Anime: Toei Animation Hack Delays Multiple Releases
The Toei Animation hack caused system shutdowns, which could result in delays to One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and more.
On March 6th, the animation studio responsible for One Piece, Dragon Ball, and The Transformers Toei Animation, reported that it had been hacked by an unknown party. The hack resulted in internal and online systems being shut down as a safety measure. But it may have longer-lasting effects on the studio as well.
Toei Animation Hack
From Toei Animation’s official statement:
“We confirmed that our network was illegally accessed by a third party on March 6, this year, and have suspended part of our internal system.”
Numerous shows have been put on hiatus for a yet undisclosed amount of time. Impacted anime include Digimon Ghost Game, One Piece, Delicious Party: Pretty Cure, and Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai. And in this house, One Piece is a weekly family event.
Not limited to ongoing series they have also announced that as a result of the Toei Animation hack the upcoming Dragon Ball movie will also be postponed. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was slated for an April 22 Japanese theatrical release. But at this time the film is facing an indefinite delay. The studio promises that a new release date will be announced soon.
The studio’s online store is also temporarily unavailable as a result of last week’s hack.
The full statement from Toei Animation reads:
“As previously announced, Toei Animation, the production company behind Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, has experienced unauthorized access to its network by a third party. This has made it difficult to produce the film. As a result, we have no choice but to postpone the release of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. We apologize to those looking forward to the release of the film. However, we will announce a new release date in the near future. Thank you for your understanding.”
We haven’t heard one way or the other regarding a potential delay to August 6th release of One Piece Red. But it may be scheduled for release far enough in the future to not be affected by the Toei Animation hack.
At this point it is unknown to the public if the release hiatus is the result of data loss, a protocol as they assess the damage and reinforce security, or something else.
We will be keeping our ears open for any updates or news regarding our favorite shows. Hopefully the hiatus will be relatively short and we can go back to enjoying Toei Animation’s weekly releases and feature films soon.
About Toei Animation
Founded as Japan Animated Films in 1948 and eventually renamed Toi Doga Co., Ltd and then Toi Animation in 1998, the studio is responsible for some of the most popular anime series’ worldwide. Included in this list are Sailor Moon Crystal, Digimon, and Saint Seiya. In addition to bringing some of our favorite manga to live, Toei has also bee commissioned to provide animation for western shows. Some examples include Inspector Gadget, The Snorks, and Miraculous Ladybug.
What is your favorite Toei Animation series or movie? How long do you think the hiatus will last? Which upcoming Toei project are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments!
Ja Ne, Adventurers!
