Makoto Shinkai's Suzume no Tojimari Anime Film Casts Nanoka Hara as Heroine

The official website for Suzume no Tojimari (literally, Suzume's Door-Locking), Makoto Shinkai's first new film in three years, revealed on Tuesday that actress Nanoka Hara will voice the heroine Suzume Iwato in the film. Hara vied for the role with over 1,700 other applicants in auditions, and this will be her first voice-acting role in anime.

Hara remarked that even now, she cannot shake the feeling that this could all be a dream. She said that the first time she saw a Shinkai film in a theater, during the summer of her first year in middle school, was unforgettable.

CoMix Wave Films describes the story:

On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety—

17-year-old Suzume's journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I'm looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly mesmerized by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob…

Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.

The stars
The sunset
The morning sky

Within that realm, it was as though all time had melted together in the sky—

Drawn in by this mysterious door, Suzume's journey is about to begin.

Shinkai stated that three important points about the film are that it is a road movie around Japan, a story about "closing doors" rather than opening them, and a reason to visit the movie theater. He elaborated that closing doors can refer to tying loose ends or finishing something.

The film will open in Japan on November 11. Shinkai will also pen a novelization of the film that will ship on August 24.

Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Wild Bunch International will release the film worldwide except in Asia in early 2023. Crunchyroll will handle North American distribution, while Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment will handle distribution in Latin America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Africa, and portions of Europe. Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Wild Bunch International will release the film in French- and German-speaking Europe.

Shinkai (your name., Weathering With You) is directing the film and writing the screenplay. He is also credited with the original story. Masayoshi Tanaka (your name., Weathering With You) is designing the characters. Kenichi Tsuchiya (your name., Garden of Words) is the animation director. Takumi Tanji (Children Who Chase Lost Voices) is the art director. CoMix Wave Films and Story Inc. are producing the movie. TOHO is distributing the film.

Shinkai's other works include 5 Centimeters Per Second, Voices of a Distant Star, She and Her Cat, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, The Garden of Words, and Children Who Chase Lost Voices.

Sources: Suzume no Tojimari anime film's website, Comic Natalie