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While many streaming services are shrinking their once vast catalogs of classic films in favor of chasing original content, Tubi is becoming an increasingly attractive option. Although it's a free service, it has a surprisingly well-rounded collection of older films, especially in the horror department. While you may not always be able to find the most recent horror films fresh from their theatrical run (although they do have some newer movies), they have a well-curated selection of offerings that run across several different subgenres. 

It doesn't matter whether you're a fan of zombie films, Italian giallo, slashers, or goofy 1980s horror comedies -- Tubi has you covered. And whether you're a horror movie amateur looking to catch up on some classics or a long-standing fan of the genre hoping to find something a little more obscure, there's plenty to catch your eye here. Dim the lights and make sure you...

Fans of Ultraman: Rising got disappointing news this week. The 2024 Netflix film won’t be getting a sequel anytime soon. Shannon Tindle, who co-directed and co-wrote the movie, broke the news on Twitter/X.

A fan asked if another Ultraman film was coming. Tindle’s response was clear and blunt: “I’d love to make another, but currently, it’s not in the cards. However, I’ve just started working on something I’m very excited about:) More to come…”

I’d love to make another, but currently, it’s not in the cards. However, I’ve just started working on something I’m very excited about:) More to come… https://t.co/z5aB9AHWEp

— Shannon Tindle (@ShannonTindle_1) March 6, 2025

The update crushed hopes for more adventures with Ken Sato, the baseball star turned superhero from the film. Released in June 2024, Ultraman: Rising followed Sato as he returned to Japan to become Ultraman,...

Netflix’s “Ultraman: Rising” serves as a reinvention and a reintroduction of the classic monster-battling character who first debuted on Japanese television in 1966. In the years since, Ultraman has shifted and changed until he’s now the star of his very own animated feature from writer-director Shannon Tindle.

In this version, our hero, Ken Sato (Christopher Sean), is reluctantly taking over the mantle of Ultraman from his aging father (Gedde Watanabe). And he’s got an even bigger conundrum when he is forced to raise the baby of a fallen kaiju that he had been fighting. “Ultraman: Rising” has some stunning action set pieces, breathlessly animated by Industrial Light & Magic in a style that evokes the original “Ultraman” series, along with classic anime, old tokusatsu movies and beloved manga. But the true magic of the movie lies in its underlying emotion and its themes of responsibility, family and animal rights.

With Ultraman: Rising,” animator-turned-director Shannon Tindle combined his love of the superhero anime franchise with a parenting drama wrapped around Ilm’s dazzling 2D animated look drawn from manga and anime.

It all comes together in an epic water battle involving Ultraman (Christopher Sean), Ultradad (Gedde Watanabe), and baby Kaiju, Emi. First Ultraman and Emi fight Mecha Gigangtron, only to discover that the real Gigantron (Emi’s mom) is still alive underneath. She then joins Ultradad as part of a foursome to fight Dr. Onda, head of the Kaiju Defense Force, who commands the robotic Destroyer.

Tindle, who participated in a recent press confab at Skywalker Ranch and Ilm in San Francisco, told IndieWire that his choice of water for the climactic battle was purely economical. He couldn’t afford to destroy a city and crowds. “I knew that I could make it on the water, and it would allow...

The vampire is a staple of horror films that have sustained longevity since cinema's earliest days. From the ghoulish appearance of Max Shreck in Nosferatu to the sensual pairing of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview With the Vampire, these creatures of the night have always found a way to captivate our imaginations in a variety of ways. Whether it's a blood-soaked opera or a timeless tale of love, the vampire can be adapted into a never-ending variety of incarnations. The horror comedy has seen its fair share of vampire offerings, such as Love at First Bite and Dracula: Dead and Loving It.

Currently streaming on Tubi is Vamp, released in 1986, and an entry that seamlessly blends comedy, sensuality, and a strong emphasis on style, making it one of the unique vampire films that one can really sink their fangs into. In a decade full of raucous teen comedies...

“Ultraman: Rising” is coming to LightBox Expo.

LightBox Expo, “a three-day entertainment industry event that brings together creatives to ignite a shared passion for art,” happens every year at the Pasadena Convention Center. This year, it is being held Oct. 25-27, and on Saturday, Oct. 26, Netflix will present “Ultraman: Rising” – Reimagining an Icon, based on their recent animated feature.

According to the official panel description, it will feature “writer/director Shannon Tindle, co-director John Aoshima, production designer Marcos Mateu Mestre and art director Sunmin Inn as they dive deep into the passion, heart and artistry behind reimagining a legendary character. Learn how this visionary team blended breathtaking animation with human storytelling to re-envision this iconic character for audiences new and old.”

