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Makoto Shinkai Reveals New Anime Film Suzume no Tojimari

Makoto Shinkai (your name., Weathering With You) revealed his new work Suzume no Tojimari (literally, Suzume's Door-Locking) on Wednesday during a press conference held at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. The anime film will open in Japan in fall 2022.

Shinkai describes Suzume no Tojimari as a modern adventure story, an action film, and a road movie. The story follows Suzume, a 17-year-old girl from a quiet Kyūshū town who meets a young man looking for a door. They find a door within ruins in the mountain, and Suzume opens it. Soon, more doors begin to open around Japan, bringing disasters from the other side. The film depicts Suzume's liberation and growth, as she closes the doors that are causing disaster.

Shinkai stated that three important points about the film are that it is a road movie around Japan, a story about "closing doors" rather than opening them, and a reason to visit the movie theater. He elaborated that closing doors can refer to tying loose ends or finishing something.

Shinkai is directing the film and writing the screenplay. He is also credited with the original story. Masayoshi Tanaka (your name., Weathering With You) is designing the characters. Kenichi Tsuchiya (your name., Garden of Words) is the animation director. Takumi Tanji (Children Who Chase Lost Voices) is the art director. CoMix Wave Films and Story Inc. are producing the movie. TOHO is distributing the film.

Mone Kamishiraishi (Mitsuha in your name.) and Nana Mori (Hina in Weathering With You) were speakers at the press conference, and they revealed that they have seen the storyboard for Suzume no Tojimari. The staff planned out the project from January to March of 2020, developed the script from April to August of that year, and drafted the storyboards from September 2020 to December 2021. The actual animation production began in April of this year and is continuing up to now.

Shinkai's most recent film, Weathering With You, opened in Japan in July 2019. The film became the #7 highest-earning domestic film of all time in Japan (now #8 after Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train), and was the highest-grossing film in Japan in 2019.

Shinkai's your name. film opened in Japan in August 2016, and has become the fifth highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, the third highest-grossing Japanese film, and the third highest-grossing anime film.

Shinkai's other works include 5 Centimeters Per Second, Voices of a Distant Star, She and Her Cat, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, The Garden of Words, and Children Who Chase Lost Voices.

Sources: Makoto Shinkai's New Film Suzume no Tojimari Press Conference stream, Suzume no Tojimari film's website