Inu-Oh is the latest feature film from renowned director Masaaki Yuasa (Ride Your Wave, Keep Your Hands Off Of Eizokuen!). In anticipation of the film's presentation at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival, GKIDS has released a brand-new trailer for the film. In addition to presenting a feature film at the festival, the forward-thinking filmmaker is being honored in Annecy by being named the patron of the 2022 Mifa campus. INU-OH was showcased at the festival in 2022 in its capacity as a work in progress.
GKIDS has announced that they will be releasing Inu-Oh in North American theaters beginning August 12th. The acclaimed filmmaker was invited to both the 78th Venice International Film Festival and the 46th Toronto International Film Festival for the very first time. The world premiere of the film took place at the Venice International Film Festival, and the North American premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The musical animated feature film tells the story of the friendship between the legendary Noh performer Inu-oh and the blind biwa player Tomona. Character creation for the film was done by manga artist Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet), who previously worked with Yuasa on the anime adaptation of Matsumoto's series Ping Pong the Animation. Yuasa and Matsumoto previously worked together on the anime adaptation of Ping Pong the Animation. By working together on creative projects, the two are able to overcome adversity and achieve fame, and in the process, they are able to free each other from a curse.
The feature film, which was animated by the Japanese production company Science SARU INC. and was produced in partnership with the Japanese production, distribution, and sales organization Asmik Ace Inc., debuted in Japan on May 28th.
Following the local releases of Lu Over the Wall, The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, Mind Game, and most recently, Ride Your Wave, Inu-Oh marks the fifth feature film that GKIDS has distributed under the direction visionary director Masaaki Yuasa.
About Inu-Oh
A revisionist rock opera about a 14th-century superstar whose dance moves take Japan by storm comes from the mind of Masaaki Yuasa, who has been hailed as "one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation" by the website IndieWire. Yuasa is a director who has been described as having "one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation."
Although Inu-oh was born into a respected family, he has been marginalized by a long-standing curse that has pushed him to the periphery of society. When Inu-oh meets Tomona, a young biwa priest who is troubled by his background, he realizes that he possesses a compelling ability to dance. Tomona is a blind musician. As more and more people start going to the pair's electrifying, larger-than-life shows, they swiftly become business partners and become inseparable friends. However, when people in authority threaten to disband the band, Inu-oh and Tomona are forced to engage in musical performance in order to learn the truth about their creative abilities.
INU-OH is a glam-rock hymn to the power of music and a bold statement on artistic freedom from one of animation's singular talents. It features character creation by Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet, "Ping Pong the Animation") and awe-inspiring vocals by Avu-chan (Queen Bee) and Mirai Moriyama.