The eagerly anticipated Yuri on Ice film has finally been officially scrapped.
One of the most-watched sports anime series ever is Yuri on Ice. The studio behind the planned Yuri on Ice film, MAPPA, has announced that it is no longer in development. It has been permanently shut down after seven years of production, and there are no plans for a future resuscitation.
The anime, which centered on figure skating, received praise from critics for how well it portrayed mental health and LGBTQ+ issues. Both viewers and critics praised the series for its smooth animation and honest plot.
In 2017, MAPPA announced a prequel film following its huge popularity. The movie, Yuri on Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence, was supposed to follow Viktor Nikiforov in the early years of his rise to prominence as a figure skater and world champion.
But since then, there haven’t been many updates on the production. The anime movie hadn’t made much progress despite the fandom’s excitement and desire. 2019 marked the first time that MAPPA revealed a teaser for the upcoming Yuri on Ice film to the public.
Japan released the movie’s teaser trailer in January 2019. But the public didn’t get to see the teaser trailer until November 2020. Despite the teaser’s seeming hopeful release, no additional information was provided.
For years, fans have been anticipating the release of Yuri on Ice, expecting to witness the same beautiful animation and poignant narrative. However, the project’s development was so delayed that most of the initial excitement was dissipated.
MAPPA eventually came clean and announced the film’s permanent cancellation in April 2024. On the film’s official website, the studio issued an apology. The studio expressed gratitude to the audience for their support of Yuri on Ice and expressed regret for falling short of the fans’ expectations.
The studio explains the cancelation by saying, “The production committee and staff have been in constant discussions to create and to deliver the movie, but due to various circumstances, we have had to make the difficult decision to stop the production.”
While many Yuri on Ice fans were devastated by the announcement, there was also some expectation that the project would fade away after seeing so little progress over such a long period of time. However, we are all equally disappointed that such a promising movie was canceled.
