Recently Toho announced they bought over the Glasgow based Anime distributor Anime Limited. Now part of Toho Global family, they tease what UK fans can expect this year revealing the 2026 theatrical line. A year that promises be one of original and iconic cinema including some celebrated classics.
LUPIN THE IIIRD: The Movie – The Immortal Bloodline
Known for his kinetic visual flair, director Takeshi Koike (Redline) brings one of Japan’s longest-running anime franchises to the big screen with an all-new, action packed caper that sees the legendary gentleman thief fighting for his life against past foes, and an immortal who threatens to destroy his legacy. [review]
ALL YOU NEED IS KILL
From STUDIO 4°C (MIND GAME, Tekkonkinkreet) comes a brand-new anime adaptation of the landmark Sci-Fi novel of the same name by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. When Rita, a resourceful but isolated young woman, is killed while investigating a mysterious alien flower and the monstrous creatures it unleashed, she… wakes up. Again, and again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man caught in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them. [review]
The Last Blossom
The bittersweet and life-affirming tale of a man spending his final days in prison reflecting on his life with his only cellmate, a talking flower, The Last Blossom has earned acclaim since its premiere at Annecy International Animation Film Festival, winning both the Jury and Audience Awards at Scotland Loves Anime. From director Baku Kinoshita and writer Kazuya Konomoto, the team behind the acclaimed series ODDTAXI.
AKIRA
One of the most influential anime films ever made, Katsuhiro Otomo’s dystopian cyberpunk film AKIRA introduced the western world to the cinematic spectacle and the powerful stories that anime has to offer. Even if you have yet to experience this landmark classic, you will have seen its influence on everything from Hollywood blockbusters, and pop culture as a whole.
Angel’s Egg
From renowned director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) and celebrated artist Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy series), Angel’s Egg was once thought lost to time, out of reach for the many who yearned to experience the experimental Sci-Fi film that Helen McCarthy once hailed as “an early masterpiece of symbolic filmmaking”. Following its premiere at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, Angel’s Egg will finally be released in cinemas featuring a brand new 4K remaster, based on a new scan of the 35mm film negative and overseen by Oshii himself.
ChaO
Winner of the Jury Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, ChaO tells a story of love across cultures with the trademark expressive art of the acclaimed STUDIO 4°C (Tekkonkinkreet, MIND GAME). In a neo-futuristic Shanghai, the hapless engineer Stephen inadvertently finds himself engaged to mermaid princess Chao. When his career, geopolitical relationships, and more importantly their happiness rely on a happy marriage, can Stephen and Chao make it work? [Yasuhiro Aoki interview]
Grave of the Fireflies
The masterpiece from the late Isao Takahata (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya) that Roger Ebert called “an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation” and one of “the greatest war films ever made”. From the internationally renowned Studio Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies adapts the semi-autobiographical story of two orphans struggling to survive in the final days of World War II.
Godzilla Minus Zero
The highly anticipated new film from Takashi Yamazaki, who returns as Director, Screenwriter, and VFX supervisor on the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Godzilla Minus One, which broke multiple UK & Irish box office records at time of release (including the largest opening day for a Japanese film in over 23 years), and became the first Asian film to win Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards.
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