The film opened in Japan on 15 August, 2025.
The ChaO anime film by Yasuhiro Aoki and Studio 4°C just opened in Japan on 15 August, 2025. During a meet and greet at the premiere, it was announced that the movie will get global screenings across 16 countries soon. However, it was not disclosed what those countries are or when the film will be screened there.
ChaO anime movie cast, staff, and other details
The movie casts:
- Stefan voiced by Ōji Suzuka
- ChaO voiced by Anna Yamada
- Roberta voiced by Yūichirō Umehara
- President Shi voiced by Nankai Candies comedy duo member Ryōta Yamasato
- Maibei voiced by Kavka Shishido
- Ambassador Omede voiced by Yasei Bakudan comedy duo member Cookie!
- King Neptunus voiced by Kenta Miyake
- Juno voiced by Octpath idol group member Shunsei Ōta
- Editor-in-Chief voiced by Anna Tsuchiya
Yasuhiro Aoki created and directed the film at Studio 4°C. Hirokazu Kojima worked as the character designer and chief animation director. Hiroshi Takiguchi is the art director while Takatsugu Muramatsu is the music composer. Toei is distributing the movie.
The film first opened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France back in June, where it won the Jury Prize. Later, ChaO was screened at the opening night of The JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film in New York on 10 July. The Canadian 29th annual Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal also showed the movie. The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Sitges, Spain will also screen the film. The film festival will take place from 9 to 19 October.
GKIDS hhas licensed the movie and describes the story as:
In a futuristic world where humans and mermaids coexist, ChaO follows Stephan, a mild-mannered office worker at a shipbuilding company, whose life is upended when he is suddenly proposed to by Chao — a princess from the mermaid kingdom. With no time to make sense of what’s happening, Stephan soon finds himself living with the unpredictable, wholehearted Chao. As her sincere love begins to break down his emotional barriers, an unexpected and touching romance begins to unfold.
