The Last Whale Singer
The Last Whale Singer is a 2025 German animated fantasy film, written and directed by Reza Memari. The film follows Vincent, an orphaned humpack whale who is the son of the legendary last Whale Singer. It premiered at Schlingel International Filmfestival in Chemnitz, Germany, on September 28, 2025.
Plot
Vincent, a teenage humpback whale, is the orphaned son of Humphrey, the last Whale Singer, whose magical song once protected the oceans. Burdened by the loss of his parents, Vincent doubts his own abilities. When the monstrous Leviathan escapes from a melting iceberg, threatening all marine life with its deadly ink, Vincent must go on an adventurous journey to find his own song to save the oceans, joined by Walter, his finicky suckerfish nanny, and Darya, a brave deaf orca.Voice cast
- Vincent Tong as Vincent
- Bruce Dinsmore as Walter
- Jenna Wheeler-Hughes as Darya
- Chimwemwe Miller as Humphrey
- Jessica Kardos as Izzy
- Priyanka as Ora
- Jen Viens as Bolt
- Matthew Kabwe as Y
Production
Writer-director Reza Memari had the initial idea for the film while watching a documentary about humpback whales and that they have actual singers in their tribe. After several years of marine research and story development, Memari pitched the film to producer Maite Woköck with whom he had already worked on his first film Richard the Stork.The film's characters are based on designs by Uwe Heidschötter, known for his work on Revolting Rhymes and Missing Link.
Preproduction started in 2020 with the first beat boards. The movie went into full production in 2023. It was animated in Maya and rendered in Unreal Engine and Houdini. By using Epic Games' Unreal Engine it was possible to render scenes in real time. Epic Games supported the production with two Epic MegaGrants. One reason for this unusual approach was to make the film part of a multi-platform project with a planned prequel video game, an episodic series and further AR/VR projects which will all use the same assets.
Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir wrote and performed the Whale Singer's songs.
Marketing
A first theatrical trailer has been released on September 5, 2025.Release
The Last Whale Singer premiered at Schlingel International Film Festival in Chemnitz, Germany, on September 28, 2025. It had its international premiere outside Germany at Zurich Film Festival on October 1, 2025. It has also been shown at Filmfest Hamburg, Tauron Young Horizons Film Festival in Warsaw and Lübeck Nordic Film Days.Sales agency Global Screen acquired global distribution rights in 2022 and sold the film to distributors in France and French speaking territories, Australia, Portugal, Greece and Germany.
The Last Whale Singer will be released in Germany on February 12, 2026, by Little Dream Pictures.