“Ultraman: Rising” was released this summer on Netflix, following a world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. It follows Ken Sato (voiced by Christopher Sean...

In celebration of its 35th anniversary, "Weird Al" Yankovic's beloved comedy movie Uhf has been released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. This special edition offers fans a pristine new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative and includes previously released audio commentary from Yankovic and director Jay Levey. Additional features include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and a 2014 retrospective panel from San Diego Comic-Con. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray is now available for purchase.

Yankovic co-wrote Uhf with Levey and stars as George Newman, a daydreamer who becomes the manager of a struggling TV station, Channel 62. To save the station, George creates quirky new shows such as Stanley Spadowskis Clubhouse, Wheel of Fish, and Rauls Wild Kingdom, while facing off against rival station owner R.J. Fletcher, played by Kevin McCarthy.

Related Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Director Explains Why Daniel Radcliffe Was Perfect

Director Eric Appel knew from the...

“Weird Al” Yankovic’s cult classic comedy Uhf has been released on a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in celebration of its 35th anniversary.

Made from a new 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative, the Blu-ray also features previously released audio commentary from Yankovic and director Jay Levey, as well as deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and a 2014 retrospective panel held at San Diego Comic-Con. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray is available for purchase here.

Yankovic co-wrote Uhf with Levey and starred as George Newman, a daydreamer who unexpectedly becomes the manager of a small TV station called Channel 62, which is struggling to stay afloat. After taking over, he creates new shows like Stanley Spadowski’s Clubhouse, Wheel of Fish, and Raul’s Wild Kingdom in a bid to keep it alive while coming up against rival station owner R.J. Fletcher (Kevin McCarthy).

Uhf received mixed reviews and was a commercial flop,...

Stars: James Hong, Michelle Mao, Dante Basco, Dave Sheridan, Bai Ling, Anna Harr, Matthew Sato, Zac Albright, Gedde Watanabe, George Takei | Written by Zack Ward, Ace Underhill | Directed by Zack Ward

The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms is the latest film in James Hong’s impressive career. It’s a career that goes back to the 1950s, and between then, and now he’s racked up over 450 credits as an actor, including Big Trouble in Little China, Kung Fu Panda, Batman: Soul of the Dragon and Everything Everywhere All at Once. He’s also written and directed a handful of films, most notably the 1989 horror film The Vineyard.

Here he provided the story the script is based on as well as playing Chuck Lee, the grandfather of the film’s heroine Patsy Lee. Patsy is a studious young woman who just wants to get a scholarship so she can go...

Parenting is one of the toughest challenges any human being could face; now imagine the infant is bigger than a house and can shoot lasers out of their eyes. This chaos is only a portion of what the characters in Ultraman: Rising face and Tokyo will never be the same. Here to talk about the hardships of Kaiju parenting are the directors of Ultraman: Rising, Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima, and featured members of the cast, Tamlyn Tomita, Gedde Watanabe, and Christopher Sean.

During our time with the cast and creators of Ultraman: Rising, we delved deep into everyone’s Ultraman history to determine if they felt pressure to honor the beloved superhero’s legacy. We also discuss the wonders of parenting and how you don’t need to have kids to act like a guardian to someone or something. The actors also share valuable lessons they learned while making...

Who Is Julia Harriman from Ultraman Rising? Meet the Actress Who Voices Ami Wakita in Netflix's Ultraman Film - Main Image

Ami Wakita, the "lady from the conference," is voiced by none other than Julia Harriman in Ultraman Rising. She joins the English dub cast of the latest Ultraman animated flick alongside Christopher Sean as Ken Sato, Tamlyn Tomita as Mina/Emiko Sato, and Gedde Watanabe as Professor Sato.

Netflix’s Ultraman Rising has been received with good reviews, thanks to its animation, and so has the performance of voice actors such as Julia Harriman.

Julia Harriman Voices Ami Wakita in Ultraman Rising

Julia Harriman is the English dub voice actress of Ami Wakita, aka the “lady from the conference,” who asks the most difficult question to Kenji Sato when he returns to Japan and joins the Giants.

At first, Ami had a hard time convincing Kenji to open...

For millions of Japanese viewers as well as countless fans across the globe, the Ultraman franchise, pitting a giant superhero against giant kaiju creatures of all shapes and breeds, has been a popular staple since it was first launched as a TV series in the 1960s.

But for this critic and likely many other viewers, especially in the U.S., the new English-language feature-length version, Ultraman: Rising, will be their first encounter with a character who’s been taking flight for over a half a century in live-action, animated and manga formats.

