Netflix's upcoming anime film The Ribbon Hero is already generating buzz after its early preview at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Directed by Yûki Igarashi, best known for his work on Star Wars: Visions, the movie reimagines Osamu Tezuka's classic 1953 manga Princess Knight for a contemporary audience. In an interview with Collider, Igarashi opened up about how his experience with the Star Wars franchise helped shape this ambitious project.
The film follows Princess Saphire (voiced by Saya) as her kingdom of Shiverland is devastated by a catastrophe called Nergal. Rather than succumbing to despair, Sapphire fights a series of monsters to forge her own destiny. Igarashi explained that the story has been updated to resonate with modern viewers, weaving in themes like COVID-19 and natural disasters through a fantasy lens. "I think it'll be much more resonant with a lot of modern audiences," he said.
From Star Wars to Princess Knight
Igarashi directed the Season 1 short "Lop & Ochô" for Star Wars: Visions, and that experience proved invaluable when tackling Tezuka's iconic work. "Taking such an idea that has so much history and that influenced so many other IPs and different franchises that spawned after it… I would say Tezuka Osamu’s work has also inspired so many other works," he noted. "Just that idea of how it's been interpreted, reinterpreted, is something that I've learned by working on Star Wars, and I try to put that influence into my own, The Ribbon Hero, as well."
The director also shared his favorite Hayao Miyazaki films, citing Princess Mononoke as a childhood favorite and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as his current pick. When asked about the film's action sequences, Igarashi emphasized that they are designed to express character rather than just spectacle. "In certain moments, there are ribbons that scatter, and the ribbons that scatter, when our hero, Sapphire, attacks the kaiju, it almost carries an emotion of its own, which I think is reflective of what's going on in Sapphire's mind," he explained.
A Modern Heroine for a New Generation
Igarashi believes Princess Knight was a pioneer in establishing the "fighting heroine" genre, and his goal was to bridge the gap between that foundational work and today's media landscape. "I think that by translating that into a format that people can absorb and consume now helps bridge that gap between modern-day media and its origins in the past," he said. The director hopes audiences will connect with Sapphire's resilience and optimism despite the harsh world she inhabits. "She keeps a very bright attitude throughout all of it, and she doesn't get dark. She keeps humor throughout the entire film despite what might be happening. So, I hope that that brightness and that sort of attitude, that way you approach the world, is something that will really speak to people of this generation."
Interestingly, the film's development process was more collaborative than typical Hollywood productions. Igarashi revealed that while the core story remained consistent from start to finish, many changes came from animators' suggestions during production. "All the changes came from them. Animators would make suggestions, and we would have discussions that would shift the project over time," he said. This organic approach helped shape The Ribbon Hero into a film that aims to satisfy both longtime Tezuka fans and newcomers alike.
As Netflix continues to expand its anime lineup, The Ribbon Hero stands out as a bold reimagining of a classic. For fans of fantasy anime or those curious about the roots of the genre, this film promises to deliver both nostalgia and fresh storytelling. Igarashi's experience with Star Wars: Visions has clearly equipped him to handle the weight of a beloved IP while making it feel new and relevant. The Ribbon Hero is set to stream on Netflix later this year.
