Makoto Shinkai: New Feature Film Officially in Production

Makoto Shinkai is working on a new full-length anime film. As KAI-YOU reported on August 12, Crunchyroll has acquired the distribution rights for the still untitled film outside Asia; for the international release, the company is set to work with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Concrete details on the title, plot and release date are not yet available. This also leaves open when the film could reach cinemas in Germany. The rights agreement is nonetheless relevant for the German-speaking market, because Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures have already distributed Shinkai's previous film "Suzume" internationally.

Shinkai has been working on the new film for some time

That a new project is in development has been known for some time. At the end of 2024, Shinkai publicly announced that he and his team were working on a new film world. In May 2026 he again confirmed that work on the new film is ongoing. He gave no further production details.

The new feature follows "Suzume", which premiered in Japan in 2022 and reached German cinemas in 2023. Crunchyroll had released the film outside Asia together with Sony Pictures and other partners. The rights agreement now reported suggests that Shinkai's next work is also being prepared early for an international theatrical release. However, no concrete German date has been confirmed.

Aninew is simultaneously covering several other cinema projects: "Eiga Meitantei Precure!" has recently confirmed new guest voice actors, while "Made in Abyss" has presented its title song and cast with a new trailer. For the new Shinkai film, too, the title, staff and first visuals will likely follow only with a later official presentation.

Until then, it is only certain that the new feature is being produced and that Crunchyroll has taken over distribution outside Asia. No synopsis, trailer or key visual has yet been presented in connection with the current report.