Gkids expands top-tier animated offerings with Napping Princess fantasy film

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Gkids, the distributor who's brought nine Animated Feature Oscar nominated films to North America since 2010 has just acquired the rights to host Kenji Kamiyama's NAPPING PRINCESS, a Japanese sci-fi fantasy animated film.

Recently, NAPPING PRINCESS was featured as a part of the Annecy Int’l Animation Film Festival and won the animated feature award at the Fantasia Film Festival. The anime, previously known as ANCIEN AND THE MAGIC TABLET, follows the journey of a young girl named Kokone. Along with her friend, Morio, the pair set out to search of Kokone’s missing father who has been accused of a crime. Kokone soon realizes she must tap into a world only accessible through her dreams in order to solve the mystery.

If Kamiyama's name sounds familiar, that's because he's the director of such Japanese animated films and series like EAST OF EDEN (which is spectacular by the way), and GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX. Additionally, Kamiyama is also the creative force behind one of my favorite animated films of all-time, BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE. When Gkids releases NAPPING PRINCESS, it's thought that the film will be presented in both its original Japanese language and a new English dubbed version.

In commenting on the acquisition of Kenji Kamiyama's vibrant fantasy adventure, Gkids president David Jesteadt expressed his enthusiasm by saying, “We fell in love with Kenji Kamiyama’s unique vision in Napping Princess. His blend of near-future science-fiction, family drama, and detective story results in a high-octane, thought-provoking adventure that all ages can enjoy.”

NAPPING PRINCESS will dazzle North American anime fans when the film is released on September 8th.