These 25 masterpieces of Japanese animation are coming out in theaters this summer

Are you Parisian or passing through Paris, and you love Japanese animated films? Good news, since these 25 masterpieces are being re-released in theaters this summer for a very limited time. We'll tell you everything!

The Cinémathèque française pays tribute to Japanese animated films

While Western audiences consumed American animated films for decades—mainly the great animated classics from the Disney studio—the Club Dorothée enabled the emergence of Japanese animation in our countries. This opened up new narrative and artistic horizons for young audiences! Of course, it is common knowledge that Japanese animation is not limited to shonen series broadcast in Club Do', and Japanese animated cinema is unanimously recognized by the public and critics. Some filmmakers, such as Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Katsuhiro Ōtomo, Satoshi Kon or Shin'ichirō Watanabe are adored all over the world.

Good news, since the Cinémathèque française, located in Paris, has decided to organize a retrospective dedicated to Japanese animated cinema. Between June 25 and July 17, 2025, no fewer than 25 masterpieces of Japanese animation will be released in theaters, the opportunity for exceptional screenings. The opportunity to discover or rediscover such essential, seminal works as The White Snake (1958) by Taiji Yabushita - the first Japanese animated film in color -, Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo (1988), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki (1984) or Grave of the Fireflies by Isao Takahata (1988). Here are all the films broadcast!

1. 5 centimeters per second, by Makoto Shinkai (2007)
2. Akira, by Katsuhiro Ōtomo (1988)
3. Belladona of Sorrows by Eiichi Yamamoto (1973)
4. Blue Giant by Yuzuru Tachikawa (2023)
5. Cleopatra by Osamu Tezuka and Eiichi Yamamoto (1970)
6. The Tale of Princess Kaguya by Isao Takahata (2013)
7. Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Doorby Shin'ichirō Watanabe (2001)
8. Ghost in the Shellby Mamoru Oshii (1995)
9. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence by Mamoru Oshii (2004)
10. Jin-Roh, the brigade of Wolvesby Hiroyuki Okiura (1998)
11. Liz and the Blue Bird by Naoko Yamada (2018)
12. Metropolisby Rintarō (2001)
13. The Arabian Nightsby Eiichi Yamamoto (1969)
14. Millenium Actress by Satoshi Kon (2001)
15. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Windby Hayao Miyazaki (1984)
16. The Angel's Egg by Mamoru Oshii (1985)
17. Paprikaby Satoshi Kon (2006)
18. Perfect Blueby Satoshi Kon (1997)
19. Porco Rossoby Hayao Miyazaki (1992)
20. The White Snakeby Taiji Yabushita (1958)
21. Steamboyby Katsuhiro Ōtomo (2004)
22. Tokyo Godfathersby Satoshi Kon (2003)
23. Spirited Awayby Hayao Miyazaki (2001)
24. Grave of the Firefliesby Isao Takahata (1988)
25. Your Name. by Makoto Shinkai (2016)

To discover the Cinémathèque Française's calendar and plan your upcoming screenings, it's this way. Note thatamong the highlights of the retrospective organized by the institution is the screening of the documentarySatoshi Kon, the Illusionist(2021) presented by its director and screenwriter, Pascal-Alex Vincent. Finally, let's point out that at the beginning of July another retrospective, this time dedicated to the legendary Studio Ghibli, is being organized by the Parisian cinema Le Grand Rex.

And you, which Japanese films are you going to (re)watch at the Cinémathèque Française? Tell us in the comments section. And to discover this new project, which the brilliant Shinichirō Watanabe is working on, click here.