Anime Limited is inviting all of us to the wackiest wedding of the year! From the celebrated Studio 4°C (All You Need is Kill), Anime Limited are delighted to share the eclectic happiness of the romantic comedy ChaO, releasing exclusively in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from December 4, 2026.
Winner of the Jury Award at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the film is the story of an unlikely couple – Stephan is a hard-working but under appreciated engineer, and Chao is a mermaid princess who is more fish than woman. When they inexplicably end up betrothed, the two must work together to not only ensure their happiness, but the future of human-merfolk relations.
Watch ChaO’s official trailer in the player below:
In a fantastical future, humans and mermaids share a troubled coexistence. Stephan, 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 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.
Directed by Yasuhiro Aoki (who was recently tapped to helm DC Studios’ upcoming Joker: Laugh Riot), ChaO is “a joyous story of love, loss and comedic adventure” (ScreenAnarchy) that embodies Studio 4°C’s award-winning dedication to distinctive and cutting edge visuals, which Slant calls “a boisterous celebration of the flatness and fluidity of traditional hand-drawn animation”, with Variety applauding “sequences that dazzle for the kinetic vibrancy of animation”. If you want to experience new and creative films, then you won’t want to miss ChaO exclusively in cinemas this December.
ChaO releases in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on December 4, 2026.
