NEW YORK (May 23, 2019) – GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, announced it has acquired North American distribution rights for the animated feature WEATHERING WITH YOU, the new film from director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura, whose previous film Your Name set box office records in Japan and around the world ($360 million worldwide box office), and is currently receiving a major studio live-action remake from JJ Abrams.

GKIDS has set an awards qualifying run for 2019 with a theatrical release in early 2020 in both the original Japanese and a new English language version.

The all-rights deal finalized out of this year's Cannes Film Festival was negotiated by GKIDS' CEO Eric Beckman and Akihiro Takeda for Toho. The film opens in Japanese cinemas on July 19. Rights are sold worldwide by Toho.

"GKIDS is thrilled to be working with Makoto Shinkai and Genki Kawamura on Weathering With You, following their blockbuster hit Your Name," said GKIDS founder and CEO Eric Beckman. "We have been huge fans of Makoto Shinkai since his breathtaking 5 Centimeters Per Second, and he is unquestionably one of the top animation filmmakers working today. Weathering With You combines Shinkai's unparalleled visually beautiful and detailed animation with a riveting emotional story that will be sure to connect with audiences worldwide."

SYNOPSIS

GKIDS proudly presents the highly-anticipated new film from director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura, the creative team behind the critically-acclaimed, global smash hit Your Name. The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…

WeatheringWithYouMovie.com

CANNES - Gkids, the U.S. distributor of 11 best animated feature Oscar nominees, has acquired North American rights for "Weathering With You," the new film from director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura.

Gkids has set an awards-qualifying run for 2019 with a theatrical release in early 2020, in both the original Japanese and a new English-language version.

Shinkai and Kawamura's previous film, "Your Name," set box-office records in Japan and around the world, grossing $358 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing non-English language and non-Chinese movie of all time. It's currently getting a major studio live-action remake from J.J. Abrams.

"Weathering With You" follows Hokoda, a high-school freshman who runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, where he soon finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The unusually gloomy and rainy weather feels like a dark omen for his future. He lives his days in isolation until finding work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. One day, Hokoda meets a girl called Hina on a busy street corner. Bright and strong-willed, she possesses a strange and wonderful ability to stop the rain and clear the sky.

The film is the highly anticipated follow-up to Shinkai and Kawamura's previous, record-breaking collaboration.

"Gkids is thrilled to be working with Makoto Shinkai and Genki Kawamura on 'Weathering With You,' following their blockbuster hit 'Your Name,'" said Gkids founder and CEO Eric Beckman. "We have been huge fans of Makoto Shinkai since his breathtaking '5 Centimeters Per Second,' and he is unquestionably one of the top animation filmmakers working today."

He added: "'Weathering With You' combines Shinkai's unparalleled visually beautiful and detailed animation with a riveting emotional story that will be sure to connect with audiences worldwide."

Gkids is a producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. It also handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world's most coveted animation collections.

Gkids also produces the annual LA-based film festival Animation Is Film, which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression.

MAY 26, 2020The extraordinary new animated film Weathering With You will be available to purchase digitally on August 4 , 2020, and on September 15 will arrive on Blu-ray™ + DVD, and SteelBookTM format from GKIDS and Shout! Factory. In addition, a limited edition Collector’s Set will also be released in November.

GKIDS proudly presents the highly-anticipated new film from director Makoto Shinkai and the creative team, including producer Genki Kawamura, behind the critically-acclaimed, global smash hit Your Name. Featuring music from the hit band RADWIMPS, and backed by an all-star voice cast including Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hobbit Trilogy), Alison Brie (“GLOW”, The Lego Movie franchise), and Riz Ahmed (Rogue One: A star Wars Story, Venom), Shinkai has once again brought incredible beauty and a powerful story to the screen.

The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…

Japan’s Official Submission for Best International Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards, and a Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection, this magical tale’s awe-inspiring beauty thrilled audiences when the film hit North American theaters in early 2020.

Available on Blu-ray™/DVD combo, DVD, SteelBookTM and on EST/VOD, Weathering With You is now available for pre-order.

Blu-ray™ and SteelBook™ Bonus Features:
– Talk Show: Makoto Shinkai and Yumiko Udo
– “Weather Front” Featurette
– Exploring Makoto Shinkai’s Filmography
– Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots

DVD Bonus Features
– “Weather Front” Featurette
– Exploring Makoto Shinkai’s Filmography
– Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots

Specific details on the Collector’s Edition will be announced shortly.