Directed by Goro Taniguchi, best known for his works in the Code Geass franchise and One Piece Film: Red, the upcoming original film L’etoile de Paris en fleur is all set for premiere on March 13th, 2026. The film has yet to announce its global release date, even though it has a lot of hype courtesy of the talented staff working on the film. Katsuya Kondo, famous for his contributions to Studio Ghibli’s classics such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, and many more, is the character designer of this upcoming film. Apart from these two industry talents, Reiko Yoshida serves as the screenwriter who has contributed significantly to the anime industry throughout her career.
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Some of her most iconic works include Violet Evergarden, A Silent Voice, Blue Period, and D.Gray-man, among many others. As the release date of the film draws near, Taniguchi and Yu Yamashita, another character designer and chief animation director, discuss behind-the-scenes production of the film with Mantan Web.
L’etoile de Paris en fleur Director Discusses Making a Major Change in The Film
When asked about the location of the film, the director shares, “It’s a big part of it that if you’re in Paris, everyone has heard of it. If you set it in the future, it becomes science fiction, and if you set it in modern-day Japan, it’s missing something to get people to come to the cinema. I wanted women to see it too, but I couldn’t think of any ideas or visuals for a film set in Japan’s past.”
Since the film centers around two girls, Taniguchi was asked if the target audience is women. The director replies, “No, it wasn’t like that. I wanted it to be seen by a wide range of people. That’s why I was thinking of something that wasn’t sci-fi or robots. In the anime industry, projects tend to be driven by men, so I wanted to make something a little different.”
Having worked in major franchises such as Code Geass and One Piece, Taniguchi is aware that the majority of the popular series and films in the industry are targeted towards a male audience. However, his upcoming film is considerably different from his previous works as it follows a beautiful tale of two girls chasing their dreams in the bustling city of Paris. This is why, instead of targeting a certain group, Taniguchi wanted to create a film that could be enjoyed by everyone.
What Is the Plot of L’etoile de Paris en fleur?
Set in 1912, the story follows Fujiko, who dreams of becoming an artist but also hopes to grow up to be a good wife who supports her husband. She reunites with Chizuru after five years and helps her achieve her dream of becoming a ballet dancer. Fujiko requests Olga, a former ballerina from Russia, to help Chizuru with her lessons. Olga is the mother of Ruslan, a boy who lives in the same apartment as Fujiko, whose fates are intertwined through a series of coincidences.
As the girls strive to fulfill their dreams, Fujiko hits rock bottom when her uncle and only guardian disappears one day, leaving the girl to fend for herself. The story continues as the girls strive to pursue their dreams and awaken the “hope for tomorrow” in everyone’s hearts. The official trailer includes the names of more staff members, including Yuji Kaneko, the art designer of the film, known for his contributions in Makoto Shinkai’s Weather With You, Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, Blue Period, Heavenly Delusion, and more.
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