Gorgeous Trailer Arrives for Studio Ghibli and Michael Dudok de Wit's 'The Red Turtle

Animation fans the world over are getting pretty excited about forthcoming animated feature The Red Turtle. The aspect of the film attracting most the attention is undoubtedly that it marks the first time that the legendary Studio Ghibli has produced a co-production with a European studio. Equally exciting to some though, is the fact this marks the feature début of animator Michael Dudok de Wit, who has attracted much acclaim for his shorts (including an Oscar, A BAFTA and a Ceasar) including The Monk and The Fish and Father and Daughter.

The film is premièring at the Cannes Film festival this month, and will also open Annecy in June. Despite this though, we'd seen little more than a few astoundingly beautiful stills. Now though, we can finally see the film in motion with the release of the first trailer.


Featuring a man shipwrecked on a tropical island, the film looks every bit as beautiful as the early images suggested. We see the man's attempts to escape, only to be scuppered by the titular turtle, who makes only fleeting appearances in the trailer. It remains to be seen if the turtle will play a bigger role in the film than suggested here, but based on the preview, we'd suggest maybe not. The protagonist is shown eventually being joined by a woman, with whom he apparently has a kid.. suggesting that the film takes place over a number of years. The fact that this trailer leaves us with more questions than answers, is just another of the many reasons we're very excited for this one.

Perhaps our most pressing question though is "when can we see it?". The trailer features a June 29th date, which is presumably the French release date, and the only other confirmed release so far is in Japan in September. As for when those of us in the UK, US or elsewhere can see it, it's anyone's guess right now.  In the meantime, you can feast your eyes on the trailer below.