The experience is not unlike discovering Star Wars for the first time by watching the 2015 J.J. Abrams movie, whose Jedis and Storm Troopers won’t ring much of a bell if you haven’t seen the earlier ones. Still, the the team behind this endearing if familiar Ultraman reboot does a good job at ushering us into a...

Ultraman: Rising's heartwarming family story is the highlight, making for a satisfying watch. Excellent voice cast brings characters to life in vibrant animation style. Weakness lies in rushed ending and underdeveloped superhero storyline.

The famous Japanese superhero has produced a number of movies, comics, manga, and more over the years, to the point where there are several iterations of the character to explore. Luckily, Netflix's new anime movie Ultraman: Rising provides the perfect entry point for newcomers to this franchise, which has been ongoing since 1966. It centers on an original story from Shannon Tindle (who directed alongside co-director John Aoshima) and Marc Haimes, and its central hero is someone who is very new to the position.

Ultraman: Rising (2024)

Director John Aoshima, Shannon TindleRelease Date June 14, 2024Studio(s) Industrial Light & Magic, Tsuburaya Productions, Netflix AnimationDistributor(s) NetflixWriters Shannon Tindle, Marc HaimesCast Julia Harriman, Keone Young, Gedde Watanabe, Christopher Sean,...

“Ultraman: Rising” is a new Industrial Light and Magic animated superhero film based on Tsuburaya Productions' “Ultraman” franchise, directed by Shannon Tindle, starring Christopher Sean as ‘Ken Sato’ / ‘Ultraman’, with Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman., streaming June 14, 2024 on Netflix:

‘…’Ken Sato’, a famous but egotistical baseball player living a secret life as the giant superhero ‘Ultraman’ is forced to balance his career and hero duties after reluctantly adopting a baby ‘kaiju’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The same year he was cast to play the iconic character Kramer on the sitcom Seinfeld, Michael Richards could also be seen on the big screen in the comedy Uhf – which was a financial disappointment at the time of its release in the summer of 1989, but has gone on to gather a huge cult following over the years. Musician “Weird Al” Yankovic plays the lead role of George Newman, who is put in charge of the Uhf television channel Channel 62, with Richards in the supporting role of janitor-turned-host Stanley Spadowski… and for a while, it looked like Richards would be playing Stanley while dealing with a case of Bell’s palsy.

As Richards writes in his memoir Entrances and Exits, “Before the Seinfeld pilot, I star in three pilots: Herndon (1983), Help (1984), and Slickers (1985). All three are offered to me. The second pilot, Help, is retooled and called Marblehead Manor, and...

Ultraman has one job: to defend the world from kaiju. Across countless manga, video games and movies, Ultraman’s core duty has been to fend off ferocious land and sea monsters — which, of course, have always been allegories for other threats facing humankind. In “Ultraman: Rising,” our hero adopts one, which makes no sense in the greater scheme of Ultraman lore. (It would be like Batman going soft and raising a supervillain’s abandoned love child or Superman deciding to open a gift shop specializing in kryptonite.) But as with all metaphors, this one isn’t really about kaiju, but parent-child dynamics. And who doesn’t love a baby kaiju?

Not to rain on writer-director Shannon Tindle’s parade, but the baby kaiju thing feels like a cheat. DreamWorks and other CG animation studios have been exploiting this tactic for years, introducing adorable infant versions of otherwise not-especially-cute characters. The...

Ultraman: Rising exceeds expectations with ultra positive Rotten Tomatoes ratings, hinting at potential sequels and a broader universe expansion. Celebrating Japanese cultural export, Ultraman marks its animated Netflix debut with a unique superhero narrative and diverse voice cast. The emotional depth of Ultraman: Rising promises to appeal with fans and newcomers, exploring personal transformation and familial bonds through epic battles.

Netflix's latest offering Ultraman: Rising has raised fans' expectation as it will debut with ultra positive Rotten Tomatoes ratings. The upcoming feature has already impressed critics and initial viewers during its run in the festival circuits, including a notable showing at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The iconic figure of Ultraman, a staple in the genre of Tokusatsu (a term used for Japanese live-action films or television dramas that make heavy use of special effects), has been a significant cultural export for Japan. Tsuburaya Productions, the creator of Ultraman,...

Your browser does not support the video tag. Shannon Tindle's directorial debut, Ultraman: Rising, was inspired by the iconic character and developed as an original idea before being incorporated into the franchise. Ultraman: Rising centers on Ken Sato, who must balance being a hero and a sports superstar while protecting a baby kaiju. Both Tindle and co-director John Aoshima, fans of Ultraman, worked closely with Tsuburaya Productions to bring the franchise to a modern and global audience.

