Japan’s Nippon Animation sets sail for “Sinbad”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nippon Animation, one of the oldest animation studios in Japan, is partnering with Shirogumi, the effects house responsible for last year’s animated smash “Stand By Me Doraemon,” to make “Sinbad: The Sky Flying Princess and the Secret Island” (“Sinbad: Sora o Tobu Hime to Himitsu no Shima”), a feature based on the classic tales from the “Arabian Nights,” Variety reports.

The director, Shinpei Miyashita, has worked on the long-running “Doraemon” and “Chibi Maruko-chan” series, the latter a Nippon Animation production. Animation supervisor Yoshiharu Sato has a long association with Studio Ghilbi, beginning with the 1988 classic “My Neighbor Totoro.”

The story centers on the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor and his monkey companion Mimi, after they encounter a girl, Sana, flying a wooden horse.

The film, which commemorates Nippon Animation’s 40th anniversary, is set for a peak-season July release handled by Aeon Entertainment, distribution wing of Aeon Cinema, one of Japan’s largest multiplex chains (76 sites, 629 screens).