Ahead of its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna announced today they have jointly acquired the North American rights to Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark, the sequel to the 2002 cult hit, sci-fi/punk-twisted kawaii anime Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space. The psychedelic cyber-noir will be released theatrically next year.
“We fell in love with Tamala as soon as we met her. It took 23 years, but to quote the sassy cat herself, ‘Another f-cking day is about to begin,'” said Deaf Crocodile Co-Founder Craig Rogers. “Let’s do this!”
James Belfer, Founder & CEO of Cartuna, noted, “Tamala is back, and she’s weirder, wiser, and more dangerous than ever. Tamala 2030 is a gorgeous, mystifying, mind-altering work. This is not just a sequel — it’s a cosmic escalation of everything that made Tamala 2010 a cult obsession.”
Written, directed and composed by the mysterious duo K. and kuno — collectively known as t.o.L. — Tamala 2030 picks up the existential thread of its iconic feline anti-hero:
Set in Cat Tokyo in the year 2030, the film follows the incorrigible Tamala — a pint-sized, chain-smoking, time-hopping cat — as she impulsively joins her detective friend Michelangelo in investigating a string of bizarre disappearances across Cat Japan. Their search uncovers an intricate pattern tied to ancient occult forces, cosmic prophecy and a shadowy megacorporation with a familiar name: Catty & Co. The deeper the mystery unravels, the clearer it becomes that Tamala may be more than just a wayward mascot — she may be a messiah, a myth or the end of everything.
Inspired in part by the sudden disappearance of loved ones and friends during the COVID pandemic, Tamala 2030 is a kaleidoscope of surreal satire, pop iconography and mind-bending narrative fragments, fusing influences from Philip K. Dick, David Lynch and Thomas Pynchon with the aesthetics of Hello Kitty and post-internet paranoia. The result is a visually and philosophically radical experience — part art film, part cosmic joke, and wholly singular.
“The film Tamala 2010, starring Punk Cat Tamala, was produced in the early 21st century. This chronicle and strange animation has been loved by the founders of Deaf Crocodile for 20 years,” the co-directing team t.o.L. commented. “Then, in 2025, when the new film Tamala 2030 was produced, we met our new friend, Cartuna. t.o.L., the director of the Tamala series, is very excited about this upcoming collaboration with the trusted Deaf Crocodile and Cartuna!”
Dennis Bartok, Deaf Crocodile’s Co-Founder, said, “I’ve been a huge fan of t.o.L’s visionary animation since the original Tamala 2010, which Craig and I re-released last year. During work on that, t.o.L let it slip they were nearing completion on a new film continuing Tamala’s cyberpunk adventures, and our jaws hit the floor!”
Tamala 2030 marks the first co-acquisition between Cartuna and Deaf Crocodile, two companies specializing in genre-defying animation and international cult cinema. Cartuna continues to build out its slate of theatrical distribution, which includes Boys Go to Jupiter and Dead Lover.
Deaf Crocodile continues its mission as a leading curator of restored and rediscovered global animation and world cinema, such as Jirí Barta’s The Pied Piper and Jean-François Laguionie’s Gwen and the Book of Sand.
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