Ghost Cat Anzu releases first English subbed trailer ahead of North American release

Key insights

Ghost Cat Anzu is a 2024 animated film based on a manga and is praised for its unique animation style.
The film was well received but criticized for its pacing and was nominated for awards such as the Sitges Film Festival.
Ghost Cat Anzu will hit North American theaters on November 15, 2024, following a successful release in Japan.

Ghost cat Anzu is a 2024 animated film produced by Japan and France. It is based on the manga of the same name by Takashi Imashiro. The film was released in Japan in July of this year after first screening in Cannes, France, and is scheduled to open in theaters in North America in November. A new trailer with English subtitles has just been added ahead of the upcoming theatrical release.

Ghost cat Anzu caused a stir with his unique creation and was nominated for several awards. While critics had some issues with the story’s pacing, it captured viewers’ hearts in other ways. The film did well enough to be slated for an official English theatrical release, which is what this trailer is intended to drum up interest for. The trailer was released on GKIDS Films’ official YouTube on Wednesday.

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What is Ghost Cat Anzu?

A French-Japanese anime

Ghost cat Anzu based on a manga by Takashi Imashiro. The manga was originally published from 2006 to 2007 and consisted of one volume. Now, almost a decade later, the story has been rediscovered and is being co-produced into an anime film by studios Shin-Ei Animatoin and Miyu Productions. GKIDS Films describes Ghost cat Anzu on their official website as

Precocious teenager Karin is abandoned by her father in rural Japan. She lives in a temple with her grandfather and meets Anzu, a giant “ghost cat” and notorious slacker whose job it is to look after her. Suspicious of her new guardian, Karin sabotages Anzu’s odd jobs for the townspeople and befriends the eccentric local forest spirits. To win over Karin, Anzu accidentally makes a deal with the devil and all hell breaks loose.

“Ghost Cat Anzu” is co-directed by renowned artist Yoko Kuno, making her feature film debut, and Nobuhiro Yamashita, the acclaimed director of “Linda Linda Linda.” Co-produced by Shin-Ei Animation and Miyu Productions with music by legendary musician Keiichi Suzuki (EarthBound), Ghost Cat Anzu is an incredibly fun ride through the countryside.

What people are really talking about Ghost cat Anzu was the way the film was animated. The film was actually first shot entirely in live-action and then rotoscoped into an anime. This means that the animators traced the live footage frame by frame to create a realistic animation style. This rotoscoping technique paid off and many critics praised the animation Ghost cat Anzu looked, although they noted that the film had some pacing issues.

Title shared image of the Catbus Luna Karin

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North American release of Ghost Cat Anzu

Coming to theaters this November

Ghost cat Anzu was licensed for release in North America by the company GKID Films. It will hit theaters on November 15, 2024. The film was originally screened on May 21 as part of Director’s Fortnight 2024 in Cannes and was later released in theaters in Japan on July 19, 2024. Tickets are already available on the official GKIDS website. The English subtitled trailer reached over 3,000 views in less than 24 hours.

Ghost cat Anzu was nominated for Best Feature and Best Animated Feature at the Sitges Film Festival just this month and was nominated for the Cristal Award for Best Feature at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June. Although it didn’t win, Ghost cat Anzu obviously did something good enough to earn the nomination. Creator Takashi Imashiro also began releasing a sequel almost a decade after the first series concluded the same week the film was released in Japan, marking a new beginning for us Ghost cat Anzu.

Ghost cat Anzu will hit theaters in North America on November 15, 2024.