Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World
2025 animated fantasy film by Isamu Imakake
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Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World (Japanese: ドラゴン・ハート―霊界探訪記, Hepburn: Dragon Heart: Reikai Tanbōki) is a 2025 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Isamu Imakake.
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by Ryuho Okawa
- Chinatsu Hirose
- Yūsuke Kobayashi
| Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed by | Isamu Imakake |
| Based on | Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World [1]by Ryuho Okawa |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Yūichi Mizusawa |
Production companies | HS Pictures Studio IRH Productions |
| Distributed by | Nikkatsu |
Release date |
|
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Box office | $1.7 million[2][3] |
Plot
Ryūsuke Tagawa visits Tokushima and meets his cousin Tomomi Satō. They go to the Anabuki River and are swept away. A dragon rescues them and takes them to an old man who tells them that they are dead. He can resurrect them if they explore the spirit world and discover their mission in life.
Cast
| Character | Japanese cast[4] | English dub cast[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Tomomi Satō | Chinatsu Hirose | Ren Holly Liu |
| Ryūsuke Tagawa | Yūsuke Kobayashi | Zach Aguilar |
| Dōteiko Niangniang | Masumi Asano | Valerie Arem |
| Hebigami (Snake God) | Rika Fukami | Wendee Lee |
| Amanohi Washi no Mikoto | Shigeru Chiba | Rick Zieff |
| Vishnu | Shinichirō Miki | Jason Griffith |
| Adept | Shunsuke Takeuchi | Jason Griffith |
| Enma Daiō (King Yama) | Tetsuo Komura | Brook Chalmers |
Production
Happy Science, a new religious movement in Japan, has produced multiple animated films. Ryuho Okawa was the executive producer and created the original story[5][6] in 2019. Preproduction lasted three years before production on Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World started in 2022.[7]
IRH Productions animated the film and some work was outsourced to other Japanese animation companies.[6][7] 3D animation was initially used for the dragon, but hand-drawn animation was added over it.[7]
Release
Dragon Heart was released in Japan by Nikkatsu on 23 May 2025,[4] and in Taiwan on 12 September.[8] Freestyle Releasing acquired the digital and theatrical rights for the film in the United States.[6] Bang Zoom! created the English dub for the film.[4]
In its opening week the film debuted sixth in the Japanese box office[9] with $825,368.[3] The film has earned $1,736,441 at the box office, with $1,694,623 internationally and $41,818 in North America.[2][3]
Reception
Christie Cronan, writing for Common Sense Media, gave the film four out of five stars.[10]
Dragon Heart is among the 35 films eligible for consideration for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.[11]