GKids to Distribute Atsuko Ishizuka’s “Goodbye, Don Glees!”

GKids to Distribute Atsuko Ishizuka’s “Goodbye, Don Glees!”

May 19th, 2022

Jerry Beck

GKIDS announced today it has acquired the North American distribution rights for Goodbye, Don Glees!. Produced by the acclaimed Studio Madhouse, the film is the first original feature from writer/director Atsuko Ishizuka, who previously directed the widely lauded series A Place Further Than The Universe. Goodbye, Don Glees! follows the story of three friends over the course of one summer, as their backyard adventures turn one small incident to a life changing journey. It was domestically released (in Japan) in February 2022, and stars famed Japanese voice actors Ayumu Murase (Shoyo Hinata, “Haikyu!!”), Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro Kamado, “Demon Slayer”), Kana Hanazawa (Akane Tsunemori, “Psycho-Pass”), and Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaeger, “Attack on Titan”). The film is represented internationally by KADOKAWA. GKIDS will release Goodbye, Don Glees! theatrically in both original Japanese language and an all-new English language dub this year.

“We were all incredibly moved by Atsuko Ishizuka’s perceptive and fresh take on a classic story of teenage friendship,” said GKIDS’ President David Jesteadt. “We can’t wait for audiences to share this beautiful blend of comedy and drama, set in the days of summer when anything seems possible.”

Synopsis
Teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop call themselves the “Don Glees,” an informal name for their backyard adventures. One day, when the trio gets blamed for a nearby forest fire, they set off into the woods to prove their innocence. As disaster strikes their expedition, tensions flare between the friends as they realize that growing up has taken them on wildly different paths in life.

Director Atsuko Ishizuka follows up her critically acclaimed series A Place Further Than the Universe with her first original feature film. With luminescent animation and lush backdrops, Goodbye, Don Glees! is a tender coming-of-age story about the fearlessness of being young and the bittersweet journey of self-discovery.

Director/Writer: Atsuko Ishizuka
Studio: Madhouse
Art Director: Ayano Okamoto
Character Design: Takahiro Yoshimatsu
Animation Production: Madhouse
Cast: Ayumu Murase, Natsuki Hanae, Yuuki Kaji, Kana Hanazawa
Runtime: 95 minutes
Rating: PG

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.