Full-CG 'Captain Harlock' anime to set sail at Venice film festival

Translated by The Asahi Shimbun from the website of Anime Anime.

The full-CG reboot of legendary manga artist Leiji Matsumoto's "Space Pirate Captain Harlock" is setting sail at the 70th Venice International Film Festival, where it will be screened out of competition.

The much-anticipated film, which was produced with a budget of $30 million (2.95 billion yen), will hit Japanese cinemas on Sept. 7. But it has already attracted global attention, receiving offers from film distributors in 76 countries and regions to release the movie.

"Avatar" director James Cameron praised the film, saying that it was an unprecedented piece of work.

The original animated TV series produced in the 1970s based on Matsumoto's manga of the same name has long been popular in Europe and other parts of the world. Matsumoto is also known as the creator of "Space Battleship Yamato" and "Galaxy Express 999."

"Space Pirate Captain Harlock" was directed by Shinji Aramaki, whose past directorial credits include "Appleseed" and the computer-animated film "Starship Troopers: Invasion."

The star-studded voice-cast members for the space opera include actors Shun Oguri, Haruma Miura and Arata Furuta and actresses Yu Aoi and Ayano Fukuda.

One of the world's most prestigious film fests, the Venice film festival will kick off on Aug. 28.

For more information, visit the official website at (/http://harlock-movie.com/).

Translated by The Asahi Shimbun from the website of Anime Anime.

The Asahi Shimbun
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