GKids Acquires Japanese Anime ‘ChaO’ for North America (Exclusive)

GKids, the North American producer/distributor controlled by Japanese media giant Toho Co., has snatched up domestic rights to ChaO, the debut feature from Japanese animator Yasuhiro Aoki and animation house Studio 4°C.

The romantic comedy, which blends fantasy and futurism, is set to premiere in competition next week at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Set in a world where humans and mermaids coexist, ChaO centers on Stephan, a quiet office worker whose routine life is disrupted when he is unexpectedly proposed to by a mermaid princess named ChaO

GKids President David Jesteadt called the film a “genre-defying fairy tale” and praised its “outrageous and instantly iconic characters.”

The deal marks the latest collaboration between GKids and Studio 4°C, following earlier titles including by Masaaki Yuasa’s Mind Game and Children of the Sea from director Ayumu Watanabe.

Eiko Tanaka, who produced both Children of the Sea and ChaO, called Aoki’s approach on the latter “delicate yet bold, romantic yet absurd.” Commenting on the deal with GKids, Tanaka said the two companies’ ongoing collaboration “has always been built on a shared belief in the artistic power of animation, and we’re thrilled to continue this journey together with ChaO…We hope audiences in North America will enjoy diving into this dreamlike, vibrant world as much as we enjoyed bringing it to life.”

Launched by Eric Beckman and Dave Jesteadt in 2008, GKids has become a leading distributor for top-end international animation in the U.S.. From their first release, Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated The Secret of Kells, the company has racked up an astounding 13 best animated feature nominations, and a 2024 Oscar win for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. Toho, the Japanese studio behind the Godzilla movies, acquired GKids in October of last year, with Beckman and Jesteadt continuing to operate the company.