Kawaii-Spoofing Cyberpunk Cat-Noir Sequel ‘Tamala 2030’ Acquired For U.S. Theatrical By Deaf Crocodile And Cartuna

Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna have teamed up to acquire North American distribution rights to Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark, the long-awaited sequel to the underground cult anime Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space. This psychedelic cyber-noir adventure will hit theaters in 2026, following its world premiere at Montréal’s Fantasia International Film Festival this summer.

Written, directed, and scored by the enigmatic duo K. and Kuno, known collectively as t.o.l, Tamala 2030 continues the saga of the chain-smoking feline Tamala and her detective partner Michelangelo as they investigate a series of strange disappearances across Cat Japan. Their search leads them deep into occult conspiracies, cosmic prophecies, and the dark corridors of Catty & Co., the shadowy corporation from the original film.

“The film Tamala 2010, starring punk cat Tamala, was produced in the early 21st century. This strange and unique animation has been loved by the founders of Deaf Crocodile for 20 years,” said t.o.l. “Then, in 2025, when the new film Tamala 2030 was produced, we met our new friend, Cartuna. t.o.l, the director of the Tamala series, is very excited about this upcoming collaboration with the trusted Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna.”

Deaf Crocodile co-founder Dennis Bartok added, “I’ve been a huge fan of t.o.l’s visionary animation since Tamala 2010, which Craig and I re-released last year. While working on that, t.o.l casually mentioned they were nearly finished with a new film continuing Tamala’s cyberpunk adventures—and our jaws hit the floor.”

Fellow co-founder Craig Rogers echoed the excitement: “We fell in love with Tamala as soon as we met her. It took 23 years, but to quote the sassy cat herself, ‘Another f*cking day is about to begin.’ Let’s do this.”

“Tamala is back, and she’s weirder, wiser, and more dangerous than ever,” said James Belfer, founder and CEO of Cartuna. “Tamala 2030 is a gorgeous, mystifying, mind-bending piece of work. This isn’t just a sequel—it’s a cosmic escalation of everything that made Tamala 2010 a cult favorite.”

The acquisition marks the first official collaboration between Cartuna and Deaf Crocodile, both known for their work in genre-bending animation and cult cinema.