RELEASING IN NORTH AMERICAN THEATRES

BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 4TH

GKIDS, the Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor of acclaimed and artist-driven animation from around the world, released today the US trailer for cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood, a wartime drama based on Machiko Kyo’s manga cocoon and debut feature from Director Yukimitsu Ina  (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Star Wars: Visions – Tatooine Rhapsody) and animation studio SASAYURI, founded by Studio Ghibli alum Hitomi Tateno (My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle). cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood will be released in theatres in its original Japanese with English subtitles and English dub beginning September 4th. 

The animated feature recently made its North American premiere on July 10 at JAPAN CUTS, North America’s largest Japanese film festival hosted by New York City-based Japan Society. 

cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood is brought to screen by a powerhouse team of industry veterans and fresh talent alike, including renowned animators Akihiko Yamashita (Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron) and Shinji Otsuka (Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke). Director Yukimitsu Ina also pens the screenplay adaptation alongside Taku Kishimoto (Haikyu!!, SAKAMOTO DAYS). As a bonus for theatrical screenings, fans of the legendary musician kensuke ushio (Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, DanDaDan, A Silent Voice) will be able to enjoy a special behind-the-scenes look at his process composing the score.

Synopsis:

San and Mayu attend an all-girls school on a warm and tranquil island. When war reaches their shores, they are ordered to help nurse the wounded in a military hospital hidden away in a cave. Amidst escalating death and brutality, the friends struggle to find solace in their fragile lives.

Based on the manga by Machiko Kyo, cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood is the debut feature from Yukimitsu Ina and animation studio SASAYURI, founded by former Studio Ghibli animator Hitomi Tateno. The project brings together legendary veteran animators like Akihiko Yamashita and Shinji Otsuka, known for their work on PRINCESS MONONOKE and THE BOY AND THE HERON, with a new, young generation of animating talent. Featuring a stirring score from kensuke ushio (A Silent Voice, Chainsaw Man), the film is a devastating yet beautiful plea for peace.