After years of working on acclaimed projects in the genre, Shannon Tindle is making his directorial debut with the animated Ultraman: Rising movie. Having first kicked off his career on the small screen as part of the Samurai Jack and Static Shock teams, Tindle has steadily built an impressive filmography over the past 24 years, having worked on everything from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends to Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings and Lost Ollie,...

Your browser does not support the video tag. Ultraman: Rising is a reboot of the iconic franchise, focusing on a baseball player taking on the superhero mantle from his father. The movie marks a partnership between Tsuburaya Productions, owner of the classic franchise, Netflix, and Industrial Light Magic. Stars Christopher Sean, Tamlyn Tomita and Gedde Watanabe praised the directors for creating an atmosphere of trust during production and took their time to research the lore.

One of Japan's most iconic sci-fi franchises is coming back in a major way with Ultraman: Rising. First created by Eiji Tsuburaya, Tetsuo Kinjo, Tohl Narita and Kazuho Mitsuta, the franchise primarily revolves around the alien race known as the Ultras who venture out to various planets throughout the galaxy in order to maintain peace and prevent attacks from alien invaders and various kaijus. Up to this point, there have been over 40 different Ultraman movies,...

“Ultraman: Rising” is a new Industrial Light and Magic animated superhero film based on Tsuburaya Productions' “Ultraman” franchise, directed by Shannon Tindle, starring Christopher Sean as ‘Ken Sato’ / ‘Ultraman’, with Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman., streaming June 14, 2024 on Netflix:

‘…’Ken Sato’, a famous but egotistical baseball player living a secret life as the giant superhero ‘Ultraman’ is forced to balance his career and hero duties after reluctantly adopting a baby ‘kaiju’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising: How And When To Watch The New Anime Film? ( Photo Credit – Twitter )

Following the conclusion of the anime series Ultraman on Netflix, the superhero returns to the streaming platform in a new avatar. Ultraman: Rising is a reimagining of the Japanese superhero saga, with a fresh story and 3D CG animation.

The film tells the story of Ken Sato, a baseball player leading a secret double life as the giant superhero, Ultraman, who is forced to adopt a baby kaiju, a giant monster, after defeating his mother. If the premise sounds intriguing enough, here is how and when you can watch Ultraman: Rising.

How to Watch Ultraman: Rising? Release Date Explored

Ultraman: Rising will be released on Netflix on Friday, June 14th, 2024. To watch the film, you need to have an active subscription to Netflix. The streaming platform offers three subscription plans: a standard ads-supported at $6.99 per month,...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for House of the Dragon, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Clipped and The Watchers.

The Watchers premiere

Writer/director Ishana Night Shyamalan premiered her directorial debut in NYC on Sunday, alongside father M. Night Shyamalan and stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré and Oliver Finnegan.

M. Night Shyamalan, Alistair Brammer, Olwen Fouéré, Dakota Fanning, Ishana Night Shyamalan, Georgina Campbell and Oliver Finnegan

House of the Dragon premiere

Showrunner Ryan Condal and stars Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Tom Glynn-Carney and Ewan Mitchell debuted season 2 of the Game of Thrones prequel in NYC on Monday.

Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy and showrunner Ryan Condal Fabien Frankel

Clipped premiere

FX celebrated the premiere of Clipped in downtown Los Angeles on Monday,...

One of the most storied franchises in contemporary pop culture, Japan’s “Ultra Series” has generated 44 movies, nearly 100 video games, countless pages of manga, and an endless parade of TV shows since Tsuburaya Productions first created the character in 1966 as a kid-friendly way of capitalizing on the success of kaiju phenomena like “Godzilla.” With such an illustrious legacy to its name, it might come as a surprise that Shannon Tindle’s “Ultraman: Rising” — an animated feature set in Tokyo but created entirely in the West — doesn’t require its preteen audience to know any of that, nor does it bother to fill them in along the way.

Unfolding like a family-oriented cross between “Pacific Rim” and “Big Hero 6,” this eye-popping CGI adventure makes no mention of the fact that its titular superhero is canonically an alien, just as it makes no attempt to explain why baseball star Ken Sato...

One of the films that Michael Keaton had done before donning the cape and cowl in Tim Burton’s Batman is the 1986 cultural merging comedy Gung Ho. The movie came from Ron Howard after making a splash with….well, Splash — a Tom Hanks/Daryll Hannah comedy from 1983. Then, Howard went on to direct the hit film Cocoon with Steve Guttenberg in 1985. Cocoon is also a film that we’ve headlined in our column about hard-to-find movies. However, in a strong step for this Ron Howard film, the video label Kino has announced the release of a 4K restoration on Bluray for Gung Ho.

