A documentary film, "THE ORIGIN OF ULTRAMAN," commemorating the 60th anniversary of the tokusatsu drama series "Ultraman," has been produced and is scheduled for release on July 3rd. Hirokazu Kore-eda, the film director known for works such as "Shoplifters," is in charge of the project. A host of renowned creators, including Guillermo del Toro, Kore-eda, Hideo Kojima, Hideaki Anno Anno, Shinji Higuchi, and Nicolas Winding Refn, will share their unique perspectives as "witnesses," delving into the question, "What is Ultraman?" The poster visual has also been released.
When "Ultraman" first aired in 1966, it achieved a peak viewership rating of 42.8%, becoming a social phenomenon. Even now, nearly 60 years after its initial broadcast, Tsuburaya Productions continues to release new "Ultraman" series works, expanding globally. The documentary film explores the unique worldview of Ultraman, where the protagonist is a hero while the backgrounds of the monsters are meticulously depicted, and unravels the appeal of the designs of both Ultraman and the monsters. It also shines a spotlight on the ideas and work of Eiji Tsuburaya, the founder of Tsuburaya Productions and known as the "God of Special Effects," and the staff at the time, tracing how Ultraman spread throughout the world.
◇Staff and cast (titles omitted)
Supervision: Takayuki Tsukakoshi▽Planning: Hirokazu Kore-eda▽Production: Kei Minamiya, Takuya Tashiro▽Planning Cooperation/Research: Setsu Shimizu▽Directors: Yutaka Nakamura, Kazuki Yoshida▽Producers: Masahiro Onda, Tomoko Izuta (Slowhand)▽Cast: Guillermo del Toro, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hideo Kojima, Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, Nicolas Winding Refn, Shannon Tindle, John Aoshima, Kairi Narita, Pat Cadigan, Setsu Shimizu, Noi Sawaragi, Hidenori Okada, Susumu Kurobe, Hiroko Sakurai, Sandayu Dokumamushi, Toshihiro Iijima, Kazuo Sagawa, Kiyoshi Suzuki, Sadao Iizuka, Tokuko Shishikura▽Production: Slowhand▽Production/Copyright: Tsuburaya Productions ▽Distribution: TOHO NEXT, Tsuburaya Productions
