by The world’s largest animation film festival, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, was held this year from June 8th to June 14th local time in Annecy, southeastern France. Among the more than 200 diverse animation works from all over the world that were gathered, the latest work from STUDIO4℃ from Japan, “ChaO” (released on August 15th), won the jury prize, second only to the Grand Prix “Crystal Award,” in the feature film competition category, the main event of the festival.
This time, MOVIE WALKER PRESS has an exclusive report on the “ChaO” team, including director Aoki Yasuhiro, who took the megaphone for this film and arrived in the area. We will report on our interaction with local media and fans, as well as the world’s earliest screening. We will also introduce the enthusiastic comments of local anime fans who saw the film before anyone else in the world, along with an interview with Director Aoki and highlights of the film!
“ChaO” achieved an excellent milestone for the first time in eight years at the Annecy Film Festival in France, which has a deep connection to Japanese anime. This film is an original animated adaptation based on one of the world’s most famous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, “The Little Mermaid.”
In a future society where humans and mermaids coexist, Stephan (voice: Suzuka Hiroshi), an office worker who works at a shipbuilding company, is proposed to by Chao (voice: Yamada Anna), the princess of the mermaid kingdom.
While everyone around him is excited about the friendship between humans and mermaids, Stephan accepts the marriage without understanding why. As Chao’s pure and straightforward love grows on him, he gradually becomes attracted to her.
The Annecy International Animated Film Festival was established in 1960 as an independent animation festival, separate from the Cannes Film Festival. The festival takes place in Annecy, a city situated on the water and also known as the “Venice of the French Alps” and the “Pearl of the French Alps” for its stunning lakeside scenery.
It is recognized as one of the “four major animated film festivals in the world,” certified by the International Animated Film Association, along with Zagreb, Ottawa, and Hiroshima. This festival, which ended in 2020, boasts the longest history among them. It was previously held every two years, but since the late 1990s, it has been held annually. This year marks the 49th anniversary of its holding. It has continued to evolve and expand with the development of animation worldwide. In recent years, it has become a hub where works from various platforms, including feature films, shorts, TV series, advertisements, and VR projects, come together.
A wide range of works is screened, from the latest creations by top animators leading the animation world to those by student creators who will shape the next generation. It is a film festival that attracts great attention from anime fans, movie fans, and industry insiders alike. Since the 1960s, shortly after the festival began, various Japanese anime works have been submitted to the festival and have received high praise. It is no exaggeration to say that Annecy laid the foundation for anime to become one of the world’s most renowned Japanese cultural expressions.
In the feature film competition category, directors Hayao Miyazaki’s “Porco Rosso” (1993), Isao Takahata’s “Pom Poko” (1995), and Masaaki Yuasa’s “Lu over the Wall” (2017) have won the Crystal Award. In the short film category, director Koji Yamamura’s “Heaven’s Mountain” (2003) and Kunio Kato’s “House of Stacks” (2008) have also won the Grand Prix.
The Jury Prize that “Chao” won was previously awarded to director Keiichi Hara’s “Miss Hokusai” (2015) and director Sunao Katabuchi’s “In This Corner of the World” (2016). This is the first time in eight years that a Japanese anime has received this award.
Over 100,000 drawings in total! Quality that astounds anime fans: “We want to use STUDIO4℃’s animation technology to create a completely new, original animated work that can be shared with the world.” With this desire in mind, the producer and representative of STUDIO4℃, Tanaka Eiko, started planning “ChaO” in 2016. Nine years later, the project was finally completed after overcoming the threat of cancellation due to fundraising issues. On June 13th, local time, the film will have its world premiere screening.
The venue was the Bonlieu-Grande Salle, the main theater of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Before the screening began, a long line formed outside the venue, with approximately 1. The theater, which can accommodate 1,000 people, was packed with eager attendees waiting for the screening, and the atmosphere was lively. Director Aoki, who appeared on stage before the screening, said, “I am very proud to be able to deliver this work to you all,” and then appealed to the highlights of the work as an “instruction manual.” “Various characters appear, sprinkle various things in, and then disappear.
Then, when you’ve forgotten about it, the punch line suddenly appears. There are very detailed jokes, so don’t miss them. They often say, “Don’t mix things up,” but this work is a mix. Mermaids and humans, comedy and seriousness. And it was made by STUDIO4℃. Experience happiness, spectacle, and humor.”
