Studio Chizu (スタジオ地図, Sutajio Chizu) is a Japanese animation studio based in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. It was co-founded by Mamoru Hosoda and Yuichiro Saito in 2011.[1] Studio Chizu has won three Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year awards.[2][3] The image in their logo is a reference to Makoto Konno, the main character of the Hosoda-directed 2006 film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Native name | スタジオ地図 |
---|---|
Industry | Animation |
Founded | April 2011 |
Founders | Mamoru Hosoda Yuichiro Saito |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Yuichiro Saito (CEO) |
Website | studio-chizu.jp |
Studio Chizu was founded by Yūichirō Saitō and Mamoru Hosoda, both of which had ties to animation studio Madhouse. Saitō had been with Madhouse since 1999,[4] and had co-produced The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which Mamoru Hosoda directed. The aim of the studio was described by Saito as an "auteur's studio" for Hosoda,[5] who himself mentioned that creating Studio Chizu was necessary in order for him to make the films that he wanted to make.[6]
Studio Chizu co-produced its first feature film Wolf Children with Madhouse, which was released in 2012. It earned roughly $55 million[7] and won its first Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.[2] In 2013, the studio was approached by a representative of French film company Gaumont, who wanted to work with Studio Chizu to distribute its films internationally.[5] This distribution partnership was announced in 2014.[8]
The studio went on to produce The Boy and the Beast, which was released in 2015 earning roughly $49 million[9] and winning for a second time the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.[3]
Studio Chizu produced Hosoda's next film, Mirai, in 2018 and received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.[10][11] This film also won the studio its third Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in March 2019.[12][13] The next film Belle, written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda, premiered on July 15, 2021 at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival,[14] where it was well-received by critics with a standing ovation that lasted 14 minutes.[15] It was theatrically released in Japan on July 16, 2021.[16] It was theatrically released in the United States on January 14, 2022.[17] [18]
Year | Title | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Music | RT |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Wolf Children | Mamoru Hosoda | Mamoru Hosoda & Satoko Okudera | Masakatsu Takagi | 95%[19] |
2015 | The Boy and the Beast | Mamoru Hosoda | 88%[20] | ||
2018 | Mirai | 91%[21] | |||
2021 | Belle | Taisei Iwasaki, Yuta Bandoh, Ludvig Forssell, & Miho Sakai | 95%[22] |