Washington [US], April 14 : Popular Japanese animation director Masaaki Yuasa has unveiled the debut project from his newly established animation studio, Ame Pippin.
Titled 'Daisy's Life,' the feature is a Japanese-French co-production based on Banana Yoshimoto's novel Hinagiku no Jinsei. It features original illustrations by renowned artist Yoshitomo Nara. The film is set for release in 2026, reported Variety.
Yuasa is best known for his surreal storytelling and bold visual style in films such as Mind Game, Lu Over the Wall, and the Golden Globe-nominated Inu-Oh.
He launched Ame Pippin in February 2025 to push artistic boundaries in the animation world.
'Daisy's Life' is an emotional journey of a six-year-old girl named Daisy, who loses her mother in a tragic accident and struggles to adapt to life with her aunt. One sleepless night, she encounters a mysterious girl named Dahlia at her window. Their days together begin to transcend time and space, bringing a cosmic perspective to Daisy's modest life in a downtown yakisoba restaurant, as per the outlet.
While talking about the project, Yuasa said, "Even among the works of Ms. Banana Yoshimoto, this is a novel that evokes visual images throughout, and while there are parts that are vividly scary, the final passage is very happy, like something I had dreamed of in the past. I would like to depict the life of the protagonist who works for a yakisoba restaurant in a downtown area with a 100-meter radius on a cosmic scale."
In her first foray into animation, Yuasa teamed up with screenwriter Sachiko Tanaka, whose previous work includes 'Before We Vanish' and 'Asako I & II', as per the outlet.
Production is being spearheaded by Asmik Ace, Inc., a company with a storied history in both live-action and animated cinema, known for titles like "Tekkonkinkreet" and "Paranoia Agent."
The film is co-produced with France's Miyu Productions, which recently won awards at Cannes and Annecy for Flora Anna Buda's short "27" and Sebastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta's feature "Chicken for Linda!"
Miyu producers Emmanuel-Alain Raynal and Pierre Baussaron expressed excitement about their renewed collaboration with Asmik Ace and the opportunity to work with Yuasa, saying, "After a first fruitful collaboration with Asmik Ace on Yoshitoshi Shinomiya's 'A New Dawn' we are delighted and honored to renew our partnership on the next project by Masaaki Yuasa, one of the greatest animation filmmakers of our time," reported Variety.