GKIDS Acquires North American Theatrical Rights and Sets Nationwide Release for ADOLESCENCE OF UTENA in Theatres for Two Nights Only on June 21 + 22

Tickets Are Now On Sale For the First-Ever Wide North American Theatrical Release Feature from Sailor Moon Director
Kunihiko Ikuhara

From the World of the Acclaimed, Pillar Anime Series
Revolutionary Girl Utena

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

GKIDS, the Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor of acclaimed and artist-driven animation from around the world, announced today it has acquired all theatrical rights for North America, ADOLESCENCE OF UTENA, directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena), and animated by Japanese studio, J.C.STAFF. GKIDS also released a new poster and trailer ahead of the theatrical event. Tickets are on sale now, coming to US theatres for the first time in its original Japanese language with English subtitles for two nights only on June 21^st and 22^nd.

ADOLESCENCE OF UTENA was originally released in Japan in 1999 and has been praised by critics for carving the path for its successors in animation with its genre-bending and striking visual style. The romantic fantasy is the third entry in the Revolutionary Girl Utena universe from creative collective Be-Papas, following the iconic 1996 manga and 1997 TV series.

In addition to Director Kunihiko Ikuhara, the feature brings together the works of more great animation veterans, Yoji Enokido (EVANGELION franchise, Sailor Moon, FLCL) as writer and Shichiro Kobayashi (Angel’s Egg, Berserk) as art director. J. A. Seazer also returns from the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series with a robust, magnetic soundtrack for the feature.

Synopsis:

Utena enrolls in the prestigious Ohtori Academy on her quest to become a prince, and stumbles into a mysterious cabal of students dueling for possession of the “Rose Bride.” The role belongs to their classmate Anthy, an enigmatic girl who equally captivates and confuses Utena. While fending off powerful rivals, Utena must uncover the secrets surrounding Anthy and her own desires. As the relationship between the girls intensifies, their thirst for freedom crescendoes into a need for revolution.

ADOLESCENCE OF UTENA is a standalone genre classic that brings together the creative genius of director Kunihiko Ikuhara (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon), writer Yoji Enokido (EVANGELION franchise), and art director Shichiro Kobayashi (ANGEL’S EGG) with J.A. Seazer’s transcendent music. Straddling the line between fairytale and surrealist opera, the film stands as a bold display of the ways social roles chain us— and demands we smash through them.