Ultraman: Rising trailer previews Netflix’s animated update of sci-fi franchise

The Japanese tokusatsu kaiju television series Ultra Q premiered in 1966 – and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, launching a franchise that has, over the decades, consisted of more than thirty TV shows, more than forty films, a whole bunch of specials and mini-series, a long list of video games, and a bunch of comic books. The latest entry in the franchise is an animated feature called Ultraman: Rising, which will be released through the Netflix streaming service on June 14th. In anticipation of that release, a trailer for Ultraman: Rising has arrived online and can be seen in the embed above.

Directed by John Aoshima and Shannon Tindle, who wrote the script with Marc Haimes, Ultraman: Rising has the following synopsis: With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans.

The film comes to us from Netflix, Tsuburaya Productions, and Industrial Light & Magic. The voice cast includes Christopher Sean (Hawaii Five-O), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles), Tamlyn Tomita (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Keone Young (Star Wars Rebels), and Julia Harriman (Camp Rock).

Tindle and Aoshima had this to say about the project: “Our team has worked hard to craft a story that fans and non-fans of this iconic character can enjoy. ULTRAMAN: RISING is a film for everyone. It’s a funny, action-packed, popcorn movie that tackles family, identity, and the struggle to maintain balance in an insane world. This June, we hope you’ll gather ‘round with the folks you love to see what happens when a titanic superhero rediscovers the power of family thanks to an unlikely ally- a sweet, 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju.”

What did you think of the Ultraman: Rising trailer? Will you be watching this movie when it starts streaming on Netflix next month? Let us know by leaving a comment below.