.png){kind=logo}
TIFF Daily 3: Anime’s $28 Billion Market; New Awards; Fathom’s Animation Ambitions
Japanese studios discuss overseas growth, industry leaders make the case for new anime honors, and Jason Brenek explores animation’s theatrical potential.
Tokyo
Association of Japanese Animations Sets First-Ever Nippon Anime Awards For November 2027
The AJA-backed initiative aims to celebrate anime’s artists and productions while supporting emerging talent and new business opportunities.
Anime Is A $28 Billion Business: Here’s How Japanese Studios Are Capitalizing On Its Global Growth
Nippon Animation’s Hitomi Hiratsuka and Production I.G’s Yoko Ueda discuss overseas partnerships, family audiences, and lasting fan connections.
Who Gets To Judge Anime? Japanese Industry Leaders Make The Case For A New Award
At TIFFCOM, executives from Studio Chizu, A-1 Pictures, and Toho discussed recognizing anime’s diversity and nurturing its next generation of creators.
TIFF 2026: Anime’s Co-Pros; Hungry Ghosts; Feature Spotlights
Our second Tokyo dispatch explores financing across Asia and Europe, Ervin Han’s food-fueled ghost stories, and the craft behind four festival titles.
International Anime Producers Discuss Challenges And Benefits Of Co-Production At TIFFCOM
Producers compare public funding in Europe with Asia’s reliance on private investment, exploring how international partnerships can bridge the gap.
Aliens, Battle Royales, And Vampire Romance: Atsushi Nishigori Poured His All Into ‘Grotesqqque,’ A Three-Course Anime Omnibus
The director discusses digital animation, contrasting visual styles, and balancing creative roles in his ambitious three-part feature.
TIFF 2026: Animation Makes Festival History; This Year’s Lineup; Anime Goes Global
Explore Tokyo’s animation selection, Sun Xun’s historic competition entry, and TIFFCOM’s plans for anime exports and international co-production.
Tokyo International Film Festival’s Animation Lineup Aims To Bring Creators And Audiences Together
Tokyo’s animation program pairs international premieres and original anime with discussions on creative careers and opportunities for women directors.
39th TIFF Announces Full Lineup, Including First-Ever Animated Film In Competition
Tokyo International Film Festival reveals its 2026 animation lineup, including ‘Magic Atlas,’ the first animated feature ever selected for competition.
Tokyo’s TIFFCOM Announces Panels On Anime Co-Production And Overseas Sales
Executives from Production I.G, Nippon Animation, Foliascope, Robot Playground, and Salamander will discuss anime’s global expansion.
Report: Studio Ghibli On Its Next Film, AI, Miyazaki’s Successor, And Why Having No Master Plan Is The Plan
A revealing new report goes inside Studio Ghibli as the legendary animation house confronts an intentionally uncertain future on its own unusual terms.
TIFFCOM 2026 To Spotlight Anime, Japanese IP, And International Co-Productions
Tokyo’s TIFFCOM returns October 28–30 with an expanded Japanese IP market and sessions covering anime, AI, and international co-production.
Taiki Sakurai Bets On Original Anime With ‘20001 An Earth Odyssey,’ Salamander Pictures’ First Short (EXCLUSIVE TRAILER)
‘Ghost in the Shell’ writer and former Netflix exec Taiki Sakurai on his new studio Salamander Pictures and its debut sci-fi short, ‘20001 An Earth Odyssey.’
‘Akira’ Creator Katsuhiro Otomo Launches New Tokyo Studio With First Film Already In Production
Oval Gear is now open in Tokyo with staff recruitment underway and a new animated feature already moving through production.
‘A Movie Shouldn’t Be Something The Audience Fully Understands After Just One Viewing’: Yasuhiro Aoki On The Layered World Of ‘ChaO’
Director Yasuhiro Aoki reflects on crafting humor, rhythm, and visual contrast in ‘ChaO,’ a futuristic love story between a human and a mermaid.
‘It’s Not A Product, It’s An Experience’: Animation Directors On The Importance Of Film Festivals
At Tokyo IFF’s Anime Symposium, filmmakers discussed how festivals connect animation with global audiences and keep cinema experiences alive.
