“Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem” has returned to our solar system.
The Japanese animated feature, built around Daft Punk’s 2001 breakthrough album “Discovery,” was released back in 2003 and has long been unavailable. But all that changes this week. After a series of special screenings (including one earlier this year at the Tribeca Festival in New York), the movie will have a wide re-release – in over 800 cinemas in 40 countries. (Get your tickets here.)
TheWrap spoke to Pedro Winter, the former manager of Daft Punk (nee Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo), about the creation of the movie and its long overdue return.
“Interstella 5555” follows a band of blue-skinned alien musicians (later labeled the Crescendolls) who are abducted and forced to battle an ancient evil. The project, directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi and written by the band and Cédric Hervet, the band’s creative director.
According to Winter, the movie came “from the heart and mind” of Bangalter, Homem-Christo and Hervet. The band, who had long been inspired by Japanese animation, wanted Leiji Matsumoto, creator of late seventies anime “Space Pirate Captain Harlock” and “Galaxy Express 999.” Daft Punk and the team traveled to Japan in 2000. The idea, according to Winter, was “to meet with the biggest animation studios.” “Leiji’s answer was so quick we did not even had to meet the other studios,” Winter said. Production was handled by the legendary Toei Animation, known for (among other titles) “Dragon Ball,” “Sailor Moon” and “Transformers” (from 1984 to 1990).
“The band worked so hard on it. Thomas was travelling to Tokyo every month to meet Toiei Animation’s team,” Winter said of the production. “They wrote the story, gave their feedback to Matsumoto, worked with the team who edit each episode. It’s definitely a Daft Punk project, as much as they did the music.”
As for how they sold the label on making an animated feature instead of a series of music videos (chunks of the movie were later used as music videos), Winter said, “It was not about convincing, but more to bring them on board of fascinating adventure. Of course it will cost a lot of money, but look, we are 25 years later and we still talk and dream about this project.” (The movie reportedly cost $4 million to produce.)
“Interstella 5555” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003, followed by a brief theatrical run and various home video releases (the last release was way back in 2011). In February, Daft Punk streamed the film on Twitch for Daft Punk Day, the anniversary of the band’s dissolution.
The 4K remaster of the movie debuted in Paris, followed by some special screenings, including in Los Angeles earlier this fall. (The new transfer is not without its controversies, as fans have speculated that generative AI has been utilized for the upscale.) A special capsule collection of “Interstella 5555” merchandise also debuted on the official Daft Punk website – including a new version of “Discovery,” with special film-specific artwork.
Not that the movie’s longevity surprises Winter, who runs influential label Ed Banger Records, home to artists like Justice, SebastiAn and Breakbot. “’Interstella 5555’ was written 25 years ago and it’s so relevant in 2025,” Winter said.
Ready to watch “Interstella 5555” one more time?
