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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did "The Last Whale Singer" say? "I'm whale-come to sing.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Last Whale Singer
German theatrical release poster
Directed byReza Memari
Screenplay byReza Memari
Produced byMaite Woköck
CinematographyJaromir Maly
Edited byDieter Riepenhauser
Music byDaníel Bjarnason
Production
companies
  • Telescope Animation
  • PFX
  • La Boîte à Fanny
Distributed byLittle Dream Pictures (Germany)
Release dates
  • September 28, 2025 (2025-09-28) (Schlingel)
  • February 12, 2026 (2026-02-12) (Germany)
  • June 5, 2026 (2026-06-05) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Germany
  • Czech Republic
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish

The Last Whale Singer is a 2025 animated fantasy film written and directed by Reza Memari. The film follows Vincent, an orphaned humpack whale who is the son of the legendary last Whale Singer. It premiered at Schlingel International Filmfestival in Chemnitz, Germany, on September 28, 2025.

Plot

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Vincent, a teenage humpback whale, the orphaned son of Humphrey, the last Whale Singer, whose magical song once protected the oceans. Burdened by the loss of his parents, Vincent doubts his own abilities. When the monstrous Leviathan escapes from a melting iceberg, threatening all marine life with its deadly ink, Vincent must go on an adventurous journey to find his own song to save the oceans, joined by Walter, his finicky suckerfish nanny, and Darya, a brave deaf orca.

Voice cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Writer-director Reza Memari had the initial idea for the film while watching a documentary about humpback whales and that they have actual singers in their tribe. After several years of marine research and story development, Memari pitched the film to producer Maite Woköck with whom he had already worked on his first film Richard the Stork.[4]

The film's characters are based on designs by Uwe Heidschötter, known for his work on Revolting Rhymes and Missing Link.[5]

Preproduction started in 2020 with the first beat boards. The movie went into full production in 2023. It was animated in Maya and rendered in Unreal Engine (about 75%) and Houdini (25%).[4] By using Epic Games' Unreal Engine it was possible to render scenes in real time.[6][7] Epic Games supported the production with two Epic MegaGrants.[8] One reason for this unusual approach was to make the film part of a multi-platform project with a planned prequel video game, an episodic series and further AR/VR projects which will all use the same assets.[9]

Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir wrote and performed the Whale Singer's songs.[10]

Marketing

[edit]

The first theatrical trailer has been released on September 5, 2025.[11]

Release

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The Last Whale Singer premiered at Schlingel International Film Festival in Chemnitz, Germany, on September 28, 2025.[12] It had its international premiere outside Germany at Zurich Film Festival on October 1, 2025.[13] It has also been shown at Filmfest Hamburg,[14] Tauron Young Horizons Film Festival in Warsaw[15] and Lübeck Nordic Film Days.[16] It premiered in the US at the 42nd KidFilm Family Festival in Dallas on January 18th 2026,[17] and has also been shown at the Blue Water Film Festival in San Diego[18] and the DC Environmental Film Festival.[19]

Sales agency Global Screen acquired global distribution rights in 2022[5] and sold the film to distributors in France and French speaking territories (KMBO), Australia (Icon Film Distribution), Portugal (PRIS Audiovisuais), Greece (Rosebud21) and Germany (Little Dreams).[20] US distribution rights were acquired by Viva Pictures.[21]

The Last Whale Singer has been released in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on February 12, 2026 by Little Dream Pictures.[22] It has been released in Czech Republic and Slovakia on February 19, in Turkey on March 13, in Ukraine and Portugal on March 19, and in Hungary and Romania on April 30. It had a limited release in the US on June 5th, and will be released in Australia and New Zealand on September 24, and in Spain on October 9, 2026.[23]

Reception

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In a festival review for German trade magazine Blickpunkt Film, Heike Angermaier wrote that the film "is not only about family reunification, self-belief, and friendship, but also about raising awareness among children about environmental destruction and nature conservation. And it does so not in a didactic way, but in a very charming manner, both narratively and visually." She also found "original ideas, comedy of all shades [...] and touching drama".[10]

Reinhard Kleber of Kino-Zeit criticized the final showdown, "which [...] miraculously brings about a sentimental solution", but elaborates that "despite these weaknesses, The Last Whale Singer is a visually stunning adventure film that inspires courage, celebrates values such as friendship and team spirit, and unobtrusively advocates for the protection of the oceans."[24]

