The 52th Annie Awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles on February 8th local time; staff and casts of Ultraman: Rising, led by director Shannon Tindle, co-director John Aoshima, as well as Christopher Sean, the voice actor of Ken Sato, attended the award ceremony.

Ultraman: Rising has been nominated for Best Feature, Best FX – Feature, Best Production Design – Feture, and Best Editorial – Feature.

To commemorate the nominations and thank fans from around the world for their support, a special art by director Shannon Tindle has been revealed, as well as comments from the film’s staff and cast.

Commemorate Art by director Shannon Tindle, featuring Emi, the baby kaiju.

Comments from Ultraman: Rising staff and cast

Shannon Tindle, Director: 

Our entire team is thrilled to be recognized by the members of ASIFA and the Annie Awards with 4 Annie nominations. Ultraman has been charming audiences for 60 years. It is an honor to be a small part of the incredible history and legacy of a character that I’ve loved since I was a child.

John Aoshima, Co-Director:

I am truly grateful for the incredible ongoing support of Ultraman: Rising. Just like you, the legacy of our silver and red hero means the world to me. Like a steadfast star, it will continue to light the universe for generations to come.

Christopher Sean, Voice Actor (Ken Sato):

The way Ultraman brings people together from all around the world is absolutely incredible – being nominated for Best Feature at the Annie Awards just shows how much Ken Sato’s story in Ultraman: Rising has resonated with audiences! I’m beyond grateful to Netflix and Tsuburaya Productions, along with our phenomenal animation team who poured their hearts into this project. To all our fantastic fans out there – your passion and support for Ultraman is what makes this journey so special. From everyone involved in bringing this new chapter to life, thank you for being part of our Ultraman family! SHUWATCH!

About Ultraman: Rising

Ultraman: Rising is directed and written by Emmy winner Shannon Tindle, known for works such as Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), co-directed by John Aoshima and co-written by Marc Haimes. With CG animation created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), renowned for its contributions to well-known masterpieces such as Star Wars and Jurassic Park, they create a new story with the iconic and everlasting hero Ultraman, beloved globally for over half a century since his debut in 1966, with the theme of “parent” and “family”. The music of Grammy-winning superstar EDM producer Diplo, as well as Oliver Tree and Alicia Creti, further enhances Ultraman’s fights. The film features key casts including Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman.

<Story>

Baseball superstar Ken Sato has another identity － Ultraman, the Earth-defending superhero. To fulfill that duty, he returns to his home country of Japan to prepare for his match but finds his peaceful life disrupted by the sudden appearance of a powerful kaiju Gigantron.

Ken transforms into Ultraman to confront the kaiju’s increasingly intensified attacks but soon finds himself in an unthought situation of being forced to take care of a kaiju baby － the child of his nemesis. Now as the father of the kaiju baby, whom he names “Emi”, Ken needs to confront his relationship with his estranged father and discover what it truly means to be Ultraman.

<Staff>

Director: Shannon Tindle

Co-Director: John Aoshima

Written By: Shannon Tindle, Marc Haimes

Produced By: Tom Knott, Lisa M. Poole

Music: Diplo, Oliver Tree, Alicia Creti

Production: Tsuburaya Productions, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

<Cast>

Main Casts: Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, Julia Harriman

Japanese Casts: Yuki Yamada, Fumiyo Kohinata, Akari Hayami, Fumihiko Tachiki, Ayumi Tsunematsu, Hiroko Sakurai, Takaya Aoyagi and others