Toei Animation has released a new clip from Butt Detective the Movie: Star and Moon, the third anime film in the Butt Detective franchise, showcasing a delightful song and dance sequence that promises to entertain audiences. The film is slated to premiere in Japan on March 20, 2025.
Butt Detective Infiltrates Idol Contest in New Movie
The movie’s plot kicks off when Koala seeks Butt Detective’s help in locating a missing relative who vanished during an idol competition. This leads the detective to Stardust Island, which is not only the venue for the contest but also the headquarters of the international criminal organization, Phantom Thief Academy, led by Phantom Thief G.
Dark Age Plan
Here, Phantom Thief Academy is secretly advancing a scheme called the “Dark Age Plan”. To investigate, Butt Detective disguises himself as an idol and enters the competition.
Alliance with Phantom Thief U
Simultaneously, he teams up with Phantom Thief U, who aims to retrieve the Moonlight Stone from Phantom Thief G. The film will also delve into Brown’s past.
Production Team and Theme Song
Hiroki Shibata, the series director, is helming the film at Toei Animation. Shoji Yonemura, known for writing many episodes of the series, is penning the script.
- Music: Hiroshi Takaki
- Character Designer & Chief Animation Director: Hideaki Maniwa
- Production Supervisor: Yūnosuke Komamizu
- Editing: Kiminori Yoshida
- Sound Recording: Hiroki Sawamura
- Sound Effects: Ryūta Nakahara
- Art Designer: Ryūtarō Matsuda
- Art Director: Miki Azuma
- Color Key Artist: Aya Mori
- Compositing Director of Photography: Hideki Chiba
The film’s theme song, “Kawaiitte Magic” (Cuteness is Magic), is performed by FRUITS ZIPPER.
Anime Prequel Series
New episodes of the television anime, which serve as a prequel to the film, will begin airing in Japan on April 5, 2025. The first three episodes of the television anime premiered on NHK Educational in May 2018, and a new series of seven episodes premiered in July 2018. The anime began a regular television anime airing in December 2018 and has been running weekly since. The anime premiered 13 new episodes in April 2021.
Previous Butt Detective Films
Eiga Oshiri Tantei Shiriarty, the franchise’s first standalone feature-length film and overall fourth film in the franchise, opened in Japan in March 2021. Eiga Oshiri Tantei Saraba Itoshiki Aibō (Oshiri) yo, the second film, opened in March 2024.
About Butt Detective
The Butt Detective series began as a picture book series by Troll in 2012, with over 9 million copies in print. The franchise has also inspired a stage musical and a Nintendo Switch game that launched in November 2021.
Butt Detective is a polite and meticulous super sleuth who solves mysteries and blows raspberries in the face of crime.
