Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World
Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World is a 2025 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Isamu Imakake.
Plot
Ryūsuke Tagawa visits Tokushima and meets his cousin Tomomi Satō. They go to the Anabuki River and are sewpt 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.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 in 2019. Preproduction lasted three years before production on Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World started in 2022.IRH Productions animated the film and some work was outsourced to other Japanese animation companies. 3D animation was initially used for the dragon, but hand-drawn animation was added over it.
Release
Dragon Heart was released in Japan by Nikkatsu on 23 May 2025, and in Taiwan on 12 September. Freestyle Releasing acquired the digital and theatrical rights for the film in the United States. Bang Zoom! created the English dub for the film.In its opening week the film debuted sixth in the Japanese box office with $825,368. The film has earned $1,736,441 at the box office, with $1,694,623 internationally and $41,818 in North America.
Reception
Christie Cronan, writing for Common Sense Media, gave the film four out of five stars.Dragon Heart is among the 35 films eligible for consideration for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.