Cocoon: One Summer of Girlhood Gets English Trailer and September 4 US Theatrical Release

GKIDS has debuted an English-subtitled trailer for cocoon: One Summer of Girlhood, setting up the North American theatrical release of the wartime animated drama. The distributor confirmed the film will open in North American theaters on September 4, 2026.

What was announced

On July 16, GKIDS shared the film's English-subtitled trailer, the first extended English-language look at the project. The distributor says cocoon will screen in its original Japanese with English subtitles and in a newly produced English dub when it reaches theaters on September 4. GKIDS acquired the film's North American rights earlier this year, and the new trailer is the clearest signal yet of how the release will be positioned for English-speaking audiences.

A wartime story of two friends

cocoon adapts the josei manga of the same name by Machiko Kyo. It follows San and Mayu, two students at an all-girls school on a warm, seemingly tranquil island. When the war reaches their shores, the girls are ordered to help nurse the wounded in a military hospital hidden inside a cave. As death and brutality escalate around them, the two friends struggle to find solace in their fragile lives and in each other. In the Japanese-language version, Hikari Mitsushima voices Mayu and Marika Ito voices San. GKIDS has said the English dub cast will be revealed later this summer.

The team behind the film

cocoon marks the debut feature for both director Yukimitsu Ina and animation studio Sasayuri. Ina's earlier credits include work on Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and the Star Wars: Visions short "Tatooine Rhapsody." According to GKIDS, the production brings together a new generation of animators with industry veterans, among them Akihiko Yamashita and Shinji Otsuka, whose credits include Princess Mononoke and The Boy and the Heron. Composer Kensuke Ushio, known for his scores for A Silent Voice, Chainsaw Man, and Dandadan, provided the music. GKIDS has said theatrical screenings will include a behind-the-scenes segment focused on Ushio's process for composing the score.

Where cocoon has screened

The film has already begun its North American festival run. It held its North American premiere on July 10 at Japan Cuts, the Japan Society's annual festival in New York, and it is also screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Following its theatrical release, GKIDS says it will bring cocoon to home video.