GKIDS Acquires Wartime Anime ‘Cocoon – One Summer Of Girlhood’ For North American Release

GKIDS has acquired North American theatrical rights to Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood, a wartime drama based on the manga by Machiko Kyo. The film will open in North American theaters on September 4 in both its original Japanese-language version with subtitles and a new English dub.

The feature marks the directorial debut of Yukimitsu Ina, whose previous credits include work on the television series Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and the Star Wars: Visions short “Tatooine Rhapsody.” Animation was produced by Sasayuri, the studio founded by former Studio Ghibli animator Hitomi Tateno.

Originally released in Japan in March 2025, Cocoon will make its North American premiere next month at Japan Cuts before its wider theatrical rollout.

Set on a remote island during World War II, the 63-minute film follows two schoolgirls, San and Mayu, whose lives are upended when they are ordered to assist at a military hospital hidden inside a cave. As violence and loss intensify around them, the pair struggles to preserve a sense of normalcy and friendship.

The production brings together veteran animators Akihiko Yamashita and Shinji Otsuka, whose credits include films such as Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke. Ina co-wrote the screenplay with Taku Kishimoto, while the score comes from composer Kensuke Ushio.

GKIDS said it will announce home entertainment plans and details about the film’s English-language cast later this year.