The premiere of “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” faced a series of challenges, primarily due to the hacking incident that delayed the film’s release by a few months. Although this delay may have negatively impacted the public’s reception of the film in Japan, it also had a positive side.
Chikasi Kubota, the animation director of “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,” revealed in an interview that the hack incident fell like rain in May for the animators. Initially, they had only 1.5 years to produce the film without any pre-production or planning. Kubota was worried that they wouldn’t make it in time for the original premiere date.
However, when the film’s release was delayed due to the hack incident, they gained an extra two months to perfect the film. This additional time allowed the team to reach the optimal state they were aiming for, which may not have been possible otherwise.
While it is impossible to confirm, it is interesting to consider that the delay may have been a blessing in disguise, particularly given that the cause of the hack was an employee downloading software that carried a virus. Fortunately, the film was able to overcome these challenges and become a success.
Looking forward, it would be beneficial for the animators to have more time to work on future films. Regardless, “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” proved that setbacks can sometimes lead to unexpected benefits, and the film was able to achieve its desired level of quality thanks to the delay.