Beginning of a New Era

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 新時代の扉, umamusume puritii daabii shin jidai no tobira) is an animated feature-length film focusing on the careers of Jungle Pocket, Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe, and Dantsu Flame. Produced by CyPic (formerly known as CygamesPictures) and directed by Ken Yamamoto, it premiered on May 24th, 2024 in Japanese theaters, with a streaming release on U-NEXT on November 24, 2024 and a Blu-ray release on February 19th, 2025. A US theatrical release for February 27th, 2026 was announced on January 14th, 2026.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era
Kanji	ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 新時代の扉
Romaji	umamusume puritii daabii shin jidai no tobira
English	Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era
Anime Information
Air Date	May 24th, 2024 (Japanese theatrical release) November 24th, 2024 (streaming) February 19th, 2025 (home release) February 27th, 2026 (US Theatrical release)
Director	Ken Yamamoto
Animation studio	CyPic (Formerly CygamesPictures)
Run time	108 minutes
Major Races Depicted
'95 Yayoi Sho (G2) '00 Radio Tampa Hai Sansai Stakes (G3) '00 Arima Kinen (G1) '01 Yayoi Sho (G2) '01 Satsuki Sho (G1) '01 Japanese Derby (G1) '01 Kikuka Sho (G1) '01 Japan Cup (G1)
Production Order
ROAD TO THE TOP (2023) Beginning of a New Era (2024) Cinderella Gray (2025)

Although not a direct sequel, the film is set after the events of the ROAD TO THE TOP OVA, and as such, some of the characters from it can be found here.

Summary

Jungle Pocket, known to her close friends as "Pokke," is a free-spirited Umamusume who has proven her dominance in the freestyle racing scene. Overwhelmed by Fuji Kiseki's majestic performance at a graded Twinkle Series race, she resolves to take on the Twinkle Series herself.

Shortly after joining the Umamusume training school Tracen Academy, Pokke comes under the wing of Tanabe, a veteran trainer who fostered Fuji Kiseki's talent. Together, they aspire to dominate the Triple Crown series, a set of three races that can only be attempted once in a lifetime. Awaiting them are formidable rivals of Pokke's generation, whose talents surpass even her own.

There's Dantsu Flame, whose diligence and determination to win are second to none; Manhattan Cafe, who chases the shadowy silhouette of a "friend" that only she can see; and Agnes Tachyon, a veritable mad scientist seeking to push the very boundaries of what is possible for Umamusume.

These four runners take to the track with their very pride, spirit, and souls on the line. Past the finish of their epic clash is a door waiting to be opened—one that leads to the beginning of a new era.

"It doesn't matter who stands in my way! I'm gonna be the greatest!"

Plot

Be careful! Spoilers ahead! This page contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!

Jungle Pocket (from now on called Pokke) visits the Nakayama Racecourse to watch a Twinkle Series race, after running on freestyle races. There, she watches Fuji Kiseki's racing and is immediately enthralled by it. She aspires to become the "strongest" Umamusume, and after enrolling at Tracen Academy, she gets under the guidance of the veteran Trainer Tanabe, who was also Fuji Kiseki's trainer. Undefeated since her debut race in the summer, Pokke competes in the G1 Hopeful Stakes, but is defeated by Agnes Tachyon. Pokke is dejected by this, but she's inspired by T.M. Opera O, who won the Arima Kinen the next day.

As the new year rolls in, Pokke brings along Dantsu Flame to Tachyon's science room that she shares with Manhattan Cafe, bringing a "declaration of war". Tachyon accepts, but what matters most to Tachyon is the source of the physical abilities of Umamusume, and the "truth" that lies beneath it. They both compete again on the G1 Satsuki Sho, along with Dantsu, but Tachyon won by a landslide victory. However, shortly after, Tachyon announces that she would be taking an indefinite hiatus from racing due to a leg injury.

While Dantsu and Cafe continue to run, Pokke can't get along with her feelings. Tanabe entrusts her with a new dream, following Fuji Kiseki's footsteps, who was once considered a sure winner of the Triple Classic Crown, but was forced to retire due to an injury, and himself, who resigned as a trainer for a while without accomplishing this goal. Pokke, following Tanabe's trainer, won a fierce battle against Dantsu Flame on the G1 Japanese Derby, and won the title of Derby Umamusume, the strongest of her generation. Tachyon, watching from the stands, was happy that Pokke ran better than expected, then realizing that Pokke had reached the "truth" in her place instead.

Later, they go on a summer camp, but unlike Dantsu and Cafe, who keep getting better, Pokke gradually loses her vigor. She loses the G2 Sapporo Kinen and loses to Cafe on the G1 Kikuka Sho, the last Classic race. In Pokke's mind, Tachyon is stuck ahead of her, always outrunning her, and her mind convinces her that she's not the "strongest" that she thinks she is. Fuji realizes this, and sees Pokke as a reflection of herself, who was forced to retire and was troubled by the vision of herself continuing to run on her prime, and invites Pokke to a one-on-one race to help Pokke regain her spirit. Pokke then decides to enter the international G1 Japan Cup, to challenge the strongest active Umamusume, T.M. Opera O.

