Tamagotchi is hitting the big screens.
The popular Japanese digital toy is being produced as an animated short film, the company's official website has announced on Tuesday. According to the site, the short film is titled "Eiga Tamagotchi: Himitsu no Otodake Daisakusen!" (Tamagotchi the Movie: Great Secret Delivery Strategy) and will be screened concurrently with
"Kami-sama Minarai: Himitsu no Cocotama" (God Apprentices: Secretive Cocotama). Producers of the film has scheduled the movie for release on Japan's Golden Week which kicks off in late April until early May 2017.
Plot details of Tamagotchi's anime short film were not made available at this point. However, the site offered that it will feature nostalgic elements for both parents and children's enjoyment. Bandai, who owns the digital pet brand, has decided to produce the short as part of Tamagotchi's 20th anniversary celebration.
Created by Akihiro Yoko, Tamagotchi was first sold by Bandai on November 1996 in Japan. Due to its creative innovation, the Tamagotchi brand became a success hit in the toy industry during the early 90s. In 2010, the company was able to sold over 76 million units of the digital pet globally.
Tamagotchi has been known as a gaming device housed in a small egg-shaped casing. Its front panel has a black and white screen that displays the varieties of digital pets. Below the screen are three main buttons used to control the pet's behavior.
To date, Bandai has sold more than 81 million Tamagotchi gaming devices worldwide. The franchise also spawned multiple anime series such as Anime TV de Hakken! Tamagotchi in 1997, Saikō! Tamagotchi in 2007, and Tamagotchi! Yume Kira Dream in 2012.
