Animation studio Studio Ponoc, which produced the hit animated film "Mary and the Witch's Flower," has embarked on a new project that will compile three roughly 15-minute animated short films, each by a different creator, into one movie. The omnibus movie will be released nationwide on Aug. 24 as part of the "Ponoc's short film theater" project, which is aimed at bringing new talent into the anime production industry, in which new directors struggle to break through.
Studio Ponoc was established in 2015 by Yoshiaki Nishimura, who was a producer at Studio Ghibli and left the company after the dissolution of its production department. Studio Ponoc's first animated feature film "Mary and the Witch's Flower," directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and released in 2017, recorded box office sales of 3.28 billion yen, and is being shown in the United States, France and China.
After its promising start, the company could well have begun work on a second feature film. However, the number of new live-action and animated films has been rising, and the spread of video streaming services has enabled viewers to watch existing domestic and foreign films with ease.
"When we tried to make a new animated film, we couldn't make progress because we weren't sure where to go," Nishimura said.
The Pia Film Festival, which features independent live-action films, has played a major role in discovering and nurturing talented new filmmakers. Yet with animated films, there have been few occasions for younger filmmakers to channel their abilities into success. Such circumstances prompted Nishimura to launch the short film theater project with the belief he could unearth new talent. He hopes it yields top-rate work with high-quality content and presentation.
The title of the debut omnibus movie is "Chiisana Eiyu -- Kani to Tamago to Tomei Ningen (Small heroes -- a crab, an egg and an invisible man)," featuring the theme of "small heroes." The directors of the three short films are Yonebayashi; animation director Yoshiyuki Momose, a right-hand man to the late director Isao Takahata; and Akihiko Yamashita, an animator and animation director who played a major role in works created by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki. All three have connections to Studio Ghibli.
Nishimura hopes to produce feature films and movies for the short film project in alternating years, in cooperation with live-action film directors, picture book authors, manga artists and others outside the animation industry.
The omnibus movie will be shown on over 100 screens, with ticket prices expected to be lower than those of regular films due to its roughly 50-minute length.
"We fully support Studio Ponoc's new challenge. The three films being produced reflect the different qualities of the three directors," said Minami Ichikawa, managing director at Toho, Co., which will distribute the movie.
Three directors discuss their new anime
Hiromasa Yonebayashi: "Kanini to Kanino," a fantasy film about the adventure of crab brothers
When making a short film, I basically have the same state of mind as when making a feature film. However, since there are fewer total cuts in short films, I try various challenges. This film takes place in water, and I use three-dimensional computer graphics to create the animation for the flowing water and living creatures. We're thinking about how to combine that with the hand-drawn characters and backgrounds we've worked on for many years. This is my first time producing a film that stars a young boy and features an original story. I'm looking forward to the reactions from audiences.
Yoshiyuki Momose: "Samurai Egg (Life ain't gonna lose)," a drama about a boy with an egg allergy and his mother
Everyone has their own problems and stories. I believe the film will highlight our instincts to live. A short film often ends before viewers get to know the characters, so it's effective to produce one that goes beyond cell animation techniques. It's like art, but I think viewers will better enjoy something expressed through pictures. I would like to make it as simple as possible. I'm worried to what extent viewers will understand my intent, but I hope this approach works well.
Akihiko Yamashita: "Tomei Ningen (Invisible)," an action drama depicting
an invisible man's lonely struggles
I realized again that I cannot produce a movie on my own, as this was my first experience developing a production. At first, I was a little opposed to the film's idea because it's impossible to tell the story of an invisible man through animation. However, when we came up with an idea of an invisible man who tries to tell others he exists, I thought I'd like to tell that story in a way unique to animation. The biggest challenge is how to depict the feelings of the invisible man. Everything, including art, drawing, audio and shooting, is challenging, and the film will be important for helping me see whether I can continue to work as a director in the future.
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