The feature animated film “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” has been selected and officially entered in the Competition section of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, to be held in France from June 11, 2023. It has also been decided that a special screening of the film will be held from May 26th to coincide with the setting of “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,” which will open in May. The screening will include a newly produced special video.
“Lonely Castle in the Mirror” is a fantasy mystery based on the best-selling novel by Tsujimura Mizuki, which won the 2018 Honya Taisho award with the most votes ever in its history. It depicts a story that takes place in “The Castle in the Mirror,” featuring Kokoro, a junior high school student who has been shut up at home. The film was directed by Hara, who has also directed movies such as “Crayon Shin-chan: Fierceness That Invites Storm! The Adult Empire Strikes Back.” The cast includes Touma Ami, Kitamura Takumi, Kiryu Sakura, Itagaki Rihito, Yokomizo Naho, Takayama Minami, Kaji Yuki, Ashida Mana, and Miyazaki Aoi, among other splendid voice actors.
The “Annecy International Animated Film Festival” is the world’s oldest and largest animation film festival, established in 1960 as an independent animation section from the “Cannes International Film Festival”. In the past, Hara’s films have won the Special Feature Film Award and the Audience Award for “Colorful” in 2011 and the Special Jury Award for “Miss Hokusai” in 2015.
Japanese animation has previously won the Crystal Prize (Grand Prix) in the Best Feature Film category for “Porco Rosso” (directed by Miyazaki Hayao) in 1993, “Pom Poko” (directed by Takahata Isao) in 1995, and “Lu Over the Wall” (directed by Yuasa Masaaki) in 2017. It will be interesting to see if “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” follows in their footsteps. The official screening of the film is scheduled for June 12 (local time).
It was also announced that the film will be screened as a special screening from May 26 to coincide with the opening of “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” in May. A special video “Before and After Lonely Castle in the Mirror,” a completely original and newly produced film by Director Hara, will be screened for the first time in addition to the main film. As well as that, the film will be screened not only on regular screens, but also in “Dolby Cinema,” a high-definition, high-quality sound environment.
In addition, the theater will also be distributing fan-favorite special offers: from May 26, “Film-style Bookmark No. 1” featuring famous scenes from the film in a nostalgic film style, and from the second week, June 2, “Film-style Bookmark No. 2” will be distributed to those who enter the theater. In addition, a “Clear Poster (A3 size)” will be given away as a special offer at Dolby Cinema from May 26. The quantity of each item is limited, so be sure to visit the theater as soon as possible.
With the Blu-ray and DVD release scheduled for June 28, “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” continues to spread excitement throughout the world. Be sure not to miss what may be the last showing of “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” in movie theaters.
(C) 2022 “Lonely Castle in the Mirror” Production Committee
