Japanese original film director Makoto Shinkai announced on May 17, 2022, that his upcoming original anime feature film Suzume no Tojimari (Suzume’s Door-Locking) will receive a novelization this year. The novel is scheduled to release on Aug 24, 2022. 

Shinkai himself will pen the novelization. Additional details, such as cover art and international licensing, are yet to be revealed.

He also posted an update with a sneak peek into the novel commenting, “The novel ‘Suzume no Tojima’ is the third novel I will write while thinking that I can’t write a novel. Moreover, I almost cried just to complete the movie. Well, even though, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I’m really happy to write about it”.

小説『すずめの戸締まり』、映画を完成させるだけでも大変で泣きそうになっているのに、同時に小説なんて書けっこないよ、と思いながら書く三冊目の小説です。今までで最も苦労していますが、書いていて最も喜びがあります。映画とはまた射程の違う物語を楽しんでいただけるはずです、お楽しみに！ pic.twitter.com/xB10qXRZpJ

— 新海誠 (@shinkaimakoto) May 17, 2022

Shinkai’s novelizations for his two prior films, your name as well as Weathering with You, were published by Yen Press. 

Suzume no Tojimari film will open in Japan on Nov 11.

The currently announced staff members for the Makoto Shinkai movie include:

• Character design: Masayoshi Tanaka
• Animation director: Kenichi Tsuchiya
• Art director: Takumi Tanji
• Studio: CoMix Wave Film
• Production producer: STORY inc.
• Distribution: Toho Animation

The voice actor for the role of Suzume is currently undecided, and no auditions have been held yet.

Shinkai is directing and writing the screenplay for the film. He’s also the author of the original story. The characters are designed by Masayoshi Tanaka. The animation director is Kenichi Tsuchiya. The art director is Takumi Tanji. The film is produced by CoMix Wave Films and Story Inc. The film will be distributed by TOHO.

Shinkai tweeted about the announcement, commenting that  Suzume no Tojimari is a “modern adventure story” with action elements of Suzume traveling across Japan. He said that “It should be a fun movie.”

The officially announced story of Suzume no Tojimari is described as:

Suzume is a 17-year-old, who lives in a quiet town in Kyushu. One day, she meets a traveling young man who is looking for a “door.” Suzume decides to follow him and discovers an old door in the ruins in the mountains. As if drawn by something, Suzume reaches out for the door… What follows is Suzume’s liberation and growth as she closes the “doors” that cause misfortune in abandoned places around Japan.

Weathering With You, Shinkai’s most recent film premiered in Japan in July 2019. The film went on to become Japan’s #7 highest-earning domestic film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing film in 2019.

Shinkai’s Your Name. debuted in Japan in August 2016 and has become the country’s fifth highest-grossing film, the third highest-grossing Japanese film, and the third-highest-grossing anime film.

Shinkai’s other works include 5 Centimeters Per Second, Voices of a Distant Star, She and Her Cat, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, The Garden of Words, and Children Who Chase Lost Voices.

Source: Twitter, Suzume no Tojimari film’s website