Ghibli Veterans Unite For New Anime Film Cocoon, And Its First Dub Trailer Looks Gorgeous (Exclusive)
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GKIDS has unveiled the first English dub trailer for cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood, giving audiences a new look at one of 2026’s most striking anime films. Tickets are now on sale ahead of its September 4 theatrical release, which includes both the original Japanese version with English subtitles and an English dub. The new trailer also offers a closer look at the film’s emotional approach to wartime drama.
Based on Machiko Kyo’s manga cocoon, the film follows San and Mayu, two students whose peaceful lives on a warm island are shattered when war reaches their home. Their friendship becomes their main source of comfort after they are ordered to care for wounded people inside a military hospital concealed within a cave. What begins as an idyllic summer gradually becomes a story about survival, loss, and the lasting scars of conflict.
A New Film Built By Ghibli Veterans
cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood marks the feature directorial debut of Yukimitsu Ina, whose previous work includes Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and Star Wars: Visions – Tatooine Rhapsody. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Taku Kishimoto, known for Haikyu!! and SAKAMOTO DAYS. That combination gives the adaptation a strong connection to several major anime productions.
The film also represents the debut feature from animation studio SASAYURI, founded by former Studio Ghibli animator Hitomi Tateno. Tateno’s credits include My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle, while the project’s animation team includes Akihiko Yamashita, whose work spans Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron. Those credits alone make the movie especially notable for longtime animation fans.
Another major veteran attached to the production is Shinji Otsuka, whose credits include Kiki’s Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke. The stunning new project brings together experienced Studio Ghibli animators and a newer generation of creators, rather than simply attempting to recreate Studio Ghibli’s style. That balance is particularly fitting for a story about young characters confronting a world dramatically different from the one they knew.
The English Dub Trailer Is Very Emotional
The new English dub trailer focuses the dramatic contrast at the heart of cocoon. San and Mayu begin in an idyllic setting, surrounded by the warmth and familiarity of school life, before the arrival of war transforms their circumstances. The animation remains gentle and visually inviting even as the story moves toward increasingly devastating events.
Much of the trailer’s impact comes from that contrast. The island initially feels serene and almost dreamlike, while the cave hospital introduces an increasingly oppressive environment filled with wounded people and the consequences of conflict. Rather than presenting war primarily as a spectacle or exciting action, cocoon appears focused on how violence affects ordinary lives, friendships, and the innocence of young people.
The film’s music is likely to further reinforce that approach, with acclaimed composer Kensuke Ushio providing the score. Known for projects including A Silent Voice, Chainsaw Man, and Dandadan, Ushio is also featured in a special behind-the-scenes look at his scoring process for theatrical audiences. With tickets now available, cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood arrives in theaters September 4, offering anime fans a chance to experience this veteran-led drama on the big screen.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.