Japanese anime auteur Masaaki Yuasa, whose rock musical Inu-Oh premiered at Venice, has launched Tokyo-based animation studio Ame Pippin.
The company will aim to be “a place for new opportunities and a fresh creative environment,” according to Yuasa, who is CEO of the new company. No projects have yet been revealed.
The animation studio was founded with backing from Japanese production company and distributor Asmik Ace, which produced Inu-Oh; Sony subsidiary Aniplex; and Comix Wave Films, the animation studio known for producing the films of Makoto Shinkai (Your Name).
Yuasa made his feature directorial debut in 2004 with highly acclaimed manga adaptation Mind Game at Studio 4°C, later making 2017 feature The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, which played several festival and won best animation film at the Japanese Academy Awards.
Also in 2017, the director won best film at Annecy with mermaid adventure Lu Over The Wall, and won best animated feature at Fantasia and Shanghai in 2019 with romance Ride Your Wave. Yuasa’s most recent feature was 2021’s Inu-Oh, a rock opera set in 14-century Japan, which premiered at Venice Horizons before winning best animated feature at Fantasia and securing a Golden Globe nomination.
The filmmaker has also worked internationally, directing an episode of the US animated series Adventure Time, securing nominations at the Annie Awards and Annecy for his episode, Food Chain.
In 2013, Yuasa teamed with producer Eunyoung Choi to co-found animation studio Science Saru, which produced Inu-Oh, Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and episodes of Star Wars: Visions. He stepped down as CEO in 2020 and the studio was acquired last year by Toho.
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