GKIDS Brings ‘Macross’ Creator Shoji Kawamori’s First Original Feature ‘Labyrinth’ To U.S. Theaters

GKIDS has acquired North American theatrical rights to Labyrinth, the first original feature-length anime directed by Macross creator Shoji Kawamori, and will release the film in theaters for two nights only on May 10 and 11. Screenings will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub.

Best known for establishing iconic mech aesthetics through franchises such as Macross and The Vision of Escaflowne, Kawamori has long blended pop music, science fiction, and cutting-edge design in his hugely popular work. Labyrinth marks a major milestone for the creator as his first wholly original theatrical feature not based on an existing IP. The film is produced by Sanzigen, a studio recognized for its signature hybrid 2D/CG techniques and aesthetics.

The film stars Suzuka, from the globally popular girl group Atarashii Gakko!, in her voice-acting debut as protagonist Shiori Maezawa. She is joined by Taizo Harada as Komori and Takuto Teranishi, a member of the boy group timelesz, making his own acting debut as Suguru Kagami. Atarashii Gakko! also performs the theme song, “Sailor, Sail On,” with additional music by yonkey.

Labyrinth follows Shiori, a high school student obsessed with becoming an online star, whose life derails after an embarrassing video goes viral. When she becomes trapped inside her smartphone and replaced by a more charismatic digital doppelgänger, Shiori must team up with other online outcasts to stop her alter ego’s plan to overwhelm humanity with algorithmic “brainrot” and reclaim her real-world identity.

The timely feature blends near-future sci-fi fantasy and a contemporary social commentary on social media culture in the latest manifestation of Kawamori’s enduring fascination with technology’s power to reshape identity, now refracted through the anxieties of the smartphone age.