Toei's ETERNA Brand Releases Evocative Trailer for Debut Short 'Kitsuné-tsuki'

Toei Animation has released a 30-second trailer for FOXING: Kitsuné-tsuki, the debut short film under its freshly launched ETERNA Animation brand. Created to mark the studio's 70th anniversary, the label prioritizes original stories, artistic freedom, and platforms for emerging talent with an eye toward works that resonate long after the credits roll.

The film follows Shinano, a 26-year-old character designer worn down by commercial deadlines and the quiet ache of online disconnection. One day her old fox-masked doodle Koyami and other rejected characters from her sketchbook appear, pulling her into a shifting space where imagination and reality collide. What starts as eerie visitation becomes a gentle reckoning with the parts of herself she once cast aside.

Takeru Shinozuka directs, writes the script, and designs the characters in his commercial directorial debut after contributing to Digimon Ghost Game and One Piece Fan Letter. Daisuke Sakaguchi composed the score, and Miho Wataya voices the lead. The short is scheduled to premiere later this year.

Positioned as a deliberate space for introspective, creator-driven animation, the project signals Toei's investment in voices and stories that might otherwise stay on the margins of the industry spotlight.