Tamala 2030 Sets Simultaneous U.S. and Japan Release for January 22

Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark will reach theaters in Japan and the United States simultaneously on January 22. Staff announced the date Thursday with a full trailer and key visual for the “psychedelic cyber-noir” anime film.

California-based distributor Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna will handle the North American theatrical release.

The feature follows Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space. K. and kuno, the duo collectively known as t.o.L., return as writers, directors, and composers. Kentaro Nemoto designed the characters and will direct the animation.

Additional staff members include:

• TATLA CGI director: Kenji Okada
• Meguro City CGI director: Michio Tsutsumoto
• Graphical animation: Yuki Hasegawa
• Music remix and arrangement: YOW-ROW
• Arrangement and mixing: Fumiaki Unehara

Spain’s Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival will screen the film during its October 9–19 run in Sitges, Spain.

The film had its world premiere at the 29th annual Fantasia International Film Festival, which ran July 16–August 3 in Montreal.

Deaf Crocodile’s synopsis places the returning feline antihero in Cat Tokyo in 2030, continuing her existential journey. Tamala is a tiny, unruly, chain-smoking cat who travels through time.

She impulsively joins her detective friend Michelangelo to investigate strange disappearances throughout Cat Japan. Their investigation reveals a complex pattern involving ancient occult powers, cosmic prophecy, and a secretive megacorporation bearing a familiar name: Catty & Co.

As the mystery unfolds, Tamala appears potentially far more significant than a stray mascot. She could be a messiah, a myth, or the end of everything.

The distributor describes Tamala 2010 as a subversive exploration of kawaii culture through punk science fiction. It presents Tamala 2030 as futuristic neo-noir that intensifies the original’s metaphysical chaos.

The sudden disappearance of friends and loved ones during the COVID pandemic partly inspired the sequel. Deaf Crocodile describes its approach as a shifting mix of surreal satire, pop imagery, and disorienting narrative fragments.

Its stated influences combine Philip K. Dick, David Lynch, and Thomas Pynchon with Hello Kitty aesthetics and post-internet paranoia. The distributor characterizes the result as visually and philosophically radical, combining an art film with a cosmic joke in a singular experience.

Deaf Crocodile released Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space on home video in October. Originally released in Japan in 2002, the film had never previously received an English release.

For that film, t.o.L. directed, wrote the screenplay, and designed characters. Kentaro Nemoto also contributed character designs and handled the 2D animation.