MUMBAI: TV Asahi announced today that the cheeky five-year-old phenomenon Shin-chan will finally be leaping onto the big screen across India with not one, but two theatrical releases slated for 2025.
In a historic first, the mischief-maker extraordinaire will grace Indian cinemas with Shin-chan Our Dinosaur Diary hitting theatres in May, followed by the India-themed spectacle Shin-chan The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India during the Diwali festivities in October.
Distributed by cinema giant PVR Inox Pictures, the films will cater to India's linguistic diversity with releases in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Japanese with English subtitles—a strategic move that acknowledges the character's massive appeal across the subcontinent.
The announcement comes as little surprise to industry watchers. Since his 2006 Indian television debut, the kindergartener who can "turn any calm day upside down in an instant" has become nothing short of a cultural sensation. Broadcasting daily on Hungama TV and recently joining Sony Yay!, Shin-chan has claimed the crown as the most-watched international animation in India, with a staggering one in ten Indian children tuning in to his antics.
"It has been our long-standing dream to release Shin-chan films in theatres in India, the movie superpower!" gushed TV Asahi head of animation sales & development Maiko Sumida. "We hope this will provide fans with an unforgettable cinematic experience."
Shin-chan Our Dinosaur Diary promises a rollicking adventure featuring a small dinosaur named Nana, discovered by the Nohara family dog, with the family battling to protect their prehistoric friend when dinosaurs escape and rampage across Tokyo.
Meanwhile, The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers in India takes Shin-chan's signature chaos to Indian shores when he and his friends win a dance competition trip to India—only to encounter a mysterious backpack that transforms his friend Bo into a power-mad tyrant.
The theatrical releases mark a significant milestone for the global animation juggernaut, which has aired over 820 episodes across 45 countries and released 32 films that have raked in more than $350 million at the Japanese box office.
With millions of Indian fans—both children and nostalgic adults who grew up with the series—eagerly awaiting these releases, 2025 is shaping up to be the year Shin-chan's trademark cheekiness conquers Indian cinema screens nationwide.
