyboard artist for a myriad of anime series including Attack on Titan. Taku Kishimoto, a series writer for Haikyuu!!, Erased, and the modern remake of Fruits Basket (among others), wrote the film's script.
The Annecy Film Festival in Annecy, France is one of the biggest film festivals in the world and the most prominent in terms of those focused primarily on the medium of animation. Many anime films such as Akira, Summer Wars, and A Silent Voice have screened in the festival's feature competition in past years. This year, The Deer King was selected for the feature competition alongside two other anime titles—Poupelle of Chimney Town and Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, the latter of which will screen in theaters starting July 12th courtesy of Funimation.
The Deer King is one of the most exciting anime films in recent memory; at a time when many recent anime films (like Mirai and Weathering with You) have told contemporary stories, it is refreshing to see The Deer King tell an epic story that may not be easily compared to the films surrounding it.
If it's feeling like there's a wave of anime titles or news related to medium as of late, that may be a good thing for fans. After all, several anime titles, including Sailor Moon Eternal, saw their theatrical release dates postponed over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Deer King will be released in North America later in 2021.
Source: Gkids Film/YouTube