Meanwhile, Tachyon grows more obsessed with her peers' races, and Cafe, fed up with her attitude, distances herself. Pokke visits a messy, dirty science room, and invites Tachyon to help her train, but she turns it down. However, Pokke doesn't give up, and invites Dantsu and Cafe instead. Tachyon realizes that, once on top of her generation, she has now been left behind.

At the Japan Cup, far ahead of everyone else, Pokke and T.M. Opera O run with all their might to cement themselves as the strongest one. Seeing Pokke, Tachyon is overcomed with the urge to find the "truth" for herself, and starts running outside the Tokyo Racecourse. Pokke breaks down the illusion of herself that stands in her way, and wins her race against T.M. Opera O, and takes the title of the "strongest".

Time passes, and the story closes with the start of a race between Pokke, Cafe and Dantsu, who continued running after Tachyon left, and Tachyon, who returned after her injury.

Cast and Production

Production
Original Creator	Cygames
Director	Ken Yamamoto
Scenario Director Story Composition	Tetsuya Kobari
Screenplay	Kiyoko Yoshimura
Character Designer Chief Animation Director	Jun Yamazaki
Art Director	Yusuke Watanabe
Color Design	Yo Iwada
3D Director	Yoshinori Nakano
Director of Photography	Akane Fushihara Yuki Kawashita
Editing	Kashiko Kimura
Sound Director	Yota Tsuruoka
Music Producer	Tetsuya Uchida
Music	Masaru Yokoyama
Contents Director	Takuma Akitsu
Character Design Supervisor	Minami Kiyonaga
Animation Producer	Tadashi Mizoguchi
Animation Production	CyPic (Formerly CygamesPictures)
Distributor	TOHO

Songs

Theme Song

Ready!! Steady!! Derby!!

Ending Theme

Umapyoi Densetsu

Insert Songs

Beyond the Finale
PRISMATIC SPURT!!!!
Sabishiku nanka Nakatta

Umamusume Fanfare I GI

Reception

Box office

According to Kogyo Tsushinsha, the movie attracted 226,000 viewers and grossed 354 million yen in its first three days, making a second place debut at the weekend box office. The movie also had an average rating of 4.14/5.0 based on 962 reviews, as reported by Filmarks' first day satisfaction ranking. The movie has grossed 1.8 billion yen during its run in Japanese theaters in 2024.

Critical response

Richard Eisenbeis from Anime News Network rated the movie B+ overall, commending how the movie reinterprets the 2000-2001 Japanese horse racing season with emotional and psychological complexity, adding depth to the main leads in Jungle Pocket and Agnes Tachyon, while also noting that certain characters who were the leads' real-life racing contemporaries, notably Manhattan Cafe and Dantsu Flame, felt lacking in their character development, remarking that they "seem shoehorned in because they were around in real life".

Elijah Gonzales from The A.V. Club also rated the movie B+ upon its release in North America, remarking how the rivalry between Jungle Pocket and Agnes Tachyon is executed to also analyze their motivations and struggles, while also pointing out the lack of focus to the rest of the ensemble cast and the confusing nature of the races to viewers unfamiliar with the franchise, concluding that, despite these drawbacks, the film "captures the irrational passion of sports in all its hooved glory."

Beginning of a New Era winning Anime Movie of the Year in the Anime Trending Awards.

Makoto Shinkai, the director of the anime movies "Your Name.", "Suzume", and "Weathering with You", reviewed the movie positively, calling it "stunning", after "seeing [it] without knowing anything about it".

Anime Trending

Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era won Anime Movie of the Year on the 2025 Anime Trending Awards.

Trivia

• Fuji Kiseki was trained under Trainer Tanabe in the movie, unlike in the anime where she was trained under Hana Toujou, belonging to Team Rigil.
  • This causes a continuity issue, since Special Week was already enrolled into Tracen Academy in the movies, in addition to Season 3 taking place after the movie chronologically; therefore, it could be attributed that the movie takes place in an alternate universe.
• Unlike its portrayal in the movie, Hopeful Stakes wasn't a G1 race until 2017, nor it was named that way until 2014.
• The movie's title comes from the commentary when the in-real-life Jungle Pocket won the 2001 Japanese Derby.
• T.M. Opera O's real-life career is reworked for the movie to keep her as this unstoppable force Jungle Pocket has to overcome, meaning that they gloss over or remove the fact that by the time between her win at the Arima Kinen and Jungle Pocket's win at the Japan Cup, T.M. Opera O had lost at:
  • The Sankei Osaka Hai
  • The Takarazuka Kinen to Meisho Doto
  • The Autumn Tenno Sho to Agnes Digital, who wasn't heavily present in the movie.
    • T.M. Opera O's popularity was also changed for the movie. After her win at the Kyoto Daishoten, fans were excited to see her get her 8th G1 win, but in real life, the horse was heavily hated.