Rilakkuma and Kaoru, the first stop motion animated series of one of Japan’s most beloved characters, has begun production and will premiere globally as a Netflix original series in Spring 2019.

Rilakkuma is a soft toy bear who showed up one day to live with a young woman named Kaoru. It spends its days lounging around the apartment. Although there is a zipper on its back, what is inside is a mystery. Rilakkuma loves pancakes, rice omelets, custard pudding and “dango” rice dumplings. Its friends are Kaoru’s pet bird Kiiroitori and a small white bear cub named Korilakkuma who also showed up out of the blue.

Japan’s leading stop motion animation studio dwarf (Domo, Komaneko) will create a total of 13 episodes in the series, supported by the original character creator Aki Kondo for story development. With internationally acclaimed filmmaker Naoko Ogigami (Kamome Shokudo, Close-Knit) joining as screenwriter, the series promises to appeal to audiences across all ages. The director is Masahito Kobayashi, and San-X will oversee the project.

Rilakkuma and Kaoru will premiere as a Netflix original series in Spring 2019 in more than 190 countries around the world.

About Rilakkuma

Ever since its merchandise first went on sale by San-X in 2003, the Rilakkuma character has enjoyed immense popularity especially among women. After being featured in many merchandising and industry campaigns, it is now widely recognized both in Japan and abroad. To mark its 15th anniversary, dwarf now brings to bear its world class stop motion animation skills to produce the first animated series featuring Rilakkuma.

About Netflix

Netflix is the world's leading internet entertainment service with over 109 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.