GKIDS has obtained the North American rights for ChaO, the upcoming STUDIO4℃-produced anime film about a human who receives a proposal from a mermaid princess.
The announcement comes before ChaO’s debut at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it is part of the feature film official selection.
GKIDS describes ChaO as:
From acclaimed Japanese animation production house Studio 4°C comes a wild romantic comedy and true “fish out of water” story. In a futuristic world where humans and mermaids coexist, ChaO follows Stephan, a mild-mannered office worker at a shipbuilding company, whose life is upended when he is suddenly proposed to by Chao — a princess from the mermaid kingdom. With no time to make sense of what’s happening, Stephan soon finds himself living with the unpredictable, wholehearted Chao. As her sincere love begins to break down his emotional barriers, an unexpected and touching romance begins to unfold.
The movie will premiere in Japan on August 15 JST. It was announced in January.
Staff
• Director: Yasuhiro Aoki (Psycho-Pass: The Movie co-character designer, SAMURAI NOODLES “THE ORIGINATOR” unit director et al.)
• Character designer and animation director: Hirokazu Kojima (Shoka, More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers ending design and animation)
• Background art director: Hiroshi Takiguchi (Weathering With You)
• Animation production: STUDIO4℃
Cast
• Oji Suzuka as Stephan
• Anna Yamada as Chao
• Yuichiro Umehara as Roberta
• Kavka Shishido as Mai Bei
Source: @GKIDSfilms (via The Hollywood Reporter)
