Renowned anime director Makoto Shinkai took to his official X account on May 30, 2024 to express his admiration for the latest A Pretty Derby musume anime film, titled Uma Musume Pretty Derby: The Beginning of a New Era.

In his tweet, Shinkai praised the film's cel animation, describing it as a perfect example of how animation should be done. He also praised the film's sound design, direction, writing, and especially the color palette.

“I just watched the movie 'Uma Musume Pretty Derby: New Era's Door' without knowing anything about it, and it was absolutely stunning. It exemplified what cel animation should be like, with truly remarkable visuals. The sound, direction and storytelling were all executed with a touch of confidence. What moved me the most was the color design.“

He was particularly impressed by the interplay of light and shadow in key scenes such as the opening underground tunnel sequence and the intense racing scenes.

One aspect that caught Shinkai off guard was the sudden inclusion of a live performance in the film. Despite his initial surprise, he found the experience incredibly enjoyable, comparing it to encountering a different culture.

“The interplay of light and shadow in the opening underground tunnel scene and the running scenes, which made the view seem narrow and almost suffocating, were electrifying. I was also surprised by the sudden live performance, but it was incredibly enjoyable, like encountering a different culture. I'm so glad I watched it!“

Uma Musume Pretty Derby: The Beginning of a New Era The film hit Japanese theaters on May 24, 2024.

It is animated by CygamesPictures and directed by Ken Yamamoto, with Kiyoko Yoshimura writing the scripts, Tetsuya Kobari supervising the scripts and serving as scenario director, Jun Yamazaki designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, and Masaru Yokoyama composing the music.

Source: X