Get ready for the renewal of an egg-ceptional animation classic under the stars at Cannes.
The 1985 cult anime Angel’s Egg (Tenshi no Tamago) is getting a rare moment in the spotlight. The Cannes Film Festival has announced the world premiere of a 4K restoration of the film in its “Cinéma de la Plage” section on May 20.
And the best part? Anyone can catch this haunting masterpiece for free!
A Masterpiece Steps Out Of The Shadows
Directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano, Angel’s Egg is known for its striking visuals and allegorical storytelling.
Long considered a hidden gem, the film is finally being reintroduced to audiences four decades later – perhaps at just the right time.
Amano’s poetic designs blend with Oshii’s sparse palette to conjure what some have called “a complete world depicted within 80 minutes.” Dialogue is nearly nonexistent, but that silence invites viewers to project their own interpretations onto the imagery.
The official Cannes website describes the film as follows:
In a submerged city, a young girl continues to care for a large egg that she holds preciously in her arms. She believes it is the egg of an angel. A boy with a huge gun alights from a peculiar chariot. He is in search of the bird he saw in his dream. In an abandoned city, it seems as if a faint sense of sympathy has developed between the two, however one night, the boy crushes the girl’s egg.
From “Flop” To Festival Darling?
Sparse in speech but rich in symbolism, Angel’s Egg touches on themes of questioning existence, as well as the intersection of dreams and reality.
Upon release, Angel’s Egg was met with confusion by audiences and caution by producers. Western viewers often found it too abstract, and despite praise from critics and industry peers, the film’s commercial failure stalled Oshii’s career for years.
The director himself once called it “a pitiful daughter that I couldn’t properly introduce to the world.” With this restoration, he may finally get that chance.
The 4K remaster, supervised by Oshii using the original 35mm negatives and enhanced with Dolby Atmos sound, is designed to give the film the immersive experience it always deserved.
Distributor GKIDS will also bring this restored version to North American theaters in 2025.
Visions Worth The Vigil
Interestingly, the movie was initially imagined as a comedy. But after Oshii saw Amano’s art, the tone shifted to the melancholic, dreamlike fantasy that would become Angel’s Egg. Sometimes, a detour births a masterpiece.
So why should you watch Angel’s Egg now?
At a time when many animated features stick to safe formulas and franchise logic, Angel’s Egg stands apart. It's a dreamscape that dares to whisper rather than shout and a visually arresting experience that rewards patient viewers.
No, Angel’s Egg doesn’t hand you answers. But maybe that’s the point. At Cannes, where films often find their true audience years (or decades) later, this forgotten daughter might finally come home.
For fans of artful animation and experimental cinema, this rare screening is a chance to rediscover a film that was perhaps always meant to be ahead of its time.