Nippon Animation and kids content producer and distributor Cyber Group Studios are teaming to produce a feature-length animated fantasy adventure film based on the classic Japanese TV series, Tico and Friends. The new feature-length film, Nanami and the Quest for Atlantis, marks the beginning of what is expected to be an ongoing collaboration between the two partners, with several other adaptations of Nippon Animation’s classic series and newer properties in the works.
“We are honored to partner with Nippon Animation, an historic studio with a rich catalog of superb iconic properties,” says Pierre Sissmann, chairman of Cyber Group Studios. “We are looking forward to starting this exciting adventure and embarking on a future filled with great projects.”
Tico and Friends, directed by Jun Takagi, was produced in Japan in 1994 and later broadcast globally in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Korea and elsewhere.
Nanami and the Quest for Atlantis will be a 90-minute 3D x 2D animation hybrid geared to viewers aged 7 to 14. Directed by Hitoshi Takekiyo (After-School Midnighters), the film is set in the gold rush era, around 1850, and explores the relationship between humans and nature. The story follows 14-year-old Nanami, her lifelong orca companion, Tico, and her traveling partner, 17-year-old Seira, as they travel the ocean in search of a hidden treasure and discover what is truly important to humankind. During their adventure they will come to understand the answer to the question Nanami’s father, Professor Scott, posed before they left home, “What is more important than material fortune?”
Nippon Animation and Cyber Group Studios hope to follow the feature with a series adaptation that continues the story.
Adds Kazuko Ishikawa, president and CEO of Nippon Animation: “We are so excited to work on this project with Cyber Group Studios, which has been producing and distributing a lot of wonderful programs on a global scale. We look forward to giving dreams and excitement to children around the world through this collaboration.”