An ‘Outrageously Attractive’ Medium: Anime’s Global Surge And What Industry Leaders Say Comes Next
Journalist and writer Roland Kelts, Ghibli vet and Studio Ponoc founder Geoffrey Wexler, and Polygon Pictures’ CEO Shuzo John Shiota share insights on anime’s global boom.
Japanese Student Film ‘Yapolaponky’ Is Playful, Thought-Provoking, And Emotionally Resonant
Watch our Short Pick of the Day.
Toho Acquires Science Saru Animation Studio
The studio was founded in 2013 by Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi.
‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’: How A Blend Of Western And Eastern Influences Created One Of The Year’s Most Distinct Animated Series
According to ‘Scott Pilgrim’ creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, adapting the comic as an anime series always felt like “an impossible dream.”
Know Your Indie Filmmaker: Yoko Yuki
Yuki’s body of work work is a beautifully unhinged, mind-drenching, kaleidoscopic explosion of colors, figures, memories, and voices.
‘No Dogs Or Italians Allowed,’ ‘Titina’ Top Tokyo Anime Award Festival
Four short films won prizes as well: ‘The Borderline,’ ‘The Queen of the Foxes,’ ‘Swing to the Moon,’ and ‘Intestine Road, Fish Island.’
Nintendo To Acquire CG Animation Company Dynamo PIctures
The company will be renamed Nintendo Pictures Company.
Tokyo University Of The Arts Has Made Japan A Hotbed For Indie Animation
The school benefits from the involvement of Japanese indie icon Koji Yamamura who helped start the animation program.
Take A Tour Of Netflix’s Fancy, New Anime Creators’ Base In Tokyo
The workspace will be available to designers, writers, and Netflix team members who are working on anime series for the streamer.
Report: Anime Industry Sales Fell In 2020 For The First Time In A Decade
Research by Teikoku Databank shows revenue falling 1.8% amid the pandemic.
‘Demon Slayer’ Animation Studio Ufotable And Company Founder Indicted For Tax Evasion
The company owed ¥137 million in unpaid taxes.
Mappa Opens A New 5,000 Square Feet Studio In Tokyo, Aims To ‘Improve The Work Environment’
The company is expanding its workforce, despite recent criticisms that it pays its artist rock-bottom rates.
An Exhibition On ‘Evangelion’ Creator Hideaki Anno Is Coming To Tokyo
Exhibits will include illustrations, keyframes, layouts, and storyboards, as well as models used for the practical effects in Anno’s live-action productions.
The Animation That Changed Me: Sawako Kabuki on ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’
“I have a kind of fascination with things that have gotten out of control,” says Kabuki. “It’s animalistic and erotic.”
Japan’s Studio Trigger Settles With Former Employees Over Unpaid Overtime
The studio behind “Promare” and “Little Witch Academia” had abused a labor law, paying staff a fixed wage irrespective of hours worked.
Gkids Will Release Masaaki Yuasa’s ‘Inu-Oh’ Theatrically In The U.S. Next Year
Are you ready for a Japanese musical period piece about a cursed theater performer and a blind lute player?
Studio Ghibli Unveils First Images From Goro Miyazaki’s ‘Aya And The Witch’
They’re quite a departure from the studio’s house style…
No Budget? No Professional Animators? No Problem For Kenji Iwaisawa, Director Of The Madcap Anime Feature ‘Our Sound’
Kenji Iwaisawa made his award-winning film for one tenth of a normal anime feature’s budget. He tells us how he did it.
Studio Ghibli Reveals New Details About ‘Aya And The Witch,’ Its First CG Feature
A twist: it may not come to cinemas at all.
Studio Ghibli’s Steve Alpert: Disney ‘Could Have Pushed The Ghibli Films Harder’ (Interview)
Ghibli’s former head of international speaks about the studio’s awkward relationship with Disney — and much more — ahead of the release of his memoir.
Six Things We Learned From Steve Alpert’s New Tell-All Studio Ghibli Memoir
Ghibli’s former international chief recounts colorful anecdotes about Hayao Miyazaki, Harvey Weinstein, Martin Scorsese, and others.