Next weekend, we’re finally getting the proper premier of the Street Fighter movie which has been in development for quite a while at this point.
In a recent video posted by Paramount Pictures’ YouTube account, some new details were shared about the upcoming film, more specifically about its flashback sequences.
As various trailers for the movie have shown, including the latest one, the Street Fighter film takes place at a point where former best friends and fellow disciples Ryu and Ken have grown estranged from one another.
Obviously, there’s a lot of backstory to their relationship, so unsurprisingly the film will be delving into this via flashback sequences.
However, what’s new and pretty cool to hear about is how the film’s creators went out of their way to go for animation for these flashbacks, specifically describing it as “traditional hand-drawn ’90s style animation”.
In the video, the movie’s director Kitao Sakurai describes it as an “homage to anime” and the “true spirit of the game”, as Street Fighter 2 originally was very tightly connected to various Japanese anime and manga of the time.
There’s a storied history for Street Fighter with anime adaptations, including the animated Street Fighter movie from the ’90s long being hailed as the best adaptation of it, so it’s cool to hear that this new movie will also be paying attention to this part of its heritage.
You can check out the video below where director Kitao Sakurai, animation supervisor Young Heller, art director Khang Le and even Takayuki Nakayama, the game director for both Street Fighter 5 and Street Fighter 6, express what they wanted to reach by including these animated segments.
The video also includes several peeks at the kind of animation we can expect to see, showcasing moments such as Ryu and Ken training together, the iconic fist bump between the two and even a quick glimpse at Akuma’s fight against Gouken.
If the previous trailers didn’t convince you, these animated segments clearly show that whether the movie turns out worthwhile or not, there’s definitely been a lot of care put into making it feel like “Street Fighter”.
Are you planning on checking out the Street Fighter movie when it releases in theaters next week? Let us know in the comments.
