The film involved a team of 300 Saudi specialists who worked alongside their Japanese counterparts.
The Journey, a Saudi-Japanese anime, which was screened this month in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai, premiered in Tokyo, on June 27, and has been released in theatres in nine Arab countries.
The film by Manga Production Company, a subsidiary under Saudi Arabia’s MiSK Foundation, was made in cooperation with Japanese Toei Animation. Actors Toru Furiya, Hiroshi Kamiya and Takaya Kuroda, who dubbed the film in Japanese, joined director Kobun Shizuno and executive producer Shinji Shimizu at the premier. Several Japanese MPs and company heads also attended the event, along with a large media presence.
The film is the first Saudi movie to be available in 4DX technology.
Inspired by Arabian folklore, The Journey tells the story of Aws, a potter with a secret past, who is caught up in an epic battle to defend his city. Japanese dubbing artists include well-renowned names in the Japanese region such as Toru Furuya, Takaya Kuroda and Hiroshi Kimiya, while the Arabic version has been dubbed by artists such as Abdu Shaheen, Rasha Rizq and Nassar AlNassar.
Directed by Shizuno Kobun, The Journey was shot using anime-style animation and took two-and-a-half years to make.
The Kingdom’s ambassador to Japan, Nayef Al-Fahadi, said that this epic tale that presents our ancient civilization in the Arabian Peninsula is an attraction that supports the journey of rapprochement between the two friendly peoples that extends since 1955.
He stressed that the Kingdom’s government welcomes all efforts that would strengthen the relationship between the two friendly countries on all levels.
Manga Productions CEO, Dr Issam Bukhari, said Saudi Arabia and Japan have built their relationship through trade in oil, and today this relationship is further consolidated and stronger through the close partnership in the field of culture and entertainment, such as the content industry.
