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Uma Musume Pretty Derby Franchise Gets Anime Film in May 2024

A new official website and Twitter account opened on Thursday to announce that the Uma Musume Pretty Derby franchise is getting an anime film titled Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Shinjidai no Tobira (Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era). The film will star Jungle Pocket and will open in theaters in Japan on May 24, 2024. The website and Twitter account unveiled a teaser trailer and visual:

The film stars:

Yuri Fujimoto as Jungle Pocket

Sumire Uesaka as Agnes Tachyon

Yui Ogura as Manhattan Cafe

The film follows Jungle Pocket, who wishes to participate in the Triple Crown Classic race, which can only be run once in a lifetime. She faces rivals Agnes Tachyon and Manhattan Cafe.

Ken Yamamoto (Pokémon: Hisuian Snow) is directing the anime at Cygames. Kiyoko Yoshimura (Cardfight!! Vanguard G) is writing the script. Tetsuya Kobari (Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 3) is credited as scenario director and for series composition. Jun Yamazaki (Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Road to the Top) is the character designer and chief animation director. TOHO is distributing the film.

The first 13-episode Uma Musume Pretty Derby television anime season premiered in April 2018. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired in Japan. A "BNW no Chikai" (BNW's Oath) anime came bundled with the Uma Musume Pretty Derby television anime's fourth Blu-ray Disc volume in December 2018. The second season of the main Uma Musume Pretty Derby television anime premiered in January 2021. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan. The third season of the anime debuted on October 4.

The Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Road to the Top net anime debuted in April on YouTube. The net anime depicts T.M. Opera O, Admire Vega, Narita Top Road, and other Uma Musume (Horse Girls) going head-to-head to win Classic competitions.

The Uma Musume Pretty Derby franchise's spinoff manga series Umayon also inspired its own television anime that premiered in July 2020 and ended in September 2020.

Cygames is also publishing several other spinoff manga for the franchise on Cycomi, including Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Haru Urara Ganbaru! and Starting Gate: Uma Musume Pretty Derby.

The Uma Musume Pretty Derby game launched in February 2021 for iOS and Android. The game was originally slated for a release in winter 2018, and was delayed in order to raise the game's quality. The game launched on PC via DMM Games in March 2021.

The game's concept begins with Uma Musume (Horse Girls), girls endowed with excellent running capability, and who aim to become top idols and compete in the national sports entertainment show "Twinkle Series." Players take the role of both teacher and trainer for the girls in the Nihon Uma Musume Training Center Gakuen (Japan Horse Girls Training Center Academy) and help them make their debut.

A special anime commemorating the first anniversary of the game debuted online in February 2022.

Sources: Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Shinjidai no Tobira website, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web