Common Sense Media's Tara McNamara found that "the plot of this whale tale doesn't exactly chart new waters, but its lush, vibrant animation and fascinating facts about ocean creatures will keep kids hooked."[25]

Accolades

[edit]

The film won the "Club of Festivals Award", chosen by a jury of 36 children's festival directors and programmers from around the world, in the category "Children" at Schlingel International Film Festival.[26]

It won the Grand Jury Award for "Best Animated Feature Film" at the 7th Annual Blue Water Film Festival.[27]

Reza Memari won the "Director of the Year" award for The Last Whaler Singer at the 2026 Cartoon Tributes during the Cartoon Movie industry forum in Bordeaux, France.[28]

Other Media

[edit]

In December 2024, Telescope Games, a subsidiary of Telescope Animation, released Lani's Call, a short narrative game for Windows computers, that takes place in the world of The Last Whale Singer.[29]

Coinciding with the release of the film, an interactive story book for smartphones and tablets has been released in February 2026.[30]

Sequel

[edit]

As of summer 2026, writer-director Memari is working on the screenplay for a sequel.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "The Last Whale Singer [G]". Australian Classification Board. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "German Films Quarterly 3 2025 DER LETZTE WALSÄNGER". germanfilmsquarterly.de. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Filmaffinity: The Last Whale Singer - Cast. Retrieved June 10, 2026 – via www.filmaffinity.com.
  4. 1 2 Zahed, Ramin (June 12, 2025). "A Song of Resilience: 'The Last Whale Singer' Director Reza Memari Takes Us on a Deep Dive into the New Animated Feature". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Barraclough, Leo (May 5, 2022). "Animated Movie 'The Last Whale Singer' Acquired by Global Screen – Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  6. ↑ Szewczyk, Daniel (September 24, 2025). "A Humpback Whale from Hamburg". MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  7. ↑ Lang, Jamie (November 10, 2025). "'The Last Whale Singer' Trailer Debuts Head Of AFM 2025". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  8. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (June 8, 2022). "First Trailer for the Epic Games MegaGrants-Funded 'The Last Whale Singer' Debuts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  9. ↑ Lodderhose, Diana (May 21, 2023). "Technologies Like AI & Unreal Engine Are A Having Big Impact On The Entertainment Business, But Where Will It Go From Here?". Deadline. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Angermaier, Heike. "REVIEW KINO: "Der letzte Walsänger"". Blickpunkt:Film (in German). Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  11. ↑ Lodderhose, Diana (September 5, 2025). "'The Last Whale Singer': Watch First Trailer For Telescope Animation Title From Writer-Director Reza Memari". Deadline. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Programme Detail: The Last Whale Singer". Schlingel International Film Festival. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  13. ↑ "The Last Whale Singer". Zurich Film Festival. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Last Whale Singer". Filmfest Hamburg. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  15. ↑ "The Last Whale Singer". TAURON Young Horizons. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  16. ↑ "The Last Whale Singer". Nordic Film Days Lübeck. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  17. ↑ "42nd Annual KidFilm Program" (PDF). USA Film Festival. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  18. ↑ "7th Annual Blue Water Film Festival: The Last Whaler Singer". 2026bwff.eventive.org. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  19. ↑ "New Animated Film "The Last Whale Singer" Premieres March 21 - Washington Today". National Today. March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  20. ↑ Orciari, Veronica (March 11, 2025). ""The Last Whale Singer": Telescope Animation's New Journey into the Deep Sea". The European Animation Journal. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  21. 1 2 Davis, Victoria. "Reza Memari Dives into Unreal Engine for 'The Last Whale Singer'". Animation World Network. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Der letzte Walsänger". Little Dream Pictures. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  23. ↑ "The Last Whale Singer (2026)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  24. ↑ Kleber, Reinhard. "Der Letzte Walsänger (2026)". Kino-Zeit. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  25. ↑ McNamara, Tara. "The Last Whale Singer Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Schlingel: Winners 2025". Schlingel International Film Festival. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  27. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (March 26, 2026). "'The Last Whale Singer,' 'Black Butterflies' Win Animation Awards at Blue Water Film Festival". Animation Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  28. ↑ Sarto, Dan (March 5, 2026). "Reza Memari and 'The Last Whale Singer' Lead Cartoon Movie Tributes Winners". Animation World Network. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Lani's Call: a tiny Whale Singer story - OUT NOW". telescopegames.itch.io. December 19, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  30. ↑ "The Last Whale Singer: Interactive Storybook". Telescope Games. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
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