During the approximately 90-minute screening, laughter and applause erupted from all corners of the venue, creating a vibrant atmosphere. After the screening, I spoke to the still-excited audience in front of the theater. They praised the detailed and elaborate animation techniques that are synonymous with Japanese anime, saying things like, “It’s technically amazing, a feel-good movie,” “It’s a beautiful movie, and the animation is gorgeous,” and “It’s very sophisticated.”
The film’s setting, a futuristic city where humans and mermaids coexist, was modeled after Shanghai, China. The detailed cityscape on land, which recreates a chaotic atmosphere, as well as the vivid depiction of water, must have resonated with the audience in Annecy, the “city of water.”
A typical full-length animated film has a total of 30,000 to 40,000 frames, but this film has over 100,000. As a result, the “movement” that is essential to animation never stops, and even discerning anime fans could not help but be amazed. Many also praised Yamato Kojima’s unique character design, saying, “The character design is original and cool because it is different from the classics.”
The unique character portrayal adds excitement to the love story between Stephan and Chao, as well as the high level of entertainment value that Director Aoki also emphasized. There were also many voices praising the film for being packed with the joy of watching it on a big screen, such as “It has all the elements necessary for a movie,” and “The whole theater seemed to be one.” Speaking of France, it is a country where Japanese animation is particularly popular worldwide.
“I think this work will be received with great interest,” and “It’s a work that can be enjoyed anywhere in the world,” they said, giving it the stamp of approval that it is a “work that can be understood worldwide,” which was the original idea behind the project. Wendy Eide, a critic at Screendaily, also gave it a high rating, saying, “The story unfolds with a refreshing anarchy, with vivid visuals and energetic style. It brings a new style to Japanese animation.”
“ChaO” will be entered in the competition section of the Fantasia International Film Festival, one of North America’s leading genre film festivals. It has also been decided that GKids, which has led many Japanese anime to the Academy Awards, such as “How Do You Live?” (23), will be in charge of North American distribution, and it will surely make its name known around the world.
“I’m so overwhelmed, I can’t find the words.” “When I watched the movie with the audience for the first time in Annecy, I was able to witness things like, ‘This is where you laugh!’ and the moment when the audience’s enthusiasm began to rise and a sense of unity was born. It was my first time to experience such a sense of emotions colliding, so I once again felt that ‘It’s fun to watch a movie in the theater with the audience.'” Director Aoki, who made this statement, began his career as an animator in the 1980s and contributed to numerous popular works, including TV anime and theatrical anime, as a character animation director and key animation staff member.
“ChaO” is the long-awaited first feature film he directed. It must be a special feeling for him that this masterpiece, into which he poured all his experience and know-how, was so warmly welcomed by overseas audiences and even won the honor of the Jury Prize in the Feature Film Competition.
After the world’s first screening, Director Aoki was surrounded by a large audience outside the venue. While speaking politely with each person, he responded to the fan service by signing autographs and shaking hands. Director Aoki recalls that the most memorable thing he saw was when an older woman, older than the other audience members, asked for his autograph. “She was watching the movie near my seat with her eyes shining. She made eye contact with me many times, and I was overwhelmed with emotion, realizing that ‘Chao’ is a work that a wide range of generations can enjoy.”
Among the fans asking for his autograph, there was also a young man who was so moved that he was crying. “He came to me for advice, saying, ‘I want to work in the anime industry, but I’m worried about my future,'” Director Aoki revealed. “So I told him, ‘If you work hard at what you love every day, you will be rewarded. Not everyone can do it, so cherish each day,’ and gave him advice with an eye on the future, 10 or 15 years from now. Maybe we’ll work together someday,” he said with a gentle smile.
At the closing party held after the award ceremony, festival officials, fascinated by the film, rushed to Director Aoki, and a signing session was held on short notice. Annecy Mayor François Astorg also rushed to the scene and asked Director Aoki for an autograph, and Director Aoki presented him with an autograph with an illustration. The mayor shook hands firmly with Producer Tanaka and offered words of praise and appreciation. On the stage at the ceremony, Director Aoki said with emotion, “I can’t believe I’m standing here like this.” When asked about the joy of winning the award again, he said, “I’m thrilled. I’m so overwhelmed that I can’t find the words,” and seemed to still be in a dreamlike state.
“Everything I want to convey is reflected in ‘ChaO,’ so please watch the film and feel that way. I appreciate it,” she said emphatically. There are roughly two months until its release in Japan. “ChaO” has quickly captivated the world and earned high praise. Its dynamic and original animation, along with humorous characters, weaves a heartwarming love story. Above all, we hope you will enjoy the unique worldview filled with an unparalleled sense of euphoria on the big screen at the cinema. Text by Kubota KazumaKazumaKazuma
