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Gamba Casts Yuuki Kaji, Japanese Frozen Dub's Sayaka Kanda
posted on by Karen Ressler
The official website for the upcoming 3D CG-animated film Gamba: Gamba to Nakama-tachi (Gamba & Companions) film announced on Tuesday that Yūki Kaji (Attack on Titan's Eren, Magi's Alibaba) and Sayaka Kanda (Frozen dub's Anna, My Love Story!! theme song performance) will play the hero, Gamba, and the heroine, Shioji, respectively.
The story follows Gamba and his friend Manpaku, city mice who meet an island mouse, Chūta, and set off on a journey to save Chūta's island from the rule of a fierce white weasel named Noroi. Kanda's character Shioji is Chūta's older sister.
The film will open in theaters in Japan on October 10. Starting on July 18, theatergoers who buy their tickets in advance can receive one of four character straps.
Shirogumi Inc., the studio behind the 3D CG anime film Stand By Me Doraemon, is producing the film based on the children's novel Bōkensha-tachi Gamba to 15-Hiki no Nakama. Ryota Kosawa (live-action Always: Sunset on Third Street, Parasyte, Aibō, Legal High) is writing his first anime screenplay for the new film. Shirogumi Vice-President Yōichi Ogawa is serving as chief director and project planner, and Yoshihiro Komori (Rule of Rose PlayStation 2 game) and Tomohiro Kawamura (Ukkari Penelope) are jointly directing the film.
Marvel Studios co-founder and current Arad Productions producer Avi Arad (Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures) is serving as executive producer. According to Shirogumi President Tatsuo Shimamura, Arad saw the film and said that it may even come to North America. Benjamin Wallfisch (12 Years a Slave's additional music, opening sequence music in 2009's Moon) scored the music and conducted its performance by a full orchestra at London's famed Abbey Road Studios.
Atsuo Saitō's original 1972 novel also inspired the 1975 television anime Ganba no Bōken (The Adventures of Ganba).
It has been 24 years since the last Gamba film, 1991's Gamba to Kawauso no Bōken (The Adventures of Gamba and Sea Otter, pictured right). The new film has been in planning for 15 years and in production for 10 years. It has a budget of 2 billion yen (US$16.7 million).
[Via Ameba News]
