The official website for Soreike! Anpanman: Pantan to Yakusoku no Hoshi (Pantan and the Promised Star), the 37th film in the franchise, announced on Wednesday that Tao Tsuchiya (Sing a Bit of Harmony, live-action Alice in Borderland, Rurouni Kenshin) is guest-starring in the film as a red panda named Pantan. (The video below is restricted to viewing in Japan only.)
Image via Anpanman films’ X/Twitter account
©やなせスタジオ ©やなせたかし／フレーベル館・TMS・NTV ©やなせたかし／アンパンマン製作委員会2026
The film centers on a new character named Pantan. Pantan is a red panda who seeks to find the treasure thought to be in a rainbow star in the night sky, in order to keep a promise made to an adventurer long ago. When Pantan and Anpanman encounter each other, Anpanman lends his abilities to help out Pantan.
Hiroyuki Yano, who has directed numerous previous films in the franchise, is directing the new film. Shoji Yonemura, a similar veteran of the franchise, is penning the film’s script. Franchise composers Taku Izumi and Hiroaki Kondō are composing the music.
The new movie will open in Japan on June 26.
Soreike! Anpanman: Chapon no Hero!, the 36th film in the Anpanman franchise, opened in Japan last June and ranked #8 in its opening weekend. The film earned 132,757,670 yen (about US$924,000) in its first three days.
The Soreike! Anpanman television anime series began in 1988, and new Anpanman films have opened each summer since 1989. The 2014 film Soreike! Anpanman: Ringo Bōya to Minna no Negai (Let’s Go! Anpanman: The Apple Boy and Everyone’s Wishes) was the first film since Anpanman creator Takashi Yanase’s death.
Sources: Soreike! Anpanman: Pantan to Yakusoku no Hoshi anime film’s website, Comic Natalie
