Fuji TV is taking a big step into the world of computer animation, teaming up with Production I.G. to produce a full-CG feature-length film. Tentatively titled "Hottarake no Shima: Haruka to Mahou no Kagami" ("Hottarake Island: Haruka and the Magical Mirror"), the movie is meant to be a family-friendly adventure, which Fuji TV hopes can join the ranks of American works such as "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc." The movie is set on Hottarake Island, a world formed from the objects that humans have abandoned ("hottarake" comes from a word meaning "to neglect"). The protagonist is a high school girl named Haruka, who ends up on the island in search of an important item, and she is accompanied by a fox named Teo that she meets along the way. The project was set in motion by producer Daisuke Sekiguchi three years ago. Sekiguchi, one of the people involved in the 2006 animated film "Brave Story," said that he wanted to use modern technology to create a "warm, Japanese anime." Shinsuke Sato ("Sunadokei," "LOVE SONG") is directing. The voice cast will be decided before the end of the year, and theatrical release is slated for next summer. Source: tokyograph
