ChaO is quite a different mermaid story when Princess Chao wants to marry a guy who works at a shipbuilding company. Is he ready to be hitched to underwater royalty? How will this work out for him? ChaO submerges into the unconventional romance. The animated film arrives in September from GKIDS. Here’s the press release with all the details:
GKIDS Presents
ChaO
THE INVENTIVE AND GENRE-DEFYING ANIMATED FEATURE
COMING HOME ON BLU-RAY™ SEPTEMBER 22, 2026
Los Angeles, CA (June 23, 2026) — GKIDS, the Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor of acclaimed, artist-driven animation, is bringing the critically heralded animated feature ChaO to North American audiences for the first time on Blu-ray™ on September 22, 2026. Distribution by Shout! Studios, a Radial Entertainment company. ChaO is also available now in the U.S. on digital platforms, with a forthcoming digital release in Canada.
In a fantastical future, humans and mermaids share a troubled coexistence. Stephan, an anxious employee at a shipbuilding company, has big ideas to save the sea. But his life explodes into ecstatic chaos when bubbly mermaid princess Chao proposes marriage out of the blue. Between shopping sprees, giant robots, and actual fireworks, the unlikely pair flounder through their new romance and unlock their true feelings. Crafted over seven years by the acclaimed STUDIO4°C and veteran animator Yasuhiro Aoki, ChaO is an inventive and genre-defying delight bursting with color and character. Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, ChaO’s singular narrative is an ode to boundless love.
ChaO arrives on Blu-ray™ in 1080p High-Definition (2.35:1) with Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio. Subtitles available in English, English SDH, Spanish, and French on September 22, 2026.
ChaO Special Features:
● Storyboards & Animatics
● Teasers & Trailers
● Ending Credits
About Radial Entertainment
Radial Entertainment is a global entertainment company backed by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management. As a premier content distribution studio and producer, Radial boasts one of the largest independent catalogs in the industry – over 70,000 movies and episodes – and produces Radial Originals, a growing slate of original programming developed from owned IP and new commissions. Radial Entertainment delivers premium programming across all major consumer platforms, including FAST channels, AVOD, SVOD, TVOD, physical product, theatrical film, and more. Its catalog spans a wide range of genres, including true crime, unscripted, animation, action, westerns, award-winning titles, classics, medical, food, U.K. content, cult classics, and horror.
About GKIDS
GKIDS is the Academy Award-winning curator, producer, and distributor of artist-driven, globally inspired cinema dedicated to connecting North American audiences with distinctive stories from around the world. Widely celebrated for its leadership in the “animation is film” movement, the studio has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape for feature animation in the U.S. and internationally for nearly two decades. GKIDS represents the work of many of the world’s most acclaimed animation filmmakers, including Makoto Shinkai (Your Name., Weathering With You), Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress), Tomm Moore (Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers), Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai, Wolf Children), and serves as the North American home of Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli.
Upcoming theatrical releases include the highly anticipated Godzilla Minus Zero, the follow up to director Takashi Yamazaki’s Academy Award-winning Godzilla Minus One, and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, the latest Aardman feature in the beloved Oscar-nominated film series. In addition to the Oscar-nominated Kokuho and Little Amélie and the Character of Rain, recent theatrical releases are the box office hit Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, Mamoru Oshii’s cult classic Angel’s Egg, and the critically acclaimed ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, alongside groundbreaking television series such as Dan Da Dan, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Arcane: League of Legends. @GKIDSFilms