The movie would open at number one at the box office in March of 1986 with a $7 million opening and finish its run with $36 million. Interestingly, a TV series based on the film would actually premiere later that year in December of 1986. That version would star Scott Bakula...

“Ultraman: Rising” is a new Industrial Light and Magic animated superhero film based on Tsuburaya Productions' “Ultraman” franchise, directed by Shannon Tindle, starring Christopher Sean as ‘Ken Sato’ / ‘Ultraman’, with Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman., streaming June 14, 2024 on Netflix:

‘…’Ken Sato’, a famous but egotistical baseball player living a secret life as the giant superhero ‘Ultraman’ is forced to balance his career and hero duties after reluctantly adopting a baby ‘kaiju’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

John Hughes is celebrated for making viewers laugh and cry, even though his career started with a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score. His movies, like Sixteen Candles and Home Alone, tug at heartstrings with poignant scenes and themes. From the beloved to the underrated, Hughes' films endure, leaving a lasting impact on audiences today.

John Hughes is perhaps best remembered for how his movies made people laugh, but he often made viewers cry as well. Today, Hughes is one of the most celebrated directors of his time. However, his career didnt start on the right foot. John Hughes first movie has a 0 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, but National Lampoons Class Reunion still went on to kick off an amazing, successful franchise. In addition to his box office hits, Hughes has many underrated movies.

Hughes tragically and prematurely passed away at 59 years old in 2009 after a sudden, shocking heart attack. His legacy lives...

The Japanese tokusatsu kaiju television series Ultra Q premiered in 1966 – and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, launching a franchise that has, over the decades, consisted of more than thirty TV shows, more than forty films, a whole bunch of specials and mini-series, a long list of video games, and a bunch of comic books. The latest entry in the franchise is an animated feature called Ultraman: Rising, which will be released through the Netflix streaming service on June 14th. In anticipation of that release, a trailer for Ultraman: Rising has arrived online and can be seen in the embed above.

Directed by John Aoshima and Shannon Tindle, who wrote the script with Marc Haimes, Ultraman: Rising has the following synopsis: With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match...

“Ultraman: Rising” is a new Industrial Light and Magic animated superhero film based on Tsuburaya Productions' “Ultraman” franchise, directed by Shannon Tindle, starring Christopher Sean as ‘Ken Sato’ / ‘Ultraman’, with Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman., streaming June 14, 2024 on Netflix:

‘…’Ken Sato’, a famous but egotistical baseball player living a secret life as the giant superhero ‘Ultraman’ is forced to balance his career and hero duties after reluctantly adopting a baby ‘kaiju’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Ultraman: Rising , a CG-animated feature film co-produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Netflix, released two new main trailers today in both English and Japanese dub versions. The movie will start streaming worldwide on June 14, 2024. Ultraman: Rising main trailer The main voice cast members for the English version include: Ken Sato / Ultraman voiced by Christopher Sean Professor Sato voiced by Gedde Watanabe Emiko Sato voiced by Tamlyn Tomita Dr. Onda voiced by Keone Young Ami voiced by Julia Harriman Ultraman: Rising Japanese dub main trailer The main voice cast members for the Japanese dub version include: Ken Sato / Ultraman voiced by Yuki Yamada (Joe Gibken/Gokai Blue in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger ) Professor Sato voiced by Fumiyo Kohinata (Dr. Dee in Mary and the Witch's Flower ) Emiko Sato voiced by Akari Hayami (ex-Momoiro Clover Z member) Dr. Onda voiced by Fumihiko Tachiki (Gendo Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion ) Ami voiced by Ayumi Tsunematsu...

Netflix unveiled the trailer for “Ultraman: Rising” (premiering at Annecy June 12 and streaming June 14), the animated feature from first-time director Shannon Tindle, who re-imagines the legendary anime franchise from Tsuburaya Productions as an action-packed, heartwarming ode to parenthood.

With Tokyo under siege from rising kaiju attacks, Dodgers baseball superstar Ken Sato (Christopher Sean) reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of rogue superhero Ultraman from his father (Gedde Watanabe) while signing with the Giants. But he has trouble balancing his passion for baseball and his family obligation to be Ultraman. Then, when forced to raise a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju girl, Sato must confront his huge ego to protect her and Japan from destruction.

Tindle first conceived of his film as an original parental superhero story (“Made in Japan”). That was back in 2001 when he was a character designer on “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.” He later developed it...

Netflix has revealed the official trailer for the animated superhero film Ultraman: Rising, which will premiere globally on the streaming service on June 14, 2024.

In partnership with Netflix, Tsuburaya Productions, and Industrial Light & Magic, Ultraman: Rising was written by Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes, directed by Shannon Tindle, and co-directed by John Aoshima.

With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju.

Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans.

