The International Olympic Committee has commissioned Studio Ponoc, a Japanese animation studio formed by former members of Studio Ghibli and others, to produce the world’s first Olympic-inspired animated short ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Olympic Foundation for culture and heritage director Francis Gabet said the strong association people have with Japan toward animation gave the IOC the idea for the project. The IOC commissioned Studio Ponoc with high expectations that the studio will produce a film that will communicate Olympic values to children around the world
The project aims to share the Olympic messages of hope and peace with a broad international audience, particularly young people, and to forge a powerful artistic legacy for animation fans across the globe.
“I want to make a film that will get kids excited about the Olympics. The type of world we want to see at the end of all this competition, even beyond the Olympics, will be a major theme,” Studio Ponoc founder, CEO and producer Yoshiaki Nishimura said at a press conference.
Studio Ponoc was founded by Nishimura in 2015, after he produced features titled The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013) and When Marnie Was There (2014). The studio’s acclaimed anthology feature Modest Heroes will be screening at Annecy this week.
