Must See Trailer for Japan’s ‘Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story’ US Re-Release | FirstShowing.net
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Must See Trailer for Japan’s ‘Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story’ US Re-Release
Meet Rex! 🦖 Kani Releasing has unveiled a new official US trailer for the remastered & restored re-release of a long lost Japanese monster movie cult classic called Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story – REX 恐竜物語. This dino movie originally opened in Japan at the exact same time as Jurassic Park in the summer of 1993, but didn’t make a splash. It stars Yumi Adachi as Chie, a young girl who befriends a young Tyrannosaurus rex after it hatches from an egg co-discovered by her paleontologist father (Tsunehiko Watase). Releasing at Christmas time – “like nothing you’ll see this holiday season.” Rex, one of Haruki Kadokawa’s directorial efforts, has a disruption when Kadokawa was arrested for cocaine smuggling in 1993, leading him to resign from the company. Featuring expressive creature effects by 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…” Finally remastered in high definition for the very first time! This honestly looks like a must watch dinosaur fave that is being given the very rare chance to be enjoyed on the big screen, playing at many theaters nationwide starting around mid-December. So who’s in?
Here’s the re-release trailer (+ poster) for Haruki Kadokawa’s 🦖 Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story, on YouTube:
Directed by storied mogul & industry disruptor Haruki Kadokawa, released 2 weeks before Jurassic Park, Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story emerges from amber as an examplar of a bygone era of Japanese blockbusters. It follows Chie (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 find themselves on the run from shady men in black and profiteers forcing Rex to act & model for endless advertisements & merchandise (pointing to the film’s actual promotional campaign, the ‘media-mix’ strategy that spanned toys, a CLAMP manga and songs… even cementing the popularity of KFC as a de facto holiday Christmas in Japan!).Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story, also known as REX 恐竜物語 in Japanese, is directed by Japanese filmmaker Haruki Kadokawa, director of the films The Last Hero, Cabaret, Heaven and Eath, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The screenplay is by Shoichi Maruyama & Haruki Kadokawa. Based on the manga by Masanori Hata & Clamp. Produced by Haruki Kadokawa & Kazuyoshi Okuyama. This movie originally opened in Japanese cinemas starting in July 1993, but was never released in the US. Kani Releasing debuts Kadokawa’s Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story in US theaters starting on December 11th, 2026. For more info, head to the official site.
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