Produced by Tonko House, the four-chapter animated series “ONI: Thunder God’s Tale” conjures up a world filled with gods and monsters drawn directly from Japanese mythology. Onari, the free-spirited daughter of one of these oddball creatures, is determined to follow in the footsteps of the mighty heroes of legend. As yet, however, her unique powers remain a mystery. When her peaceful village is threatened by the “Oni,” the mysterious enemies of the gods, only one question remains – does Onari have what it takes to fight to protect everything she loves?
“Having worked in Hollywood animation for over two decades,” says Dice Tsutsumi, “it’s been my dream for a long time to someday have a film that represents Japan and its culture, the culture I grew up in, not from the point of view of Hollywood, but from an authentic voice. This animated event will delight young audiences with its playful humor and fantastical world settings, and will captivate adults with its cinematic storytelling and compelling depth of our hero’s journey. I hope that when viewers watch, they can also identify with this story, because one way or another, we all have struggled with the gap between who we want to be and who we truly are.”
The VIEWFEST 2022 international premiere of “ONI: Thunder God’s Tale” is the first-ever premiere of the series outside the United States, hot on the heels of the official world premiere of Chapters 1 & 2 in a sold-out event at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre on Saturday 1 October, 2022. Together with the special Q&A with the series’ creators, this premiere gives VIEWFEST’s international audience a unique opportunity to immerse itself in a vibrant world of Japanese mythology populated by a memorable cast of gods, monsters and heroes.
“I am so proud that VIEWFEST is hosting this incredible international premiere of ‘ONI: Thunder God’s Tale,’” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Tonko House is a world-leading force in animation, and the studio’s latest production for Netflix gives audiences around the world a chance to experience the wonders of Japanese culture. I cannot think of a better way to enjoy 78 minutes of the very best in animation. The whole event is going to be unforgettable.”
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About Tonko House
Founded in 2014 by co-founders Robert Kondo and Daisuke ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi after the completion of their Academy Award nominated short film, "The Dam Keeper", Tonko House strives to inspire curiosity through stories that deliver entertainment and awareness for people of all ages. Following their previous tenure at Pixar, Tonko House has been building their brand through inspirational projects that include award-winning short films and series work, professional and kids educational content, traveling exhibitions throughout Japan and Korea, limited edition consumer products as well as publishing of art books, children’s books and graphic novels.
About Kane Lee
Four-time Emmy Award-winning producer Kane Lee heads content at Tonko House, where he is an executive producer of the Oscar-nominated studio’s new event series “Oni” with Netflix. Lee has always led at the intersection of technology and media, overseeing the first-ever adaptations of VR IP into movies and series, with Roth Kirschenbaum Films (“Maleficent,” “Alice in Wonderland”) bringing “Invasion!” to the silver screen and Disney+, and bringing “The Witchverse” anthology series to premium streaming with Baobab Studios, where Lee also oversees content. He has produced Emmy and Annie Award-winning interactive films ranging from “Baba Yaga” (starring Kate Winslet, Daisy Ridley, Jennifer Hudson, Glenn Close) and “Crow: The Legend” (starring John Legend, Oprah Winfrey) to most recently “Paper Birds” (starring Ed Norton) and “Namoo” for HBO Max. Lee is a producer on tentpole movies (“The Tiger’s Apprentice” at Paramount and “The School for Good and Evil” at Netflix) independent features (“Frozen” writer/director Jennifer Lee’s “The Way Between”) and TV series (“5 Worlds” with Nickelodeon, the Emmy Award-winning “Spooksville” for Hasbro/Discovery). Previously Lee was Vice President at Jane Startz Productions, with credits including 20th Century Fox’s “Horton Hears A Who!,” “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” and “Robots.” He is an advisor in interactive media for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
About VIEWFEST and VIEW Conference
The VIEWFEST film festival is part of the international VIEW Conference, which brings together industry professionals, thought leaders, students and enthusiasts not only to share and celebrate the latest achievements in Animation, VFX and Games, but also to share their visions of the future. The conference’s vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is designed to enlighten and inspire, with an extensive live program of talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses embracing cutting-edge thinking on such diverse topics as Storytelling, Virtual Production, Computer Graphics, Interactive & Immersive Media, VR/AR/Mixed Reality and the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Real-Time Rendering and much, much more.
An English language event, VIEW Conference 2022 takes place from October 16 to 21 in the beautiful baroque city of Torino, Italy, at the futuristic OGR venue. We are thrilled to confirm that this year the majority of our speakers will be attending in person, and we encourage all those who are able to join us in Torino for this unrivaled opportunity to soak up the atmosphere and meet their heroes and mentors. Meanwhile, full online access enables a global audience to enjoy the entire conference via exclusive livestream.