“Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of Gegege” is in official competition in the Contrechamp category.
Toei Animation is proud to announce that the animated feature film, Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of Gegege, has been selected to participate in the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2024. The film will officially compete in the Contrechamp category.
Directed by Go Koga, Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of Gegege explores the world of Yōkai, supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore. The film received the Best Animated Film Award at the 47th Japanese Academy Awards in March 2024. The movie released on November 17th 2023 surpassed 2,700,000,000 JPY at the Japanese Box Office with more than 1,900,000 ticket sales.
The Annecy Festival, which will take place from June 9th to 15th, is one of the most renowned events worldwide for animated cinema, celebrating exceptional talents and animated works from all corners of the globe.
Director, Mr. Go Koga and Producer, Mr. Keisuke Naito will attend the 2024 Annecy Festival.
Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of Gegege will be screened on the following dates:
- June 10, 8:30 PM, Pathé 9&10, English subtitles
- June 11, 5:30 PM, Pathé 3, French subtitles
- June 12, 4:30 PM, Pathé 1, English subtitles (main screening event)
- June 14, 12:30 PM, Pathé 3, French subtitles
Synopsis: In Showa 31 (1956), Nagura Village was secretly controlled by the Ryuga family, who dominated Japan’s political and financial circles. Mizuki, who worked at the Imperial Blood Bank, entered the village under the pretense of mourning the death of the head of the family, carrying ambitions and a secret mission. At the same time, Kitaro’s father entered the village searching for his wife. Within the Ryuga family, a vicious struggle over succession had begun.
During this time, one of the family members was mysteriously murdered at the village shrine. This marked the beginning of a terrifying chain of supernatural events.
About Toei Animation: With headquarters in Tokyo and sales offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Paris, Toei Animation co Ltd ranks among the world’s most prolific animation production studios. Toei Animation’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing. Since its founding in 1956, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. has produced more than 13,316 episodes of TV series (more than 230 titles) and more than 260 long feature films.
Founded in 2004 and based in Paris, Toei Animation Europe is in charge of the distribution and exploitation of Toei Animation’s animated series in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Among its most famous series : Dragon Ball, Captain Harlock, Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, and One Piece.
Media Contact:
Toei Animation Europe
Hayato Oishi : oishi-hayato@toei-anim.co.jp
