Mamoru Oshii To Oversee 4K Remastering Of 1985 Animation ‘Angel’s Egg’ As Gebeka Int’l Lines Up Cannes Sales Launch
10.05.2024 - 09:11
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Animation-focused sales company Gebeka International has acquired world sales rights to an upcoming 4K remastered version of Japanese animation director Mamoru Oshii’s 1985 animated feature Angel’s Egg.
Oshii is best known internationally for 1995 breakout Ghost in the Shell and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which world premiered in Competition in Cannes in 2004, and the Patlabor sci-fi franchise.
Angel’s Egg was first released on video by Japanese publishing and media company Tokuma Shoten in 1985, and, with time, it has come to be regarded by anime fans as a masterpiece that holds keys to Oshii’s later works.
The surreal, allegorical work is set against the backdrop of an underwater city and revolves around a young girl who takes scrupulous care of a large egg in the belief it is an angel’s egg. When a boy with a gun arrives in search of a bird he saw in a dream, he appears initially to be sympathetic to her mission, but then, he crushes the precious object.
The feature is based on an original story by Oshii and artist Yoshitaka Amano, who is the artistic designer for the popular Final Fantasy franchise.
Oshii directed Angel’s Egg, while Amano was art director. The voice cast features late Japanese star Jinpachi Nezu and Mako Hyodo.
As the 40th anniversary of its release approaches, rights holder and producer Tokuma Shoten has gotten behind the remastering project, with Oshii supervising the scanning of the original 35mm film and remastering in 4K. The remastered version will be made available this year in 4K formats suitable for Dolby cinema, theatrical and home theatre.
“With Mamoru Oshii overseeing the 4K remastering of Angel’s Egg, viewers can expect to immerse themselves in a cinematic