The voice cast includes Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles), Tamlyn Tomita (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Keone Young, and Julia Harriman (Camp Rock).

The Netflix release was produced by Tom Knott and Lisa M. Poole.

Netflix has debuted the full official trailer for the animated superhero offering ‘Ultraman: Rising.’

Based on the beloved Japanese character, Netflix’s ‘Ultraman’ follows baseball superstar Ken Sato as he returns to his home country of Japan to pick up the mantle of Earth-defending superhero Ultraman. He soon finds more than he bargained for when he’s forced to raise the offspring of his greatest foe. Ken must go on a heroic journey, balancing parenthood, his estranged father, and the relentless Kaiju Defense Force to rise beyond his ego and discover what it truly means to be ‘Ultraman.’

With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while...

"Ultraman - do your job!" Netflix has unveiled the full official trailer for Ultraman: Rising, a brand new animated take on Ultraman from director Shannon Tindle (also of Kubo and "Lost Ollie"). This has been in development for years at Ilm, with the VFX house handling most of the key animation, along side Netflix Animation & Tsuburaya Productions. Based on the classic Japanese mecha superhero of the same name, this Ultraman movie is a fresh update made for American audiences (there's already the Ultraman anime series on Netflix to watch as well). Ken Sato is a superstar baseball player who returns to Japan to become the latest hero to carry the mantle of Ultraman. His plans go awry, however, when he ends up raising a newborn kaiju monster as his own kid. Staring Christopher Sean, Tamlyn Tomita, Gedde Watanabe, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman. This is a fantastic trailer that really...

“Sixteen Candles” actor Gedde Watanabe says it “didn’t really occur” to him in 1984 that his character Long Duk Dong “was a stereotype.”

“It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype, because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time,” Watanabe told People magazine. “It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?”

In fact, Chinese exchange student Long Duk Dong exemplified anti-stereotypes in his social standing in the teen film, according to the actor. Long Duk Dong parties, becomes popular, and even gets a girlfriend despite speaking in broken English.

“That was really unusual in a sense, for the Asian character to get the girl and party and be in bliss like that,” he said. Watanabe was being interviewed as part of the magazine’s 40th anniversary celebration of the John Hughes film.

Over the past couple of decades, John Hughes’ Sixteen Candles has been seen in a new light, with many calling out its portrayal of foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong, played by Gedde Watanabe, as racist. For the 40th anniversary of the 1984 classic, Watanabe reflected on the role in an interview with People magazine where he said that he initially didn’t think about whether the character was offensive.

At the time of playing the character, Watanabe says, he was just happy to get his first big paycheck. “Frankly I was like, this is a good job, and I’m going to get paid more doing one week in this movie than I did all the years I was in the theater,” he said.

As for whether he had any hesitations on taking on the role as Long Duk Dong, Watanabe noted, “It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype,...

Gedde Watanabe has enjoyed a lengthy career in Hollywood. The actor’s big break was the 1984 film “Sixteen Candles,” in which he played foreign exchange student “Long Duk Dong.” While Watanabe’s line “What’s happenin’, hot stuff?” is still often quoted, the character himself relied on a lot of racist stereotypes, including his name — something Watanabe now says he didn’t see at the time.

“Frankly I was like, this is a good job, and I’m going to get paid more doing one week in this movie that I did [than] for all the years I was in the theater,” the actor told People. “It didn’t really occur to me that it was a stereotype, because there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time. It was just so scarce. So I didn’t think it was stereotypical or racist. Isn’t that weird?...

Ultraman: Rising , an upcoming animated film that re-imagines the origins of Tsuburaya Productions most famous tokusatsu TV series hero, will have its world premiere on June 12 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France. The film launches on Netflix beginning on June 14, 2024. Ultraman: Rising poster Related: Ultraman: Rising Animated Film Reveals Official Teaser Trailer Based on characters created by Eiji Tsuburaya and Tetsuo Kinjo, Shannon Tindle directs Ultraman: Rising at Industrial Light & Magic. John Aoshima co-directs, while Tindle and Marc Haimes provide the script, Hayden Jones supervises the visual effects, and Scot Stafford composes the music. Tindle, Aoshima, Haimes, Jones and Stafford will also be guests along with art director Sunmin Inn for a “Making of Session” at Annecy. The main cast of Ultraman: Rising includes: Ken Sato / Ultraman voiced by Christopher Sean Professor Sato voiced by Gedde Watanabe Emiko Sato voiced by Tamlyn Tomita Dr. Onda voiced...

