Titmouse Animate 'Street Fighter' (2026) Movie Flashbacks
Live-action video game adaptations have been notoriously ropey. Tomb Raider, Super Mario Bros (1993), Assassin's Creed, Doom, Hitman, basically everything that Uwe Boll directed- the list goes on. But more recently, their reputation has begun to improve with films like Detective Pikachu, the new Mortal Kombat movies and the new Resident Evil reboot. Considered to be one of the worst video game movies is Street Fighter (1994), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue, and the late, great Raul Julia. Hollywood figured it was about time that they had another crack at adapting this most legendary of fighting game franchises for the big screen. Street Fighter (2026) is in cinemas now.
Street Fighter the video game first hit arcades in 1987. It introduced the iconic characters, friends and rivals Ryu and Ken, among the roster of Capcom's first one-on-one fighting game. But it would be the 1991 sequel, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior that would really become a worldwide phenomenon that introduced the heroes and villains we know and love. The first movie was actually based on the second game, as was the anime feature Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. It looks like the 2026 movie takes most of its cues from the sequel too, with the featured warriors reflecting that fact.
Director Kitao Sakurai seems to be a genuine fan of the franchise. Visually, it seems to have been transported straight out of the games. It will be a nostalgia trip for those who grew up with the game or its subsequent sequels, with plenty of martial-arts action for action fans. One of the most interesting decisions that Sakurai made, however, was to include animated sequences throughout the film.
The narrative features flashbacks that reveal the backstory of Ryu and Ken. These segments are told through 2D animation with an anime influence. The flashbacks are produced in digital hand-drawn animation by the renowned animation studio Titmouse. The decision to use traditional animation rather than CG is intended to add to the film's retro feel. The film is set in 1993, and the flashbacks take place even earlier. The style is influenced by 90s Japanese animation. "Our use of animation in this film is really a homage to anime and the true spirit of the game" said Sakurai.
The character designs are familiar to their classic looks, while also modelled on the film's actors. Action scenes are based on the choreography of the film's live-action action choreographer. But the flashbacks also delve into Ryu and Ken's emotional history.
The animated segments should add to the enjoyment of what should be a nostalgic and thrilling experience for fans. Live-action films rarely employ animation, but this has to be one of the most fitting uses for it in years.
Street Fighter is directed by Kitao Sakurai and written by Sakurai and TJ Fixman. It stars Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, David Dastmalchian, Andrew Schulz, Jason Momoa, Cody Rhodes, Eric Andre, 50 Cent, Don Lee, Mel Jarnson, Orville Peck, Hirooki Goto, Vidyut Jammwal and Olivier Richters. It's produced by Paramount Pictures and Legendary in association with Capcom. The film is in cinemas now.
You can get a taste of the animated sequences and learn the story behind them in a featurette released by Paramount. You can check it out, below. Hadoken!
