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Animated 'Sayonara, Tyranno' Film's Japanese Release Delayed Due to COVID-19

The official Japanese blog for Sayonara, Tyranno (Annyeong, Tyrano: Yeong-wonhi, Hamkke or My Tyrano: Together, Forever), the Chinese-Japanese-South Korean co-produced animated film based on Tatsuya Miyanishi's Tyrannosaurus series of children books, announced on Wednesday that the film's Japanese opening has been postponed. The staff cited to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the government's policies to fight the pandemic. The anime's website and social media accounts will announce a new opening date as soon as it is decided.

The film was originally planned to open in Japan early this summer.

The Japanese cast includes:

• Shinichirō Miki as Tyrano, a tyrannosaurus rex who is afraid of the dark
• Kaori Ishihara as Punon, a pteranodon who cannot fly
• Aoi Yūki as Tops, a triceratops who has been separated from its parents

The other cast members include Katsuyuki Konishi, Kikuko Inoue, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Nobuyuki Hiyama, and Unshou Ishizuka.

Korean company Media Castle, Korea Investment Partners, and Beijing Resolution financed the film. The film opened in South Korea last August.

Kobun Shizuno (Godzilla anime trilogy, Detective Conan films) directed the film at Tezuka Production. Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (The Last Emperor, The Revenant) scored the music, his first for an anime film since Wings of Honneamise 33 years ago. Marisuke Eguchi is the animation director. Dai Satō, Kimiko Ueno, and Naohiro Fukushima penned the script. Hanaregumi and kotringo perform the film's theme song "Rakuen o Futari de" (Together Into Paradise).

Entertainment news magazine Variety describes the film: "Hello, Tyranno sees the adventure and love story between a male tyrannosaurus that looks aggressive but does not make a kill and a female pteranodon."

Since Miyanishi began the Tyrannosaurus book series in 2003, it has two million copies in print. The books inspired the 2010 film You Are Umasou, which earned the top first-day audience satisfaction rating from the Pia service, as well as a high 4.22 rating from Yahoo! Movies Japan reviews. The second film, Anata o Zutto Aishiteru, opened in Japan on June 6, 2015. The books also inspired a Miyanishi Tatsuya Gekijō: Omae Umasou da na, series of television anime shorts in 2010.

Sources: Sayonara, Tyranno animated film's Japanese blog, Comic Natalie