Netflix will be playing catch-up with its slate of films in the latter half of 2024 due to last fall’s dual union strikes. And their slate of animated projects is set to be previewed at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France this June. Last year, the streamer had achieved a high-profile attendance for their showcase of Nimona along with their teasers for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Blue Eye Samurai. According to Deadline, this year’s presentation will feature directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham as they give a sneak peek of Aardman’s upcoming new Wallace & Gromit project, which has yet to have an official title.

Additionally, just after his newest sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver, debuts on Netflix, Zack Snyder will be joined by executive producer Deborah Snyder and Xilam Animation Director Slimane Aniss to reveal clips from his...

Netflix unveiled its anime line-up for the year at the AnimeJapan event in Tokyo, including feature film Ultraman: Rising and TV series Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance and Rising Impact.

The streamer’s anime slate launch comes just a few days after announcing that it will release Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning film The Boy and the Heron on its platform globally, alongside a library of other Studio Ghibli films (excluding U.S. and Japan).

Feature film Ultraman: Rising will premiere on June 14 and stars Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe and Tamlyn Tomita among others. It follows baseball pro Ken Sato, who reluctantly returns home as Ultraman as Tokyo is under siege from rising monster attacks. However, he is forced to adopt a

35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju and is confronted with the challenge of parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her.

The film is a collaboration between Netflix, Tsuburaya Productions,...

“Ultraman: Rising” is a new Industrial Light and Magic animated superhero film based on Tsuburaya Productions' “Ultraman” franchise, directed by Shannon Tindle, starring Christopher Sean as ‘Ken Sato’ / ‘Ultraman’, with Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman., streaming June 14, 2024 on Netflix:

‘…’Ken Sato’, a famous but egotistical baseball player living a secret life as the giant superhero ‘Ultraman’ is forced to balance his career and hero duties after reluctantly adopting a baby ‘kaiju’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Netflix has announced the launch date and teaser art for the animated superhero offering ‘Ultraman: Rising.’

Premiering on the streamer on June 14th the animation is based on the beloved Japanese character, Netflix’s ‘Ultraman’ follows baseball superstar Ken Sato as he returns to his home country of Japan to pick up the mantle of Earth-defending superhero Ultraman. He soon finds more than he bargained for when he’s forced to raise the offspring of his greatest foe. Ken must go on a heroic journey, balancing parenthood, his estranged father, and the relentless Kaiju Defense Force to rise beyond his ego and discover what it truly means to be ‘Ultraman.’

Also in news – Michael Fassbender set for George Clooney’s ‘The Department’

The official synopsis reads; With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the...

As with Toho’s Godzilla, Ultraman is another popular Japanese property that gets rebooted with new content every now and then. Netflix has just revealed a new look at its upcoming animated film, Ultraman: Rising, with a teaser trailer, a series of new stills and a new poster. The film comes from directors Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima. Tindle wrote the screenplay with Marc Haimes and features a cast that includes Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles), Tamlyn Tomita (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Keone Young, Julia Harriman (Camp Rock). The animated feature is produced by Tom Knott and Lisa M. Poole.

The official synopsis from Netflix reads,

“With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise...

Netflix has finally dropped the official teaser and first cast information for the upcoming Ultraman: Rising film.

The Ultraman: Rising official teaser trailer was released on Netflix's official YouTube channel. Protagonist Ken Sato features as he again suits up as Ultraman but finds that his next responsibility is a bit more than he signed up for. Christopher Sean (Kazuda Xiono in Star Wars Resistance) will voice Ultraman, and is joined by Gedde Watanabe (Ling in Mulan), Tamlyn Tomita (Kumiko in Cobra Kai), Keone Young (Luong Lao Shi in American Dragon: Jake Long), and Julia Harriman as newly announced cast members. The teaser trailer can be watched below:

Crunchyroll Announces Production I.G/Studio Khara's Kaiju No. 8 Anime to Premiere in Spring 2024

The trailer follows the Ultraman: Rising teaser image that was released on Nov. 8, 2023. The image showcased Ultraman looking through the window of a building with an adult and...

"Ken – she thinks you are her mother." Netflix has released the teaser trailer during Netflix Geeked Week 2023 for the upcoming re-imagining of the Ultraman series. From director Shannon Tindle comes Ultraman: Rising, a 3D animated movie arriving for streaming on Netflix in 2024. This has been in development for years at Ilm, with the VFX house handling most of the key animation, along side Netflix Animation & Tsuburaya Productions. Based on the classic Japanese mecha superhero of the same name, this Ultraman movie is a fresh update made for American audiences (there's already the Ultraman anime series on Netflix to watch as well). Ken Sato is a superstar baseball player who returns to Japan to become the latest hero to carry the mantle of Ultraman. His plans go awry, however, when he is compelled to raise a newborn kaiju monster as his own kid. Voice cast features Christopher Sean, Tamlyn Tomita, Gedde Watanabe,...

