News

Studio Ponoc is thrilled to announce and release the theme song of its new animated feature film The Imaginary, “Nothing’s Impossible”, and to release two new trailers and a new poster for the film.

“Nothing’s Impossible” is the beautiful and soaring new song performed by A Great Big World featuring Rachel Platten, born of multi-platinum musical achievements and Grammy Award-winning talent inspired by The Imaginary and producer Yoshiaki Nishimura’s long-time admiration of these remarkable singer-songwriters. Written and composed by Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino, “Nothing’s Impossible” is available now for streaming and download around the world (in Japan: link; outside of Japan: link). Please have a listen and consider sharing it. We hope you’ll love it as much as we do (thank you Ian, Chad and Rachel!!).

You can hear a bit of the song in our two new trailers, too. We also released a new poster today.

Please enjoy the song, the trailers and the poster, and please look forward to more news and updates about Studio Ponoc and The Imaginary on this page and on our international Twitter/X feed.

Studio Ponoc is thrilled to announce more of the cast members of its new animated feature film The Imaginary.

Renowned actor Akira Terao takes on the challenge of voicing an animated character for the first time in his remarkable career, as The Old Dog.

The magical voice of “Mary” in Studio Ponoc’s “Mary and The Witch’s Flower”, Hana Sugisaki, performs the mysterious character of Aurora.

More announcements about the film are coming soon!

A new trailer for The Imaginary and cast announcement is here! We are very happy to share this peek at our new animated feature film with you, a hint at the marvelous story told through Studio Ponoc’s splendidly beautiful hand-drawn animation and hand-painted backgrounds and some new innovative techniques that both honor our heritage and help us create even more exquisite storytelling.

The Japanese version cast includes Kokoro Terada, Rio Suzuki, Sakura Ando, Riisa Naka, Takayuki Yamada, Atsuko Takahata and Issey Ogata, with more announcements soon.

The film will open in cinemas in Japan on 15 December 2023 and we are hard at work to bring it to you around the world in 2024.

Please enjoy the trailer, and consider sharing it. As always, we hope you will keep an eye on this page for updates and follow our international Twitter feed for more about Studio Ponoc and The Imaginary.

The Imaginary is almost finished – at last! Everyone at Studio Ponoc is delighted to bring our new animated feature film to you very soon – the remarkable, joyful, thrilling and moving story that deserves Studio Ponoc’s splendidly beautiful hand-drawn animation and hand-painted backgrounds… and even a bit of innovation and a new technique or two. The film will open in cinemas in Japan on 15 December 2023. Please keep an eye on this page for updates and please follow our international Twitter feed, and thank you for your patient support as we get ready to deliver to you, proudly, our superb new film, The Imaginary!

Studio Ponoc's newest project, the animated feature film The Imaginary, will be released in theaters in Japan in the winter of 2023. We are making plans to bring it to the whole world, too. Our team is hard at work, making great progress on our beautiful film which we can't wait to share with you!
Please keep an eye on this page for updates and please follow our international Twitter feed.
Thanks for your support!

Hello! As our talented artists and animators continue our tradition of splendidly beautiful hand-drawn animation and hand-painted backgrounds, we are carefully exploring new and innovative ways to tell our stories. It’s a tricky and careful balance and we think The Imaginary deserves it… and that you, our audience, will love the results. These new challenges – and a few pandemic-hurdles – have resulted in the studio postponing our release in Japan. We remain hard at work, making great progress. Please keep an eye on this page for updates and please follow our international Twitter feed. Thanks for your support as we create our superb new film, The Imaginary !

Studio Ponoc is thrilled to announce its newest film, The Imaginary. English press release here.

The teaser trailer for The Imaginary is ready for you to see now! With the delicate touch of Studio Ponoc’s hand-drawn animation, you can see the opening to imagination at the beginning of the film, foreshadowing the magnificent story to come. Also revealed is the expression on the face of the “invisible” protagonist of The Imaginary, Rudger, who at first glance appears to be an ordinary boy.

We hope you will enjoy this first peek at The Imaginary!

Studio Ponoc is proud to announce its newest project, the animated feature film The Imaginary, to be released in theaters in Japan in the summer of 2022.

It has been five years since Studio Ponoc’s first animated feature film, Mary and The Witch's Flower, was released around the world, becoming a hit and beloved classic for fans of beautiful storytelling. Now, in The Imaginary, Studio Ponoc presents the story of Rudger.

Born from a young girl’s imagination, Rudger is a boy no one can see who lives in a world where imaginations can live and be eaten by others. The Imaginary is an extraordinarily touching and beautiful hand-drawn fantasy film in which Rudger and his new friends in “The Imaginaries Town” embark on an adventure no one can see at the risk of the futures and fates of those they love.

In the first poster for The Imaginary, Rudger and his friends who live in the “The Imaginaries Town” gather around a fantastic giant tree! Please look forward to the adventures these unique characters show us.