Utada Hikaru's "Good Night" announced as the theme song for the animated feature film "Penguin Highway"

Track to be released on Utada Hikaru ‘s seventh album “Hatsukoi” due out June 27

Utada Hikaru is keeping up the buzz this year in anticipation of her first concert tour in 12 years as well as the announcement of upcoming album titled “Hatsukoi.” 2018 has so far been successful with her digital single “Play A Love Song,” the CM song for Suntory Minami-Alps Sparkling that topped the five digital music sites in Japan as well as peaked a total of six charts globally including the iTunes chart and J-Pop charts around the world and Asia, and we now have additional news of another exciting project.

“Good Night” which will be included in Utada Hikaru’s upcoming seventh album titled “Hatsukoi” due out Wednesday, June 27^th, was announced as the theme song for animated feature film Penguin Highway, in theaters within Japan on Friday, August 17^th. The track was penned specially for this film; directed by Hiroyasu Ishida and featuring voiceovers by actresses Kana Kita and Yu Aoi.

The last time Utada Hikaru provided a track for an animated film was back in 2012, with the track “Sakuranagashi” for the film “EVANGELION:3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO.”, so this is very exciting.

You can check out the film’s trailer featuring snippets of “Good Night” on the film’s official website and as teasers arrive to theaters within Japan!

Please note that “Good Night” is not scheduled to be released as a digital single.

Hang tight until the album release date on June 27!

[About Penguin Highway]

Coming to theaters in Japan on Friday, August 27!

[Overview]

Penguin Highway is based on a novel of the same name written by Tomihiko Morimi who has also authored bestsellers such as “Yoru wa Mijikashi Arukeyo Otome (The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl)” and “Uchoten Kazoku (The Eccentric Family).”

Studio Colorido breathes life into this special story close to the hearts of many Morimi fans that describes the exquisite coming of age of a boy over the course of one summer.

Hiroyasu Ishida who directs the film is a promising young talent who has received numerous awards around the globe for his debut work titled “Fumiko no Kokuhaku (Fumiko’s confession),” and also named in the Jury Selections of the Animation Division for the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs with his short piece titled “Hinata no Aoshigure.”

The voice cast for Penguin Highway includes the young actress discovered in an audition Kana Kita as the main character Aoyama-kun as well as the uniquely talented actress Yu Aoi as “One-san (lady who works at the dentist’s office)” who is both a happy prankster and enigma.

Adventure and the “mystery of the infinite world” unfolds as seen through the eyes of a young boy with endless possibilities yet to come.

A new generation of artistic talents and the most distinguished staff and cast in the business come together to paint a vibrant picture, a film of fantasy and a joyous coming of age experience!

[Synopsis]

Aoyama-kun is a boy in fourth grade who studies things about the world every day and keeps a log of the things he has learned in a notebook. He is relentless in his pursuit of knowledge and so there is no telling how far he will go by the time he is all grown up.

Aoyama-kun regularly visits the dentist where he is good friends with “One-san (lady who works at the dentist’s office)” and “One-san” finds the intelligent and precocious Aoyama-kun likeable, his cheekiness and all.

One day, penguins are spotted in the suburban town where Aoyama-kun lives, but they then vanish into thin air. Aoyama-kun happens to witness “One-san” throwing a Coke can that turns into a penguin.

How are “One-san” and the penguins connected??

It’s the story of what happened in a summer; a special, slightly peculiar but unforgettable memory of a lifetime!

Official film website:

http://penguin-highway.com/