Theatrical poster. Photo courtesy of Kani Releasing. ©1993 REX: A DINOSAUR'S STORY Film Partners. All right reserved.

Kani Releasing will open REX: A DINOSAUR'S STORY (REX 恐竜物語, REX: Kyōryū Monogatari), the shockingly overlooked 1993 Christmas dinosaur comedy, on Friday, December 11 at New York’s Metrograph — marking its first-ever theatrical release in North America — with a multi-city limited rollout continuing into 2027. The film has been newly remastered by Kadokawa Pictures. 

Released in Japan two weeks before JURASSIC PARK and directed by storied mogul and industry disruptor Haruki Kadokawa, REX: A DINOSAUR’S STORY emerges from amber today as an exemplar of a bygone era of Japanese blockbusters. It follows Chie (actress and singer Yumi Adachi), the young daughter of a palaeontologist who soon befriends an adorable T-Rex. As everyone seeks to exploit the dino-discovery for profit, the pair soon find themselves on the run from shady men in black and profiteers, forcing Rex to act and model for endless advertisements and merchandise, a pointed mirror to the film’s actual promotional campaign that spanned toys, a manga by the celebrated artist group CLAMP, and songs—even going so far as to cement the popularity of Kentucky Fried Chicken as a de facto Christmas tradition in Japan. 

Featuring expressive creature effects by Italian special effects master Carlo Rambaldi (ALIEN, E.T., POSSESSION); chase scenes by carriage, snowmobile and hot air balloon; in-camera height jokes and tokusatsu-indebted “suit-mation”, as well as startling Christmas imagery, REX is as adorable as it is unhinged, functioning as both wholesome Holiday crowd-pleaser and cult curio in the making.

A controversial figure in Japanese cinema, business mogul Haruki Kadokawa inherited his father’s eponymous publishing company and promptly set out to position Kadokawa as a media giant looming large on the Japanese pop culture of the 1980s. An exuberant character, he pioneered a new (now commonplace) approach to releasing and marketing films, dubbed the “media mix.” This entailed positioning films in a wider ecosystem of crossmedia merchandising that includes books, music, and, eventually, its own industrial system of ready-made stars named “idols.” 

REX: A DINOSAUR’S STORY, one of Kadokawa’s own directorial efforts, is often described as the apotheosis of the company’s approach to blockbuster filmmaking. Its release was infamously interrupted when Kadokawa was arrested for cocaine smuggling in 1993, leading him to resign from the company.

Taking advantage of the collapsing studio system and Kadokawa’s rich trove of literary IPs, Kadokawa entered film production with 1976’s THE INUGAMI FAMILY, directed by Kon Ichikawa and based on a novel by Seishi Yokomizo. This was followed by blockbusters PROOF OF THE MAN (1977), the first Japanese film shot in New York, and VIRUS (1980), the most expensive Japanese production of its time—all based on novels. 1981’s SAILOR SUIT AND MACHINE GUN, directed by Shinji Somai, marked Kadokawa’s shift towards the idol system. Successful collaborations with directors including Nobuhiko Obayashi (THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME), Kinji Fukasaku (THE FALL GUY), Yasuharu Hasebe (FOSSILIZED WILDERNESS), Yoshimitsu Morita (MAIN THEME), and Shinichiro Sawai (W’S TRAGEDY) also helped diversify the company’s portfolio. 

Accompanying the run of REX: A DINOSAUR'S STORY, Metrograph will present Dinosauria, a series of beloved dinosaur cinema, running December 11 to January 3. Following the New York opening, REX: A DINOSAUR'S STORY will expand to Atlanta, Austin, Florida, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, and more, with theatrical engagements planned into 2027.

US + Canada Theatrical Engagements
More updates at kani-releasing.com/theatrical/film/rex-a-dinosaurs-story

The Gap Theatre (Spectral Cinema) (Wind Gap, PA) - December 1
Metrograph (New York, NY) - December 11+
Plaza Theatre (Atlanta, GA) - December 11+
Cinema du Parc (Montreal, QC) - December 11+
Drexel Theatre (Columbus, OH) - December 12
Carbon Arc Cinema (Halifax, NS) - December 12
The Little Theatre (Rochester, NY) - December 12
Grand Illusion Cinema, SIFF Film Center (Seattle, WA) - December 12, 13
MSP Film (Minneapolis, MN) - December 12, 13
Music Box Theatre (Chicago, IL) - December 12, 13
North Park Theater (Buffalo, NY) - December 12, 13
Film Scene (Iowa City, IA) December 12, 13, 16
The Texas Theatre (Dallas, TX) December 14
Alamo Drafthouse Cedars (Dallas, TX) - December 16
Alamo Drafthouse Raleigh (Raleigh, NC) - December 16
Arkadin Cinema (St. Louis, MO) - December 16
American Cinematheque, Los Feliz 3 (Los Angeles, CA) - December 16, 19
Bytowne Cinema (Ottawa, ON) - December 17
Fox Theatre (Toronto, ON) - December 17
Dave Barber Cinematheque (Winnipeg, MB) - December 18
The Grand Cinema (Tacoma, WA) - December 18, 19
Pop's Art Theater (Rochester, MN) - December 18-20
Epsilon Spires (Brattleboro, VT) - December 19
Hard Light Cinema (Richmond, VA) - December 19
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center (Silver Spring, MD) - December 19, 21, 23
The Cinematheque (Vancouver, BC) - December 20
Clinton Street Theater (Portland, OR) - December 20
Enzian Theater (Orlando, FL) - December 20
Lightbox Film Center (Philadelphia, PA) - December 20
Honolulu Museum of Art (Honolulu, HI) - December 20
SPACE (Portland, ME) - December 20
Austin Film Society (Austin, TX) - December 25, 28