Pursuing The Future Launches First Two Short Films

TL;DR, Bandai Namco Filmworks’ Pursuing the Future has completed its first two 3DCG shorts: SUNRISE Studios’ Dice with Demon, directed by Hidekazu O’Hara, and YAMATOWORKS’ Metafear, directed by Shuhei Morita. The six-film project will continue with four more studio originals under the shared theme of the future.

Bandai Namco Filmworks announces two completed 3DCG shorts in Pursuing the Future. SUNRISE Studios finished Dice with Demon under director Hidekazu O’Hara, and YAMATOWORKS completed Metafear from director Shuhei Morita. Both works mark the first deliveries in a six-film slate.

The Pursuing the Future short film project, known in Japanese as 未来への航路, unites six studios under a shared theme of the future. The plan spotlights cutting-edge 3DCG craft and veteran creators, with four more originals still in production and a stated push toward a global audience.

Pursuing the Future confirms two completed short films

Two of the anthology’s six works are finished, closing a clear first phase for Bandai Namco Filmworks. SUNRISE Studios delivered Dice with Demon, directed by Hidekazu O’Hara. YAMATOWORKS wrapped Metafear, directed by Shuhei Morita, whose Possessions received an Academy Award nomination in the Animated Short Film category.

Framed as a global initiative, the Pursuing the Future short film project gathers six leading Japanese studios around the theme of the future. Each studio contributes an original 3DCG short designed to fuse new production technology with distinct creative identities. The lineup is led by SUNRISE Studios, with YAMATOWORKS and four other prominent teams participating.

Produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks, the project brings together six original 3DCG animated short films that showcase the latest technologies and creative ideas, with the aim of carrying the history of animation forward into the future.

Under the shared theme of “the future,” the project seeks to make a major leap onto the global stage.

Dice with Demon is produced by SUNRISE Studios and directed by Hidekazu O’Hara, a veteran who served as a key animator on AKIRA and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Metafear is produced by YAMATOWORKS and directed by Shuhei Morita, with character and visual design by Tatsuyuki Tanaka.
Both completed works are original 3DCG shorts, aligning with the anthology’s technology-forward brief and creator-driven approach.
Bandai Namco Filmworks announcement confirms the remaining four films are in production, with participation by internationally acclaimed creators already secured.
The official project site highlights the theme of the future and introduces each studio’s contribution, alongside teaser materials.
For added context on SUNRISE short-form initiatives, see the studio’s earlier Sunrise 50th short films.
Dice with Demon draws inspiration from classical Japanese illustrated scrolls, signaling a blend of heritage imagery with modern CG pipelines.
Morita’s track record, including Possessions (Tsukumo), positions Metafear to lean into sharply staged fantasy and concise storytelling.
Together, these completions set the tone for a multi-studio showcase that balances technique, authorship, and short-form narrative.

Dice with Demon and Metafear, what the first Pursuing the Future shorts are

Rooted in Heian-era Japan, Dice with Demon Hidekazu O’Hara frames a pact-with-a-oni tale through the lens of classical picture scrolls. O’Hara’s background on landmark films AKIRA and Nausicaä informs the short’s hand-crafted sensibility, even as it embraces 3DCG. Watch the teaser glimpse below.

YAMATOWORKS’ Metafear pairs director Shuhei Morita with designer Tatsuyuki Tanaka for a brisk fantasy about nightmares made manifest. Morita brings precise staging honed in Possessions, while Tanaka’s dense design work gives the fears a tactile presence. The film centers on a girl who names her dreams to remember, until an unnamed terror escapes.

Heian-era Japan. Twilight. A rain-slicked pavilion where three noblemen drink to a chilling secret. There, Ki no Haseo makes a confession: he played a high-stakes game with a demon to resurrect his late wife. Is it a blessing, or a path to ruin?

Dice with Demon is produced by SUNRISE Studios as an original 3DCG short, channeling emakimono aesthetics into CG scene design, staging, and movement.
Metafear pursues speed and impact, as a nightmare a girl could not name turns into a monster, then ripples outward to plunge the world into chaos.
Tatsuyuki Tanaka character design and visual design shape Metafear’s creatures and world, layering texture-heavy silhouettes over YAMATOWORKS’ CG pipeline.
Morita’s Possessions (Tsukumo) was nominated at the 86th Academy Awards for Animated Short Film, marking a rare recognition for a Japanese short.
Dice with Demon’s Japanese title is Haseo Sugoroku, signaling an explicit link to Heian court culture and game motifs central to the drama.
Both shorts foreground direction-led choices, using CG not for spectacle but for flexible camera work, compositing control, and repeatable complexity at short-film scale.

Who else is in Pursuing the Future and what comes next

Led by SUNRISE Studios, the anthology comprises six 3DCG animated short films by SUNRISE, YAMATOWORKS, and four additional prominent studios. Bandai Namco Filmworks states that internationally acclaimed creators are already attached to the remaining productions. Specific titles, staff rosters, and distribution partners for the in-progress shorts are not yet confirmed.

The company has not detailed a future project release plan or rollout cadence. Teaser PVs for the completed works are live, and the official site centralizes updates. Recent cross-studio efforts, such as the Sunrise x SHAFT reveal, illustrate how partnerships can broaden reach as projects aim for global audiences.

As for the remaining four films currently in production, participation by internationally acclaimed creators has already been confirmed. We hope audiences around the world will look forward to what is still to come.

Participants confirmed: SUNRISE Studios and YAMATOWORKS, with four other leading Japanese studios creating their own original entries under the shared theme of the future.
Project goals include showcasing new CG techniques while carrying the history of animation forward, with each studio’s identity clear in tone, design, and pacing.
Bandai Namco Filmworks positions the collection for a global stage, signaling multilingual promotion and international awareness, though distribution channels remain unannounced.
Expect continued teasers, production notes, and staff features via official channels as the remaining films reach key production milestones and lock cuts.
Internationally acclaimed creators are attached, but names beyond the two completed teams are not disclosed, preserving room for staged reveals.
Public viewing timelines and territories are not yet specified; the company has not provided premiere dates or release windows.
Taken together, the six-film structure creates room for contrasting tones, from folklore-rooted drama to high-concept fantasy, under a coherent future-facing banner.

Source: ANN