Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

"They're here to save the planet. But not for free."

2001 1h 55m JA

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 1,093

ActionAnimationScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him.

“They're here to save the planet. But not for free.”

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Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoBuy

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Koichi Yamadera
Spike Spiegel (voice)
Unsho Ishizuka
Jet Black (voice)
Aoi Tada
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV (voice)
Ai Kobayashi
Electra (voice)
Megumi Hayashibara
Faye Valentine (voice)
Mickey Curtis
Rasheed (voice)
Tsutomu Isobe
Vincent (voice)
Jin Hirao
Antonio (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Writers: Keiko Nobumoto, Shinichiro Watanabe, Yutaka Nakamura
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, shot by Youichi Ogami. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Yoko Kanno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Shuichi Kakesu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Koichi Yamadera and Unsho Ishizuka and Aoi Tada carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're here to save the planet. But not for free.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0275277 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shinichiro Watanabe directs. Youichi Ogami behind the camera. Yoko Kanno scores. Shuichi Kakesu cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

125 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, shot by Youichi Ogami. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Yoko Kanno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Shuichi Kakesu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Koichi Yamadera and Unsho Ishizuka and Aoi Tada carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They're here to save the planet. But not for free.".
7IMDB entry: tt0275277 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "revenge", "space western", "lethal virus", "adult animation".
9Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Youichi Ogami
Original score: Yoko Kanno
Editing: Shuichi Kakesu
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Also by

Shinichiro Watanabe

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Production companies

Who made it

TriStar Pictures
US
Bandai Visual
JP
Destination Films
US
SUNRISE
JP
Emotion
JP
BONES
JP

Key crew

Executive ProducerRyohei Tsunoda
EditorShuichi Kakesu
ProducerMasahiko Minami
ProducerMasuo Ueda
ProducerMinoru Takanashi
Executive ProducerTakayuki Yoshii
Key AnimationNorimitsu Suzuki
Art DirectionAtsushi Morikawa
Co-DirectorYoshiyuki Takei
Storyboard ArtistShinichiro Watanabe
Storyboard ArtistYutaka Nakamura
Storyboard ArtistMasami Goto
Animation DirectorMasami Goto
Storyboard ArtistYutaka Izubuchi
Background DesignerHiroki Matsumoto
Background DesignerMitsuo Yoshino
Background DesignerAtsushi Morikawa
Background DesignerMasaki Yoshizaki
Background DesignerNorifumi Nakamura
Background DesignerSakako Itakura
Background DesignerKazuhisa Asai
Background DesignerRie Sugiyama
Background DesignerMasato Shibata
Background DesignerTakashi Aoi

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

revenge
space western
lethal virus
adult animation
neo-western
anime
excited
vibrant

Release history · US

When it landed

Premiere2002-08-11· American Cinematheque's Festival of Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction
Premiere2002-08-30· Big Apple Anime Fest
Theatrical (limited)2003-04-04R
Theatrical (limited)2018-08-15R· English subtitles
Theatrical (limited)2018-08-16R· English dub
Digital2025-06-17R
Physical2018-11-13· MetalPak Blu-ray
Physical2003-06-24R· DVD
TV2005-09-03· Adult Swim