Deadline reported on September 8 that Lionsgate is becoming Toei Animation‘s new U.S. distribution partner for anime projects, with the relationship beginning on the upcoming Monkey Quest film in 2027. Lionsgate will reportedly also be considered for future co-productions with Toei.
The Monkey Quest film
The film is currently in post-production and targeting a 2027 release. Charades will distribute it worldwide outside the U.S. It is a 2D–3D hybrid animated feature loosely based on the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West, produced jointly between Japan and the U.S. with an international crew of animators. The English voice cast includes Adam Devine as Okon, Elsie Fisher as Ellie and J.K. Simmons as Vex.
The creative team
Sonic the Hedgehog designer Naoto Oshima co-created the concept and characters with Joseph Chou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). David N. Weiss (Shrek 2) wrote the script and co-directs with Stephanie Ma Stine (Kung Fu Panda 4) and character designer Takao Noguchi. Sunghoo Park, director of Jujutsu Kaisen and The God of High School, is assisting with action sequences and storyboards. Toei Animation’s Yoshi Ikezawa is producing.
A long development history
The project was first announced in February 2024 as a CG feature titled Hypergalactic. Toei then partnered with Spaceport Technologies and Twin Atlas for a Roblox game tied to it, Hypergalactic: Monkey Quest, in November 2024 — described as a hub for a connected universe of games. Toei has separately worked with Spaceport on a Fortnite experience, part of a broader push into Western game platforms and franchises built for a global audience rather than a Japan-first one.
Why the deal matters
Toei Animation — the studio behind Dragon Ball, One Piece, Sailor Moon and the Precure franchise — has historically relied on a mix of partners for U.S. theatrical distribution. Locking in Lionsgate, a major studio with its own marketing and theatrical infrastructure, signals that Toei wants a more consistent pipeline for the English-language and international-facing projects it is now developing. Coincidentally, the news broke the same day another Toei property, the Precure film franchise, was reported to be moving to Lionsgate for U.S. distribution as well.
Via Anime News Network. Source: Deadline; Toei Animation.