Production I.G. is a Japanese animation studio that has produced some of the most visually impressive animated films of all time. No, not the most impressive Japanese animated films, the most animated films, period. Casual film-goers will probably recognize their work in the animated portion of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. One of their most recent films, A Letter to Momo was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2014 Annie Awards – it didn’t win, but it was up against Frozen, so that’s understandable. Now, armed with an international trailer (and by international we mean one English-speakers can understand) their upcoming film, Giovanni’s Island looks primed to impress (at least visually).

One of Giovanni’s Island‘s most notable features – besides the fact that, according to twitch, “Production I.G went to Moscow this past September to record all the Russian dialogue” – is the animation itself, which was hand drawn. Animation done by hand is (sadly) a fading art form, especially in the U.S. due to the popularity (and ease) of computer generated animation.

Here’s the plot of Giovanni’s Island from the press release:

In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast… and on the unhealed border in this remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Inspired by true events.

And here’s the trailer: