Produced by Shunji Iwai (!), directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (!!), ‘Baton‘ is a 50 minute animated film coming in Japan April 28th, for the 150th birthday of the city of Yokohama. There’s no details about the story or the cast, but it should be announced soon!
‘Baton’ is produced in Japanese, but it will be animated in the US at Studio Titmouse. Also, the movie is said to be a “combination of traditional rotoscope animation with added 2D and 3D effects”. Here’s the first image (larger version).
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Iwai and Kitamura were indeed working on a project, years ago. But the movie (on 80′s rock bands) was finally given to another director (what a relief !). I’d thought at this time that the weird idea of a project Iwai + Kitamura was dead, and this news doesn’t sound so good to me. Wait and see, anyway.
Last Kitamura’s was also a commissioned film and it was bad. I’m curious but don’t expect anything.
I think that such a special association is pretty interesting, and I really look forward to seeing what it could make as a result.
Iwai and Kitamura are really two opposite directors…
Also Eric Calderon, producer of Afro Samurai and Founder of WildBoarMedia has taken a big part into this project. its going to be Great, he gathers the best people in his projects.
have you seen his ‘the 5 killers’ trailer? its amazing.