Asahiyama Zoo Story: Penguins in the Sky

Asahiyama Zoo Story: Penguins in the Sky
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Masahiko Makino
Written by	Koshimizu Yasuhiro
Starring	Yoshida Tsuyoshi
Distributed by	Kadokawa Pictures
Release date(s)	February 7, 2009 (2009-02-07)
Running time	122 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Asahiyama Zoo Story: Penguins in the Sky (旭山動物園物語 ペンギンが空をとぶ) is a 2009 Japanese film.

Story

Based on the true story of Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, the northernmost zoo in Japan. The unpopular zoo welcomes a new zoo keeper, young Yoshida (Yasuhi Nakamura), who has more affection for insects than people after years of being bullied at school when he was young. Yoshida soon realizes that Asahiyama Zoo is facing a financial crisis and the zoo director Takizawa has been doing everything in his power to save the zoo from closing down.

Moved by Takizawa’s passion, Yoshida and other zoo keepers came to share the zoo director’s belief that one’s dreams can come true, and together they tackle this seemingly impossible task of revitalizing Asahiyama. A breakthrough arrives in the form of “Behavioral Exhibition,” a method that is pioneered by Ashiyama’s zoo keepers and which eventually makes the zoo renowned throughout the world. ^[1]

Cast

• Toshiyuki Nishida as Kosuge Masao
• Yasuhi Nakamura as Bando Gen.
• Ai Maeda
• Keiko Horiuchi
• Mitsuru Fukikoshi
• Takashi Sasano
• Zen Kajiwara
• Hisako Manda
• Sansei Shiomi
• Naomasa Musaka
• Hiroyuki Nagato
• Ittoku Kishibe
• Akira Emoto
• Naomasa Musaka
• Zen Kajihara
• Taro Ishida
• Houka Kinoshita
• Akaji Maro
• Junichi Haruta

Staff

• Director: Masahiko Makino
• Writer: Koshimizu Yasuhiro
• Music: 宇崎竜童, 中西長谷雄
• Committee members Producers: Kadokawa Pictures , NTT DoCoMo , Japan Film Fund
• Distributor: Kadokawa Pictures

Theme Song

「夢になりたい」("I want to dream") 谷村新司 Tanimura Shinzi (songwriter: 谷村新 Arrangement: 瀬戸谷芳治)

References

1. ^ Japanese Wiｋipedia,

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Kadokawa Pictures (Japanese)