It’s like we’ve been transported back to the 1990s, as if time stopped below the modern streets above our heads. The yellowed walls and slick tile floors feel familiar, if a little dirty. It feels spat out of a different era – mainly because it is. And now he truly seems in his element.Īn hour earlier, we were talking in the smoky, boozy halls of Sakuragicho Pio City, an underground shopping mall right next to Sakuragicho Station. Toyama is darting – somewhat carelessly – across the streets of Noge, Yokohama, taking pictures of whatever he finds interesting while Bokeh PR and business development manager and translator William Yohei Hart and myself try to keep up. Photo courtesy of Keiichiro Toyama RUNNING THROUGH THE STREETS WITH KEIICHIRO TOYAMA For three days, I spend time with Toyama, concept artist Miki Takashi, and renowned composer Akira Yamaoka in vastly different parts of Tokyo, learning about the city’s ever-changing face, what they love and what they miss, and how decades of living here have influenced their works all the way up to Slitterhead.įirst stop: a former black-market and well-known place to drink the night away. This time, it’s through the lens of one single developer: Bokeh. I’m in Japan to learn about just that how where you live affects what you make. Something like Gravity Rush – with its unforgettable, topsy-turvy, boozy, and somewhat seedy world – makes a lot more sense to me now. He’s been living in Yokohama for decades, he tells me. Tucked within the immensely larger Tokyo surrounding them, these areas have their own distinct senses of space, much like the worlds of Toyama’s games. In an hour or two, we’ll walk a few blocks over and hit the nightlife and drinking alleys.
It’s also distinct compared to the more modern, formulaic streets immediately above our heads. Mixed with pounds of nicotine, the air in the bar is communal and light. I’m here with Keiichiro Toyama, most well-known for creating the Silent Hill series, but also the creator of the Siren and Gravity Rush series, and most recently, the founder of Bokeh Game Studio, making the upcoming Slitterhead.Ī cramped, old, smoky bar in a shopping mall deep beneath a Yokohama train station might not immediately appear conducive to game development, but things are starting to click in my head. The film is produced by two-time Emmy® winner Marc Platt (“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” “Grease Live!”), Miranda, two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca (“Tony Bennett: An American Classic”), and Rob Marshall, with Jeffrey Silver (“The Lion King”) serving as executive producer.I’m two floors below ground, surrounded by screaming drunks and breathing in enough secondhand smoke to take at least a decade off my life. The songs feature music from multiple Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin”) and lyrics by Howard Ashman, and new lyrics by three-time Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda. “The Little Mermaid” is directed by Oscar® nominee Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Mary Poppins Returns”)with a screenplay by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee (“Life of Pi,” “Finding Neverland”). The film stars singer and actress Halle Bailey (“grown-ish”) as Ariel Jonah Hauer-King (“A Dog’s Way Home”) as Prince Eric Tony Award® winner Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”) as the voice of Sebastian Awkwafina (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) as the voice of Scuttle Jacob Tremblay (“Luca”) as the voice of Flounder Noma Dumezweni (“Mary Poppins Returns”) as Queen Selina Art Malik (“Homeland”) as Sir Grimsby with Oscar® winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) as King Triton and two-time Academy Award® nominee Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “Bridesmaids”) as Ursula. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. “The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure.
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