GKIDS and Toei Animation, the globally acclaimed and industry-leading animation studio announced, that they will bring THE FIRST SLAM DUNK to theaters nationwide in the United States and Canada starting July 28th. Both the English dub cast as well as the trailer for this film have been revealed.
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK
“Slam Dunk” is a beloved manga which was serialized from 1990-1996. Written and created by Takehiko Inoue, the original manga is one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 170 million copies sold globally. This manga has been adapted to various media and video games, including a hit anime series that ran from 1993-1996. THE FIRST SLAM DUNK marks the first new feature-length film from the globally cherished franchise in over 33 years. Also, this is the original manga creator Takehiko Inoue’s directorial debut.
Shohoku’s “speedster” and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed. He runs circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball.
In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK Dub Cast and North American Premieres
GKIDS and Toei Animation also revealed the English language voice cast for the film. The English cast of the Shohoku Team includes:
- Paul Castro Jr. – Ryota Miyagi
- Jonah Scott – Hisashi Mitsui
- Aleks Le – Kaede Rukawa
- Ben Balmaceda – Hanamichi Sakuragi
- Aaron Goodson – Takenori Akagi
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK will host its North American premiere this summer in Los Angeles at Anime Expo. Anime Expo is the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Then, its East Coast premiere will take place opening night feature of JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film at New York City’s Japan Society. The film will go on to host its Canadian premiere at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK opened domestically in Japan on December 3, 2022. It has gone on to break box office records in a number of countries during its current international release. Not only that, it also went on to be awarded this year’s Japan Academy Prize for Best Animation of the Year. This marked the first nomination and win for Inoue.
GKIDS has been a producer and distributor of award-winning and artist-driven animation from around the world for 15 years. Starting today, tickets for THE FIRST SLAM DUNK are available for purchase at www.SlamDunkMovie.com and participating theatre box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Slam Dunk Movie website.