Ultraman: Rising is an upcoming animated film based on the popular Japanese character, set to be released in 2024 on Netflix. The movie follows baseball superstar Ken Sato as he becomes the Earth-defending superhero Ultraman, while also raising a newborn Kaiju. The voice cast for Ultraman: Rising includes actors such as Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman. Exciting updates are expected.

Ultraman is making its way back to the screen thanks to Netflix. During the latest celebratory edition of Geeked Week, the streaming platform finally released the first trailer for Ultraman: Rising, a new animated film based on the famous Japanese character, which will be released in 2024.

It was 1966 when Eiji Tsuburaya premiered Ultra Q, a Japanese animated series that would mark the beginning of one of the most legendary science fiction franchises in all history, and that forever marked pop culture. Since that moment, all...

Ultraman is back.

The character, created by Eiji Tsuburaya in 1966 with the “Ultra Q” and “Ultraman” television series, is back in a brand-new animated feature called “Ultraman Rising.” It’s due out next year but you can watch the trailer above.

In “Ultraman Rising,” baseball superstar Ken Sato, the new Ultraman, “quickly finds more than he bargained for as he’s forced to raise the offspring of his greatest foe,” according to the official synopsis. The trailer shows him battling a huge monster and then effectively adopting the monster’s child, which puts him at odds with his persona as creature-slaying titan. There’s a wonderful moment in the trailer where Ken shrinks down to his human size but the baby still towers above him.

The voice cast for the animated feature includes Christpher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman. Shannon Tindle, creator of Netflix’s fantastic “Lost Ollie,...

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[This story contains spoilers for Jordan Peele’s Nope.]

What’s the deal with the chimp? Well that chimp, Gordy, is the key to the whole bloody affair.

Let’s back up for a moment. Jordan Peele’s latest film, Nope, further cements the filmmaker as one the most important contemporary voices in cinema. Across three films, Get Out (2017), Us (2019) and Nope, Peele has displayed a unique and incisive ability to discuss who we are as a species shaped by history we remain largely ignorant of. His latest, an ambitious sci-fi-horror film that subverts expectations, has such sights to show us. And while we cast our eyes upon these sights, we’re left to question whether we should be looking at all.

In this age of “content” geared towards “consumers,” in which almost every experience, the beautiful, the tragic, and the horrific, is made public and packaged for our entertainment,...

John Hughes' "Sixteen Candles" is a beloved teen classic that follows a young girl (Hughes' muse Molly Ringwald) whose sweet sixteen turns sour when her entirely family forgets her birthday during preparations for her sister's wedding. While being relentlessly pursued by a randy geek (Anthony Michael Hall), Samantha pines for the dreamy senior Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling). "Sixteen Candles" has some problematic elements, such as the character of Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe) and a scene that makes light of date rape; Molly Ringwald even revisited the film through a post-#MeToo lens in an essay for The New Yorker. Despite that, though, the...

The post The Sixteen Candles Scene John Hughes Quickly Wrote to Get Paul Dooley On Board appeared first on /Film.

Actor Gedde Watanabe was born in 1955 in Ogden, Ut, and he got bit by the acting bug as a teen. He performed in high school productions and worked the streets of San Francisco as a busker and public performer. His first notable film role didn't come until 1984, when he landed the role of Long Duk Dong in John Hughes coming-of-age comedy "Sixteen Candles." Long Duk Dong is a randy foreign exchange student, a comedy character whose function in "Sixteen Candles" is to highlight how his host sister Sam (Molly Ringwald) is having an overwhelmingly awful home life; Long Duk Dong's presence is...

The post Why Gedde Watanabe Thinks His Breakout Sixteen Candles' Role is Bittersweet appeared first on /Film.

Rich Ting (“Warrior”), Darren Barnet (“Never Have I Ever”) and Keiko Agena (“Better Call Saul”) have been tapped to lead the voice cast for the English-language dub of Netflix’s “The Summit of the Gods,” from César award-winning filmmaker Patrick Imbert.

Based on the acclaimed manga by Jirô Taniguchi and the novel by Baku Yumemakura, “The Summit of the Gods” poses the question, “Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8th, 1924? Only the little Vestpocket Kodak camera they took with them might reveal the truth.”

“The Summit of the Gods” picks up in Kathmandu, 70 years after Mallory and Irvine’s journey, when a young Japanese reporter named Fukamachi Makoto (Barnet) recognizes the camera in the hands of the mysterious Habu Joji (Ting), an outcast climber believed missing for years. As the plot progresses, Fukamachi enters a world of obsessive mountaineers on...