Toei Animation plans 'Saint Seiya' feature

At Mipcom, Toei Animation chairman Kozo Morishita, who produced the "Knights of the Zodiak" skein as well as "Dragon Ball," told Variety he is in talks with various Japanese outfits, including vidgame companies, to team on production of the feature and possibly a game.

" 'Saint Seiya' will have a top-level budget and will be delivered in S3D and CGI 3D," said Morishita. "In Japan, audiences are not yet fond of stereostropic films but it's crucial to provide a 3D version for territories like China."

Morishita said Toei Animation will produce a 13-minute promo before the end of the year and is hoping the production will be completed in July 2013.

The exec said Toei is also considering a spinoff TV toon skein. It would be a different program from "Saint Seiya Omega," a spinoff series which bowed in April on TV Asahi.

"In the past we'd produced a TV series first and then a film, but we've found that delivering a movie before embarking on a series is a great way to test the appetite of audience and limit risks," said Morishita.

While it continues to revisit cult brands in its catalogue, Toei Animation is also collaborating with foreign shingles and is co-producing various series and film projects with international partners. Among the projects is "LadyBug," a Paris-set fantasy toon series about a magical teen girl, produced with Gaul's Zagtoon.

The next "Dragon Ball Z" movie will bow on March 30 in Japan.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118060488

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-10-09/cg-saint-seiya-film-aimed-for-next-july-with-possible-new-show

http://www.animeland.com/news/voir/4271/Le-film-de-SAINT-SEIYA-date

東映動畫主席森下孝三在法國康城MIPCOM商業活動上說，聖鬥士星矢CG電影將於2013年7月完成。森下還說在考慮電影放映後製作一個新的聖鬥士TV動畫。

對於可能製作的新的TV動畫，森下說：“過去我們先製作TV動畫然後才是劇場版，但是我們發現在開展TV動畫前先發表劇場版動畫是一個能夠揣摩觀眾口味，降低風險的好方法。”

森下說起3D電影：“比起其他東映動畫電影，這次聖鬥士星矢的特點是擁有頂級預算，以S3D和CGI 3D形式發表。在日本，觀眾現在不喜歡stereotropic電影，但提供3D版本對拓展領域，比如中國，至關重要。”這部電影列入新的“車田正美企劃”。車田正美，聖鬥士的原作者，認可了最初的故事。

佐藤敬一Keiichi Satou（Tiger & Bunny，阿修羅）領導這次CG電影計劃。鈴木智尋，擔任6集Tiger & Bunny的編劇，來編寫劇本。這部電影列入新的“車田正美企劃”，聖鬥士星矢漫畫作者車田先生認可了最初的故事。