Salamander Pictures and Nippon Animation announced on Friday that their 20001 An Earth Odyssey anime short will premiere in competition at the Fantasia International Film Festival 2026 on July 18. The festival will take place in Montreal from July 16 to August 2.
Image courtesy of Salamander Pictures
©Salamander Pictures / Nippon Animation
©Salamander Pictures / Nippon Animation
©Salamander Pictures / Nippon Animation
©Salamander Pictures / Nippon Animation
©Salamander Pictures / Nippon Animation
©Salamander Pictures / Nippon Animation
The companies describe the film:
The story is set in the year 20,001. Long after humanity’s extinction, three aliens land on Earth. Their
mission: to investigate why human civilization collapsed.
Led by Captain Kepo, the team misinterprets the relics left behind by humanity, mistaking a swing for a
sacred altar, an umbrella for a communications device, and a graveyard for a farm. Kepo is stubborn,
but holds deep respect for humanity; Alcia attempts logical analysis; and Regal, the rookie of the
group, reaches closer to the truth through pure intuition. Through the trio’s misunderstandings and
discoveries, the film poses questions like “What does it mean to be human?”, “What is civilization?”,
and “Were humans really an intelligent species?”, all through the lens of light, surreal comedy.
The cast members include Yōji Ueda, Yū Kobayashi, and Eito Kawahara.
Haruki Kasugamori (Dragon Goes House-Hunting) directed the film, and Kazuto Nakazawa (Samurai Champloo, Kill Bill) designed the characters. Taiki Sakurai (Pokémon Concierge) was in charge of the original story and production. Akira Miyagawa (Grimm’s Variations) composed the music. Taiki Sakurai and Hitomi Hiratsuka produced, and Yumiko Yoshizawa and Taiki Sakurai wrote the screenplay.
The companies first announced the film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (MIFA) in June 2026.
Source: Press release
