EXCLUSIVE: Pocket.watch, and Sunlight Entertainment, the Kaji family owned production studio, are partnering with theatrical distributor, Falling Forward Films, to extend the domestic theatrical release of Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure. Directed by Albie Hecht and produced by Shion Kaji and Loann Kaji, with executive production by Chris M. Williams, the film is slated to premiere on over 2,100 screens on Friday, August 16th, 2024.
When his twin sisters Emma and Kate get sucked into a mystical comic book, Ryan has no choice but to rise up as the great big brother he is and jump in after them. Adventures, battles, and hilarious debacles ensue, as Ryan and his friends navigate the Titan Universe and bring everyone back home safely before his parents catch on. The film’s anime style animation is produced by Shin-Ei Animation, the Japanese animation studio behind the popular anime series Doraemon and Crayon Shinchan.
This marks the first-ever wide theatrical release of a digital creator-driven film. This milestone follows a series of ventures, including the creation of the first-ever major toy line from a digital creator, the hit TV show Ryan’s Mystery Playdate on Nickelodeon, and the Red Titan balloon, the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon based on a YouTube brand.
Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure is the first with the cast made up of digital creators, and features the stars of Ryan’s World, the massively popular Kaji family, playing themselves, Ryan Kaji, Shion Kaji, Loann Kaji, Emma Kaji, and Kate Kaji. Pocket.watch is partnered with enormously popular creators and their combined roster of 50+ partners has over 1 Billion subscribers on YouTube. Pocket.watch tapped into some of those creators to star alongside the Kaji family in the movie including Evangeline Lomelino of GEM Sisters as Aiden (1.3M Subscribers on YouTube and 700M+ Lifetime Views across GEM channels), Dan Rhodes as himself (35.8M followers across TikTok and YouTube garnering 17.5B views on YouTube alone becoming the most viewed magician channel of all time on the platform; and was named YouTube Top 10 Creator of 2022) and Stella Wallace of The Stella Show as Rylexa (1.8M Subscribers on YouTube and 1B+ Lifetime Views).
“I am thrilled to join forces with Falling Forward Films to expand the reach of our independent film, ‘Ryan’s World The Movie,” said Chris M. Williams, Founder & CEO of pocket.watch. “This collaboration represents an exciting opportunity to bring the magic of Ryan’s World to even more theatrical audiences across the country.”
Falling Forward Films is an independent film marketing and distribution company formed by industry executives with a combined 35 plus years of experience who have collectively worked on over 350 theatrically released films. They were introduced to the pocket.watch leadership team by theatrical distribution veteran Steven Friedlander, formerly of CBS FIlms, Warner Independent Pictures and Fine Line Features, who has been consulting for pocket.watch.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with pocket.watch and Sunlight Entertainment to bring ‘Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure’ to theaters nationwide,” said Scott Kennedy, CEO & Founder of Falling Forward Films. “This film represents a new frontier in creator-driven entertainment and sets the stage for even more groundbreaking collaborations in the future.”
