Studio Ponoc announced that its upcoming anime film The Imaginary will premiere in Japan on December 15, 2023. A new key teaser visual featuring Rudger was also released.
The anime film is an adaptation A.F. Harrold and Emily Gravett‘s 2014 novel of the same name. It was previously delayed from its initial Summer 2022 premiere date due to the film’s production methods amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ponoc mentioned its plans to distribute the film in other countries on its website.
The Imaginary is directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, who directed the 2019 Ni no Kuni anime film and served as character designer on the Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom video game. Momose previously worked on several Studio Ghibli films such as Porco Rosso, Pom Poko, Whisper of the Heart, and Princess Mononoke.
Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura is serving as the film’s producer, having previously produced Mary and The Witch’s Flower and the first volume of Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre. Nishimura also previously worked at Studio Ghibli as a producer for The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There.
Ponoc describes the film’s synopsis as:
The main character of The Imaginary is Rudger. Born from a young girl’s imagination, Rudger is a boy no one can see who lives in a world where imaginations can live and be eaten by others. The Imaginary is an extraordinarily touching and beautiful hand-drawn fantasy film in which Rudger and his new friends in “The Imaginaries Town” embark on an adventure no one can see at the risk of the futures and fates of those they love.
