Over the weekend in response to the overwhelming success of the Little Witch Academia 2 Kickstarter campaign, the president of Animation Studio TRIGGER, Masahiko Otsuka was overjoyed by the support the fans and released a statement:
“The pledged amount was well over what we expected, and we cannot thank everyone enough who supported the Little Witch Academia 2 project on Kickstarter. At the same time, we definitely feel the pressure because we have to respond to this new challenge with our title. We’ve received the baton from our fans. We are ready to run as fast as we can, baton in hand!”
The original Kickstarter goal was $150,000 but raised over $625,000 with over 7,938 backers. Little Witch Academia 2 is estimated to enter the production phase in 2014. Full press release inside.
LOS ANGELES, CA., August 9, 2013 - acttil is honored to announce, on behalf of the animation studio TRIGGER, that
TRIGGER’s Kickstarter project, “Little Witch Academia Episode 2” (tentative title), was able to reach an amazing
$625,000 within a single month, all thanks to fans around the world. The Kickstarter for Little Witch Academia Episode 2 started on July 9, 2013 and ended on August 8, 2013. There were 7,938 backers, and the final total of $625,000 is well over the initial goal of $150,000. The initial goal of $150,000 was reached in just 6 hours! TRIGGER will utilize the pledged amount for the production of a 40-minute Little Witch Academia 2 animation, as well as issue rewards to backers. Little Witch Academia 2 will go into production in 2014.
“The pledged amount was well over what we expected, and we cannot thank everyone enough who supported the Little Witch Academia 2 project on Kickstarter. At the same time, we definitely feel the pressure because we have to respond to this new challenge with our title.” The president of Animation Studio TRIGGER, Masahiko Otsuka, was overjoyed by the support of the fans. “We’ve received the baton from our fans. We are ready to run as fast as we can, baton in hand!”
Little Witch Academia was produced by TRIGGER as one of the four titles for Anime Mirai, the Young Animator Training Project, whose purpose is to inspire, train, and energize young animators in the Japanese anime industry. After showcasing the trailers and full episode of Little Witch Academia in the Spring of 2013, not only was it well-received in Japan, but it has also become a surprise hit with anime fans in the West.
Story
Akko Kagari is an ordinary girl who joins the renowned witch academy for witch girls, Luna Nova Academy. When she was younger, she went to Magical Festa, a magic show hosted by a witch named Shiny Chariot. Akko was so mesmerized and inspired by Shiny Chariot's performance that she dreamed to someday be a "cool" witch like her. This young and impressionable Akko takes Shiny Chariot's words as her own motto: "Never forget, a believing heart is your magic.“ As part of a class, Akko and her classmates go into a labyrinth under the Tower of Luna Nova. There, a sealed ancient dragon was unleashed by one of her classmates. Akko tries to stop the dragon, but…
For more information about Little Witch Academia 2 and Little Witch Academia Collector’s Edition,
visit www.littlewitchacademia.com!
Anime Production, Publisher TRIGGER, Inc., is an animation studio founded by former GAINAX employees Masahiko Otsuka and Hiroyuki Imaishi in August of 2011. “If an anime title is like a bullet, we would like to be the trigger that helps propel that bullet forward,” said the founders of TRIGGER. They are best known for Inferno Cop, Little Witch Academia, and are now working on KILL la KILL, their first anime series for television.
Ultra Super Pictures is an animation production company, which was established in August, 2011 by a full CG animation studio, Sanzigen, a rising animation studio, TRIGGER, Ordet., and Liden Films. TRIGGER’s KILL La KILL and Sanzigen’s Arpeggio of Blue Steel will be aired in fall of 2013. Ordet’s Wake Up, Girls! will be aired and open in theaters in spring of 2014. Please look forward to the amazing line-up of Ultra Super Pictures!