Bring the joy of colour to your January and kick off the New Year with a spring in your step with the highly anticipated latest film from visionary director Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice). Acclaimed at film festivals around the world, Anime Limited are excited to announce that audiences can finally experience The Colors Within exclusively in cinemas across the United Kingdom and Ireland from Friday 31st January 2025.
The Colors Within is a heartfelt coming-of-age story for the whole family that combines fun and catchy songs, beautiful pastel colours, and a touching story about those first steps we take towards finding ourselves. Totsuko is a gentle young woman with a form of synaesthesia that allows her to see the “colours” of people. When she is drawn to the colour of Kimi, a former honour student who suddenly drops out of their Catholic school, the two find themselves forming a band with Rui, a boy who hides his passion for music from his family. As the three grow closer together through their music, will they start to learn who they really are – what their real “colour” is?
Naoko Yamada is one of the most celebrated directors working in anime today, widely recognised for her ability to create emotionally genuine characters, and a directorial eye that blends the sensibilities of animation and live-action cinema. Yamada previously directed the award-winning A Silent Voice, widely regarded as one of the best anime films of recent times. Her other popular works include the character drama Liz and the Bluebird, the beloved television series K-On!, and the historical fantasy series The Heike Story.
The Colors Within marks Yamada’s highly anticipated first feature film at Science SARU (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Inu-Oh), and sees her reunite with regular collaborators screenwriter Reiko Yoshida (A Silent Voice) and composer Kensuke Ushio (Chainsaw Man, DAN DA DAN) to create an enchanting and sweet film with surprising emotional depth.
The Colors Within had its world premiere at Annecy International Film Festival and was selected for the BFI London Film Festival. The film won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Animation Film at the 2024 Shanghai International Film Festival, and tied for the Audience Award at the 7th Animation is Film Festival.
Check out the beautiful trailer below:
Don’t forget to check out more anime news right here, and you can revisit James’ interview with Naoko Yamada where they discussed her 2022 short Garden of Remembrance.