The movie is a sequel of the 2002 sci-fi fantasy anime movie Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space.
The 2002 avant-garde anime movie “Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space” is getting a sequel after 24 years! Titled “Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark” the’psychedelic cyber-noir’ anime movie has released a new trailer. The film is set to open theatrically in Japan and the US on 22 January, 2027.
Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space
Premiere date: 22 January, 2026
Streaming platform: TBA
What do we know about Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space so far?
The trailer revealed that the movie will premiere theatrically in the US and Japan simultaneously on 22 January, 2027. California-based distribution company Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna is releasing the movie theatrically in North America.
The movie’s world premiere happened during the 29th annual Fantasia Film Festival, which took place from 16 July to 3 August in Montreal, Canada.
The movie was also screened in Spain's Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival which will take place from 9 to 19 October in Stiges, Spain.
Deaf Crocodile describes the upcoming movie as:
Written, directed, and composed by the mysterious duo K. and kuno — collectively known as t.o.L.— Tamala 2030 picks up the existential thread of its iconic feline anti-hero. Set in Cat Tokyo in the year 2030, the film follows the incorrigible Tamala—a pint-sized, chain-smoking, time-hopping cat—as she impulsively joins her detective friend Michelangelo in investigating a string of bizarre disappearances across Cat Japan. Their search uncovers an intricate pattern tied to ancient occult forces, cosmic prophecy, and a shadowy megacorporation with a familiar name: Catty & Co. The deeper the mystery unravels, the clearer it becomes that Tamala may be more than just a wayward mascot—she may be a messiah, a myth, or the end of everything.
If Tamala 2010 was a subversive take on kawaii culture through a punk sci-fi lens, Tamala 2030 is a futuristic Neo-Noir, doubling down on the first film’s metaphysical mayhem. Inspired in part by the sudden disappearance of loved ones and friends during the COVID pandemic, the film is a kaleidoscope of surreal satire, pop iconography, and mind-bending narrative fragments, fusing influences from Philip K. Dick, David Lynch, and Thomas Pynchon with the aesthetics of Hello Kitty and post-internet paranoia. The result is a visually and philosophically radical experience—part art film, part cosmic joke, and wholly singular.
The movie is a follow-up feature to the Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space anime film from 2002. The mysterious duo t.o.L ("trees of Life") made up of two individuals named K and kuno, are coming back to write and direct thee movie. Kentaro Nemoto is the character designer and animation director.
Other staff members include:
- TATLA CGI Director: Kenji Okada
- Meguro City CGI Director: Michio Tsutsumoto
- Graphical Animation: Yuki Hasegawa
- Music Remix and Arrangement: YOW-ROW
- Arrangement and Mixing: Fumiaki Unehara