# Monkey Quest (film)
**Monkey Quest** is an upcoming animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by [Toei Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/toei-animation), directed by David N. Weiss and co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine and Takao Noguchi, scheduled for wide theatrical release in 2027 with distribution by Lionsgate in North America.[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) Loosely inspired by the Chinese classic novel *Journey to the West*, it is a Japan–U.S. co-production that blends 2D and 3D animation.[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | In post-production; wide theatrical release in 2027, distributed by Lionsgate in North America[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) |
| Directors | David N. Weiss (director); Stephanie Ma Stine and Takao Noguchi (co-directors)[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) |
| Story and screenplay | Story by Naoto Oshima and Joseph Chou; screenplay by J. David Stem and David N. Weiss[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) |
| Producers | Yoshi Ikezawa, Joseph Chou, and Chuck Williams (p.g.a.); executive producers Kozo Morishita, Katsuhiro Takagi, Ayumu Hoshino, Naoto Oshima, Tim Kwok[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) |
| Voice cast | Auli'i Cravalho (Elle), Adam Devine (Okon), J.K. Simmons (Vex), Sam Richardson, Skylar Astin, Anna Chlumsky, Jonathan Kite[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) |
| Technique | Hybrid 2D/3D animation, with the 3D work handled by studio Sanzigen[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html) |
| Runtime | Listed as 1h 39m (99 min) on one IMDb page and 1h 32m (92 min) on another[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9204274/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31179083/) |
## Premise
The film is set in a near-future world where a fearless teenage girl, Elle, and her baby brother Adam, searching for their missing parents, awaken Okon, Earth's long-forgotten protector, a powerful monkey guardian who has been imprisoned for eons. The trio embarks on a journey in which they must learn to trust one another and discover what it means to be a family.[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) Their adversary is Vex, a menacing alien force voiced by J.K. Simmons.[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html)
Director and screenwriter David N. Weiss described the original idea as "essentially 'Journey to the West' in space."[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html) Instead of the gods and demons of the original story, the film features aliens and extradimensional beings.[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html)
## Development history
Producer Yoshi Ikezawa presented the project at Annecy, saying the goal was to "create something similar in scale" to franchises such as *Knights of the Zodiac* and *Mazinger Z* while reaching the mainstream awareness of major U.S. animated films.[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html)
## Animation approach
The team originally planned to make the entire film in CG but began running out of time and money, leading them to adopt 2D as a cost-saving measure.[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html) Footage shown at Annecy featured layers of hand-drawn 2D animation overlaid on 3D CG animation, with a story-based rationale: because Okon comes from another dimension, 2D is reserved for the ethereal world he comes from, in objects and characters.[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html)
Blending the two pipelines took considerable effort, since 2D and 3D production pipelines are fundamentally different.[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html) Sunghoo Park, director of the first season of *Jujutsu Kaisen* and of *The God of High School*, helped with action sequences and storyboards, some drawn on napkins, which co-director Stephanie Ma Stine said did not always translate directly into 3D.[2](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html)
## Distribution and marketing
In September 2026, Toei Animation and Lionsgate announced a strategic partnership beginning with North American distribution of *Monkey Quest*, with Lionsgate providing theatrical distribution and marketing for the 2027 wide release. Under the deal, Lionsgate becomes Toei's U.S. distribution partner for new projects and a first stop for future co-productions.[1](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html) Charades handles international sales.[5](https://www.annecyfestival.com/le-festival/rencontres-festival/work-progress/wip-longs-metrages-2026/monkey-quest)
A Roblox game, "Hypergalactic: Monkey Quest," produced with [Spaceport](https://www.edgepedia.org/spaceport) and Twin Atlas, was launched in support of the film while it carried the *Hypergalactic* title.[6](https://www.tabpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/25b6.pdf)
## Other uses of the name
*Monkey Quest* is also the name of an unrelated [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon) massively multiplayer online game launched in 2011, set in the world of Ook. In 2012, [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) considered it among Nickelodeon properties that could be turned into films, but no such adaptation was produced.[7](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/95d29f15-1c36-4edb-8e2e-e4f4bbd89ba0) • [8](https://monkeyquest.fandom.com/wiki/Cancelled_Monkey_Quest_adaptation)
## References
1. [Toei Animation and Lionsgate Announce Strategic Partnership, Toei Animation press release](https://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/press/COPY-press513558689267466053.html)
2. [Toei Animation Eyes Its Next Big Franchise With Japan-U.S. Film 'Monkey Quest' – Annecy WIP, Cartoon Brew](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/monkey-quest-toei-animation-annecy-263838.html)
3. [Monkey Quest (2027), IMDb (tt9204274)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9204274/)
4. [Monkey Quest (2027), IMDb (tt31179083)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31179083/)
5. [Monkey Quest – WIP Longs métrages, Annecy Festival](https://www.annecyfestival.com/le-festival/rencontres-festival/work-progress/wip-longs-metrages-2026/monkey-quest)
6. [License Global, December 2024](https://www.tabpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/25b6.pdf)
7. [Nickelodeon Launches Monkey Quest MMOG, Paramount press release](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/95d29f15-1c36-4edb-8e2e-e4f4bbd89ba0)
8. [Cancelled Monkey Quest adaptation, Monkey Quest Wiki](https://monkeyquest.fandom.com/wiki/Cancelled_Monkey_Quest_adaptation)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films based on folklore and religion*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license