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The Wonderland Anime Film Screens in U.S., Canada on January 31
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Eleven Arts announced on Friday that it will screen Keiichi Hara's The Wonderland (Birthday Wonderland) anime film in theaters in the United States and Canada on January 31. The screening will have Japanese dialogue with English subtitles. The company also began streaming a trailer for the film.
Eleven Arts describes the film:
On the day before her birthday, young Akane meets the mysterious alchemist Hippocrates who brings her through a basement and into a fantastical world full of magic and color. He reveals that this world is in danger, and as the "Green Goddess" it is her destiny and responsibility to save this world. The only problem? Akane just wants to go home.
The film opened in Japan on April 26 and screened in competition at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June. Fantasia Festival in Montreal, Canada also screened the film in July. Crunchyroll Expo hosted the U.S. premiere of the film on August 30. The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain screened the film in October.
Russian artist Ilya Kuvshinov designed the characters and visuals, Miho Maruo wrote the script, and milet performed the image song "Wonderland." The film is an adaptation of Sachiko Kashiwaba's 1981 children's book Chikashitru Kara no Fushigi na Tabi (Strange Journey From The Basement).
Hara's most recent work, Miss Hokusai, debuted in May 2015. The film won the Jury Prize at Annecy in June 2015. Hara also won the Asiagraph 2015 Tsumugi Prize in recognition of individuals who have made valuable contributions to digital art.
