Toei Animation pulled back the curtain on Monkey Quest at the Annecy Festival in France this week, confirming the project as a 2D/3D hybrid film rather than the full CG production initially announced. Studio SANZIGEN is handling the 3D animation components for the Japan-U.S. collaboration.

The film follows 12-year-old Ellie and her baby brother Adam as they discover and free Okon, Earth's forgotten protector, then battle the villain Vex across an intergalactic setting. It's a loose adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West reimagined for a sci-fi adventure.

Toei assembled a heavyweight creative roster. Sonic the Hedgehog character designer Naoto Oshima co-created the concept and characters with Joseph Chou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). Shrek 2 writer David N. Weiss co-directs alongside Kung-Fu Panda 4 director Stephanie Ma Stine and character designer Takao Noguchi. Jujutsu Kaisen and The God of High School director Sunghoo Park contributed action sequences and storyboards.

The voice cast includes Adam Devine as Okon, Elsie Fisher as Ellie, and J.K. Simmons as Vex. Toei Animation's Yoshi Ikezawa produces, with worldwide distribution handled by Charades.

Monkey Quest is currently in post-production and targeting a 2027 release. The project expanded beyond the film with a Roblox game launch in November 2024 that serves as a hub for a connected universe of games. Toei also partnered with Spaceport Technologies on Fortnite integration, positioning the franchise as a multimedia platform rather than a standalone release.

The film was originally announced as a CG project called Hypergalactic in February 2024, but evolved into the hybrid approach viewers will see next year.