Production I.G to Produce 3DCG Feature Film Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror slated in Japan for Summer 2009

Production I.G to Produce 3DCG Feature Film OBLIVION ISLAND: HARUKA AND THE MAGIC MIRROR (tentative English title) slated in Japan for Summer 2009

"Where do all your childhood's treasures go when you grow up?"

Production I.G in collaboration with Fuji Television Network announce the production of a new full length computer graphic animation feature film entitled "Hottarake no Shima - Haruka to Maho no Kagami" (tentative English title: "Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror")

Today, American-made 3DCG animation feature films have become a well established and recognized global reality in the entertainment industry. However, budget restrictions and lack of know-how prevented similar productions to become prevalent in Japan so far.

Tokyo-based Production I.G was one of the first animation studios in Japan to recognize the potentiality of the upcoming digital era, and has been dedicating time and resources to the establishment of a fully equipped production environment and a 200 hundred people creative and technical team that could support the realization of 3DCG feature-length animated films.

And now, after a 3-year preparation period, the highly anticipated first project presented by Production I.G's 3D team in collaboration with Fuji Television Network is going to be a fresh departure from 3DCG animation as we know it today. "Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror"(tentative English title) will inherit the unique expressive style that has made Japanese animation hugely popular around the globe, and at the same time it will pursue a completely different texture from Western style 3DCG animation. While making full use of the state-of-the-art in digital techniques, I.G aims to entertain you with heart-warming visuals and pioneer a new course of Japanese-made 3DCG animation appealing to the international audience.

The movie will be distributed in Japan by Toho Co., LTD. and the Japanese theatrical release is slated for summer 2009.

WORLD VIEW - Your favourite teddy bear. That model kit that took so long to complete. The picture book you used to read over and over again. The shining stone you found that day in the park. Where do all your childhood's treasures go when you grow up? In this story, we meet fantastic creatures that gather all these little objects that fall into oblivion as they are forgotten by their owners when they step into adulthood. These creatures sneak into our world from a different dimension, and unseen by humans, they take all the ditched and forgotten "treasures" into their world. Here, they use their booty to build their own city, a fairy-tale like place called...Oblivion Island!

STORY - Haruka is a teenager like many. Her mother left this world when she was a kid, and her father took after her ever since. The movie opens with Haruka visiting the Inari Shrine in Musashino, in the outskirts of Tokyo. With her greatest surprise, she sees a "fox" (or 'something' looking like one) carrying a toy plane. But as she goes after the funny animal, she finds herself on... Oblivion Island! Here, Haruka encounters the teddy bear she used to play with when she was a kid. And suddenly, other memories from her childhood come to her mind. But humans are not supposed to be on Oblivion Island, and the Baron, who rules that world, has put an eye on that unexpected intruder. From here, the story bends dramatically into an unpredictable direction at increasing and uncontrolled speed... Will Haruka find her memories, and a way to get out from the island?

SCREENPLAY: Hirotaka Adachi and Shinsuke Satō Probably better known by his alias Otsuichi, Hirotaka Ando is a hugely popular novelist whose works have often been transposed into comics and live action movies, for which he personally wrote the screenplays, such as "Goth" (2002, 3rd Mystery Grand Prize winner), "Waiting in the Darkness" (2002) and "Zoo" (2003). Born in Fukuoka in 1978, he made his professional debut when he was only 17. He's reportedly a big fan of Studio Ghibli's movies.

DIRECTOR: Shinsuke Satō Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1970, Sato is a film director, scriptwriter and video game creator. He graduated from the Musashino Art University, like Satoshi Kon and Ryu Murakami. His directorial debut "Ryonai Genshuku" (Dorm Austerity) was awarded with the Grand Prix at the Pia Film Festival 1994. Notably works include, "Princess Blade" (2001, director and scriptwriter), "Spring Snow" (2005, scriptwriter) and manga-based "Sand Chronicles" (2008, director and scriptwriter), all of them live-action movies. Oblivion Island is his highly anticipated debut in animation.

Naoyoshi Shiotani (director of SICAF 2008 Grand Prize winning "Tokyo Marble Chocolate") is joining the production team, too.

ABOUT PRODUCTION I.G Established by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa in 1987, Production I.G is one of the world's leading animation studios. With its cutting-Edge Works, such as "Ghost in the Shell" (1995), "Jin-Roh" (2000), "Blood: The Last Vampire" (2000), "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" (animation segment, 2003), "Innocence" (2004) and "The Sky Crawlers" (2008), I.G has gained high reputation around the globe, inspiring Hollywood creators such as James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino and the Wachowski brothers.

Official Website: http://www.production-ig.com

Image © 2009 Fuji Television Network・Production I.G