The Journey (Journey: Taiko Arabia Hantо̄ de no Kiseki to Tatakai no Monogatari or Journey: A Tale of Miracles and Battles on the Ancient Arabian Peninsula) animated collaboration film between Saudi Arabia’s Manga Productions and Japan’s Toei Animation will premiere in Japan on June 25th.
The announcement came from the film’s official website which was launched on Thursday. An official poster was also revealed which shows Aus’s back as he faces Abraha’s invading army, which boasts overwhelming strength.
The movie is based on Saudi folklore. The plot revolves around Aus, a potter who enters a war to save his hometown. This is a second collaboration between Manga Production and Toei Animation; with the first being the animated series Future’s Folktales. The Journey staff and cast include –
| Role | Staff |
|---|---|
| Director | Kobun Shizuno (Detective Conan films) |
| Writer | Atsuhiro Tomioka (Pokemon films) |
| Characters | Tatsurō Iwamoto (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney game series) |
| Music | Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha) |
| Production | Saudi’s Manga Productions and Japan’s Toei Animation |
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Aus | Toru Furuya |
| Hind | Kotono Mitsuishi |
| Zurara | Hiroshi Kamiya |
| Nizar | Yūichi Nakamura |
| Musab | Kazuya Nakai |
| Abraha | Takaya Kuroda |
The production of the film finished in February 2020 and the project cost ranges from $10-15 million. The Journey was supposed to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2020, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is set to be released in 2021. VOX Cinemas has the theatrical film rights in the Middle East and North Africa, while Toei subsidiary T-Joy has the Japanese distribution rights. The film will be released in Arabic as well.
Manga Productions is a branch of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, abbreviated MiSK after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The company plans to create anime, comics, and video game projects in order to promote Saudi ideas and messages on a global scale. In October 2017, MiSK and Japan’s Digital Hollywood University signed an agreement to train Saudi Arabian artists and programmers in fields such as animation and gaming.
Official Manga Production’s Website
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