“ChaO,” an anime feature from Studio 4°C and director Yasuhiro Aoki, opens in North American theaters on Friday, April 10.
The film was released in Japan by Toei last year. GKIDS, the North American distributor, provides the following description:
“In a fantastical future, humans and mermaids share a troubled coexistence. Stephan (Oji Suzuka), an anxious employee at a shipbuilding company, has big ideas to save the sea. But his life explodes into ecstatic chaos when bubbly mermaid princess ChaO (Anna Yamada) proposes marriage out of the blue. Between shopping sprees, giant robots, and actual fireworks, the unlikely pair flounder through their new romance and unlock their true feelings.
“Crafted over 7 years by the acclaimed Studio 4°C and veteran animator Yasuhiro Aoki, ‘ChaO’ is an inventive and genre-defying delight bursting with color and character. Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, ‘ChaO’s’ singular narrative is an ode to boundless love.”
The cast also includes Yuichiro Umehara, Ryota Yamasato, Kavka Shishido, Cookie, Kenta Miyake, Shunsei Ota and Anna Tsuchiya.
“ChaO” won the Jury Award at the 2025 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and was nominated for best animated film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg.
To see the trailer and for theaters and showtimes, go to: https://gkids.com/