Shannon Tindle’s all-new iteration of fan-favorite Ultraman introduces baseball star Ken Sato, a young man who can transform into a gigantic, kaiju-fighting superhero, rediscovering the powers of family thanks to an unlikely ally – a sweet, 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju; global debut set for June 14.
First there was Baby Shark… now, there’s Baby Kaiju! Netflix has just released the first official trailer and some new images from its upcoming action-adventure, Ultraman: Rising. In the all-new 3DCG animated film, Ultraman, who has been fighting kaiju for more than 50 years, returns in an all-new iteration as an Earthbound hero who faces new enemies and challenges. And crying babies… very, very big babies!
After decades of appearances, beginning with the original 1966 television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya and Tetsuo Kinjo, Ultraman is back: as baseball star Ken Sato. Like previous entries, Ultraman: Rising follows a seemingly average young man who can transform into a gigantic superhero.
Talking about how his film came about, director Shannon Tindle told AWN, “I'm only half joking when I say it's fan fiction that became the real thing. I loved Ultraman. I loved the character of Ultraman since I was little and reconnected with the character when I moved out to LA to go to CalArts. It's crazy to say, but I became even more obsessed with the character than I was when I was little because I had a lot more access to information about his world. And my thing was always, ‘How can I take something that I think people see as niche and tell a story that would be compelling to everybody?’ I didn't want anybody to have to know anything about Ultraman to enjoy this story.”
He continues, “So, the idea began as, what if I had to make Ultraman a parent? And what if it's a guy who didn't want to be Ultraman? Who didn't want to be a parent. Those sounded like different approaches to a superhero to me. Usually a superhero is like, ‘Well, I have to do it out of duty,’ or, ‘I'm proud to be a superhero.’ And Ken's like, ‘I have a great life. Why would I want to be a superhero? My dad was a superhero and look at the mess that he made of our lives.’ And that's how he feels at the beginning of the film… until he learns better.”
In the film, with Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he must adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans.
Written by Tindle and Marc Haimes and produced in partnership with Netflix, Tsuburaya Productions, and Industrial Light & Magic, Ultraman: Rising stars Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman. John Aoshima co-directs; Tom Knott and Lisa M. Poole produce. With original songs by Diplo and Oliver Tree, and Alicia Creti.
Ultraman: Rising hits Netflix on June 14.
Now, check out the official Ultraman: Rising trailer:
Source: Netflix
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
