Mushi Production’s avant-garde anime film Belladonna of Sadness has been beloved by fans for over five decades. Now, just past the film’s 50th anniversary, a crowdfunding campaign is underway to restore illustrator Kuni Fukai’s iconic artwork for the film.
Fukai’s art, which makes up approximately 70% of the film, was unfortunately largely lost after Mushi Production went bankrupt. However, with the 2016 4K remaster released here in the United States, fans in Japan saw a new way to approach restoration. This crowdfunded project seeks to restore the artwork from this remaster, supervised by Fukai himself.
The project is planned to proceed in two stages, both of which will be crowdfunded. The first, currently underway on MOTION GALLERY and halfway to its goal, will focus on restoring the artwork. The second, to be crowdfunded at a later date, will fund an artbook featuring the newly-restored artwork. Backer rewards include posters, restored paintings and original artwork by Fukai.
Check out the MOTION GALLERY campaign page to follow the project’s progress and get insight into how the restoration procedure works.
Belladonna of Sadness is available to watch via streaming platforms including Fandango at Home and Amazon Prime. The film takes place in medieval Europe and follows Jeanne, a wronged woman who makes a deal with the Devil in exchange for revenge and power.
Source: Motion-Gallery.net
