The Manchester Animation Festival (MAF) has announced that it will screen the critically acclaimed 4K remaster of Mamoru Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano’s 1985 anime, Angel’s Egg, during its 2025 event. The screening offers a chance for both long-time fans and new audiences to experience the cult classic science-fantasy film with stunning visual and audio enhancements.
The festival, a major celebration of animation in the UK, is scheduled to take place from November 9-13, 2025, primarily at the HOME complex and other venues across Manchester. This presentation of Angel’s Egg is part of a series of screenings for the 40th anniversary remaster, which has already premiered at prestigious events like the Cannes International Film Festival.
A Visionary Collaboration Reborn in 4K
Angel’s Egg is a unique animated experimental OVA (Original Video Animation) film, originally released in Japan on December 15, 1985. It represents a significant collaboration between director Mamoru Oshii, renowned for his work on Ghost in the Shell, and artist Yoshitaka Amano, celebrated for his contributions to the Final Fantasy series and Vampire Hunter D. The film is known for its distinctive visual style, minimalist dialogue, and deeply allegorical narrative, steeped in ambiguous imagery and recurrent biblical allusions.
The 4K remaster, overseen by director Mamoru Oshii himself, was created from a new scan of the original 35mm film negative, ensuring a high-resolution restoration that honors the film’s original artistry. Beyond the visual upgrade, the remaster also features reconstructed audio, converting the original mono sound into 5.1-channel surround and Dolby Atmos formats using advanced audio separation technology developed by Sony PCL and Sony Group Corporation. This comprehensive restoration aims to provide an immersive and breathtaking experience for viewers.
The Enduring Legacy of Angel’s Egg
Upon its initial release, Angel’s Egg struggled financially, with many viewers finding its meaning elusive. However, over the decades, it has garnered acclaim as a cult classic, cherished for its artistic brilliance and philosophical depth. The film features two nameless characters: a young girl who diligently protects a large egg she believes was laid by an angel, and a young man wielding a cross-shaped rifle, searching for a bird he saw in a dream. Their silent, somber journey through a desolate, submerged city forms the core of the narrative.
Themes prevalent in Oshii’s later works, such as questioning existence, the intersection of dreams and reality, and references to the Christian Bible, are profoundly explored in Angel’s Egg. Interpretations of the film often revolve around its rich symbolism, with the egg itself frequently seen as representing innocence, hope, or even faith. The ambiguous ending and the film’s open-ended nature have fueled extensive discussion and analysis among cinephiles and critics, cementing its place as a significant piece of experimental animation.
Manchester Animation Festival 2025 Highlights
The Manchester Animation Festival is the UK’s only Academy Award qualifying animation festival and is dedicated to celebrating the animated art form in all its diversity. Hosted at HOME, Manchester, it brings together artists, practitioners, students, and enthusiasts from around the world. The 2025 festival promises a rich program of screenings, masterclasses, networking events, and discussions.
In addition to Angel’s Egg, the festival will feature other notable screenings, including the UK premiere of Arco, a sci-fi fantasy co-produced by Natalie Portman, and I Am Frankelda, a stop-motion film from Mexico. The festival will also honor acclaimed Irish studio Cartoon Saloon with its prestigious Fellowship Award and host a retrospective celebrating 50 years of Industrial Light & Magic. Attendees can also look forward to exclusive looks at “The Making of Zootropolis 2” from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Netflix’s “In Your Dreams”. The inclusion of Angel’s Egg‘s 4K remaster further elevates the festival’s diverse and compelling lineup, offering a rare opportunity to see this influential work on the big screen.
