Tokyo Godfathers type Movie genre Animated

Ten years after his death, one of Japanese director Satoshi Kon’s most celebrated works is returning to theaters.

Animation distributor GKIDS — distributor of Oscar-nominated animation titles like Mirai and When Marnie Was Here — and Fathom Events announced Thursday they have partnered to bring the 2003 classic Tokyo Godfathers to domestic theaters in a new 4K restoration on Monday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. local time (with English-language subtitles) and Wednesday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. local time (dubbed in English).

Released 17 years ago, the film follows a modern-day Tokyo trio of homeless adults whose lives change forever after they meet a baby girl abandoned in a garbage dump on Christmas Eve. They quickly band together to locate the girl’s origins and the fate of her parents, but their journey forces them to confront personal demons from their respective pasts as well.

Image zoom Everett Collection

Tokyo Godfathers marks one of the late Kon’s most critically successful films. Before dying from pancreatic cancer in 2010 at age 46, he also released notable anime titles like 1997’s Perfect Blue (which many have cited as a stylistic influence on Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 thriller Black Swan), the 2004 series Paranoia Agent, and the 2006 feature Paprika.

A stage play based on Tokyo Godfathers is currently being developed, and is set to debut at the New National Theatre in Tokyo during the venue’s 2020-2021 season. Kon is also set to posthumously receive the Winsor McCay Award at the upcoming Annie Awards ceremony.

A complete list of participating locations will be available on Fathom Events’ website, while tickets for the limited event go on sale starting Friday, Jan. 31 on the film’s official website and at participating theater box offices.

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