Mechagirl

Mechagirl is an upcoming American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by Universal Animation to be distributed by Universal Pictures. It is directed by Audel LaRoque and co-directed by Charlotte Jackson, from a screenplay by LaRoque, Jackson, and Casey Crowe. The film stars the voices of Kimiko Glenn, Jeremy Howard, Seth Rogen, Ariana Grande, Dave Franco, and Alfred Molina.

Mechagirl is theatrically scheduled for release in the United States on December 21, 2022.

Premise
Rakki, a teenage girl living in a futuristic Japan, becomes the mech warrior Mechagirl in order to fight against the forces of evil and save Earth.

Cast

 * Kimiko Glenn as Rakki / Mechagirl
 * Jeremy Howard
 * Seth Rogen
 * Ariana Grande
 * Dave Franco
 * Alfred Molina

Development
In May 2018, it was announced that Audel LaRoque was working on a new film. Very little info about the film was released to the public until July 25, 2018, when it was announced that Universal Animation had begun development on an original animated film titled Mech-Girl, which is being written and directed by LaRoque and will pay homage to various Japanese mecha anime and manga. The film is LaRoque's eighth directorial feature film after Liche's Wish, Ghost Vision, Paint World, the Computeropolis series and Quest, as well as Universal Animation's first original feature film since Lix. Roy Kobayashi would also produce the film, with Universal Animation CEO Michael Wildshill executive producing.

Further details were revealed a year later at the 2019 Annecy International Animated Film Festival that June, when Wildshill and Universal Animation president David Stainton revealed that the film, now retitled Mechagirl, would be using an art style similar to anime and manga, and that it would feature a number of other anime references and cameo appearances by anime characters, in a manner similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Toy Story series, Wreck-It Ralph and its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet, as well as the Computeropolis series. Production was done remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 11, 2020, Universal revealed more details about Mechagirl, including its protagonist, a young teenage girl, being named Rakki. It was also announced that Casey Crowe and Charlotte Jackson, former writers of the Disney Channel animated series Star vs. the Forces of Evil, joined LaRoque to co-write the screenplay, with Jackson serving as co-director.

Casting
On June 11, 2020, Kimiko Glenn, known for her voice role as Peni Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, was cast as Rakki. Other voice cast members include Jeremy Howard, Seth Rogen, Ariana Grande, Dave Franco, and Alfred Molina.

Release
Mechagirl was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on November 5, 2021, but Computeropolis: Webcation took its November slot (before being pushed back to July 2021 due to the COVID–19 pandemic), removing the film's release date from its schedule. It is scheduled to be released on December 21, 2022, taking the former slot of an untitled Illumination feature film.