Chiikawa the Movie Hits Japan Screens July 24 on IMAX-Packed Wave

Japan’s most hug-sized cultural juggernaut is about to claim the big screen. Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island (『映画ちいかわ 人魚の島のひみつ』) opens nationwide on Friday, July 24, with TOHO distributing a feature that has already filled IMAX and flagship cinema schedules days ahead of debut—including marathon showtimes at major Tokyo houses.

Creator Nagano wrote the script from the manga’s “Siren”/island arc first posted on X, sending Chiikawa, Hachiware, Usagi, and friends after a too-good-to-be-true flyer that promises free island ramen and easy quests. Kei Oikawa directs at Cygames Pictures, with Haruka Aoki, Makoto Tanaka, and Ari Ozawa returning as the core trio; Minori Suzuki voices the mysterious Siren, while Tsuguo Mogami joins as island shopkeeper Shimajiro. Tanaka also sings the opening theme “Kutsuzure,” with lyrics by Nagano.

Runtime lands at about 99 minutes—long enough for a full summer adventure, short enough for family rewatches. Opening-day crowds get a first-wave theater gift: random charm mini-figures in eight designs, one per ticket-holder while supplies last. Official promo pages and trailers are live at the production site, and the film’s social channels have been flooding feeds with countdown art as ticket resales and opening-day plans spike across Japan.

For a franchise that started as a tiny Twitter comic and conquered merch shelves, morning TV slots, and soft-power charisma, this is the victory-lap moment: cute characters, premium projection, and a mermaid-island mystery sized for both kids and the adults who still cry at the trailers.

Official: Official site · X