Makoto Shinkai, recognized as one of the most renowned directors of the past decade, has announced on his social media that his new film will hit the big screen sometime in 2025.
What can we expect from this latest movie? Let’s take a look at the details below!
What is Next for Makoto Shinkai Movies?
Makoto Shinkai’s movies are known for their breathtaking visuals, blending supernatural, adventure, and sci-fi elements with storytelling that captures audiences’ hearts. His latest animated film, Suzume, was released in 2022 and received praise for its beautiful animation and themes of loss and healing.
Much like Your Name and Weathering With You, Suzume follows characters facing and preventing large-scale disasters. This is why these three original anime movies are often referred to as Makoto Shinkai’s Disaster Trilogy.
Because Your Name's Taki and Mitsuha made a cameo in Weathering With You, it’s clear the two movies exist in the same universe. However, despite the shared themes, Suzume did not include characters from the previous films.
This raises the question, what will his next movie be about, and when will it be released?
Makoto Shinkai teased on his X (formerly Twitter) account that his next movie is on the way, sharing New Year greetings with fans. He mentioned spending the past year working on the film, building a world no one has seen before alongside his team.
The director added that he hopes to announce the movie in 2025, possibly as soon as it’s ready.
On top of that, this year brings exciting news for Makoto Shinkai fans, as a live-action adaptation of his tearjerker film 5 Centimeters per Second is coming to theaters! Fans can look forward to its release in Fall 2025.
What Fans Hope for the Next Makoto Shinkai Film
Makoto Shinkai’s films are known for their eye-catching animation and deeply emotional storytelling, with thoughtful themes that connect with viewers on a personal level.
The director’s craft stands out because of how he captures landscapes, with photo-realistic sceneries that have become his trademark.
For many people, Your Name really knocked it out of the park with those elements. That said, some critics feel his recent films closely follow the formula set by this movie, with the two other films not quite matching the same level of success as Your Name.
Even so, fans remain hopeful that his next project will move away from the familiar themes of the Disaster Trilogy and bring fresh approaches to storytelling.
At this point, no additional information has been released, but many have been eagerly anticipating Shinkai’s next project since last year. Speculation suggests it could be a sci-fi film without the earth-shattering events, following a leak about the movie in July 2024.
One thing is certain. Whether his upcoming movie takes us on another emotional journey or explores a completely different path, Shinkai’s work always leaves a lasting impression.
Are you excited to see Makoto Shinkai’s next film? Let us know in the comments!
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