What You Need to Know:
- GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced today it has acquired the North American distribution rights for the latest feature animated by acclaimed studio Production I.G, THE DEER KING (Shika no Ou). The feature film, directed by Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji and written by Taku Kishimoto, will had its world premiere in competition at the Annecy Film Festival this week. GKIDS will theatrically release the film subtitled in its original Japanese language, as well as with new English dub version, in North America in early 2022. International sales are handled by NIPPON TV.
- THE DEER KING marks the directorial debut of acclaimed animator Masashi Ando. Ando has previously worked as a character designer, animation director, and key animator with the famed Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke), and with directors Satoshi Kon (Paprika, “Paranoia Agent”) and Makoto Shinkai (Your Name). Masayuki Miyaji is best known for directing the 2009 series “Xam'd: Lost Memories” and work on Studio Ghibli films such as My Neighbors The Yamadas. The book series, by author Nahoko Uehashi, won the Booksellers Award and the fourth Japan Medical Novel Award in 2015, and has printed 2.2 million copies in Japan so far. Known for their work in series and feature animation, notable works from animation studio Production I.G include Ghost in the Shell, “FLCL,” “Haikyu!!,” and “Psycho Pass.” The studio’s 2011 feature A Letter to Momo and 2015 feature Miss Hokusai are also distributed by GKIDS.
SYNOPSIS: In the years following a vicious war, the Empire of Zol now controls the land and citizens of rival Aquafa – except for Aquafa's Fire Horse Territory, where wild dogs that once carried the deadly Black Wolf Fever continue to roam free. When a pack of dogs race through a Zol-controlled mine, Van, an enslaved former soldier, and a young girl named Yuna are both bitten, but manage to escape as the sole survivors of the attack. Finally free, Van and Yuna seek out a simple, peaceful existence in the countryside. But as the deadly disease once again runs rampant, they find themselves at the crossroads of a struggle much larger than any one nation.
GKIDS is proud to present THE DEER KING, a sweeping fantasy epic, and the directing debut of acclaimed animator Masashi Ando, whose work on such landmark films as Spirited Away, Paprika and Your Name helped shape the world of modern Japanese animation.
The Deer King [Official Subtitled Teaser Trailer, GKIDS]
Directors: Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji
Writer: Taku Kishimoto
Studio: Production I.G
Licensor: NIPPON TV
Domestic Distributor: GKIDS
Genre: Action-Adventure/Fantasy
Run time: 113 min
Source: Official Press Release
About GKIDS
GKIDS is the producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, the company has scored an astounding 12 Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, Mirai in 2019, and Wolfwalkers in 2021. GKIDS also handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others; as well as the critically acclaimed television series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. GKIDS also hosts ANIMATION IS FILM, an annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions. www.gkids.com
