Tom Cruise visits MAPPA EXPO and asks how long anime episodes take

Tom Cruise and director Alejandro G. Inarritu visited MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary in Tokyo while promoting Digger, and an official MAPPA CHANNEL video shows the pair talking with animator Tadashi Hiramatsu about anime production.¹ The visit also took Cruise through displays devoted to Jujutsu Kaisen, where he stopped to examine original drawings and fight scenes.

Cruise asks how anime is made

The most revealing exchange comes when Cruise asks Hiramatsu how long it takes to make one episode. Hiramatsu explains that the full process takes roughly two or three months, depending on the title and how the production is organised.¹ Storyboards and preparation around them are part of that timeline, not just the period when animators are actively drawing.

Cruise then asks how much of the work is still done by hand. Hiramatsu says the answer varies between artists, but that the work has become substantially digital. He adds that he grew up drawing with paper and pencil, leaving his own process somewhere around half traditional and half digital.¹

The video captures Cruise looking closely at the exhibition's animation breakdowns. The Jujutsu Kaisen area places key drawings alongside footage, including displays for fights such as Nanami versus Mahito and Satoru Gojo versus Miguel. The point is less celebrity cameo than a useful glimpse at how much planning sits behind a few seconds of finished animation.¹²

A Digger gift from MAPPA

The visit was tied to Digger, the film directed by Inarritu and starring Cruise. MAPPA says Hiramatsu drew Digger illustrations as gifts for both visitors. He explained that the drawing itself took about a day, while developing the ideas after watching the film took several days.¹ Cruise and Inarritu's tour also included the Attack on Titan exhibition area. MAPPA EXPO 15th Anniversary remains open at Yurakucho Museum in Tokyo until December 7, before moving to the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum from January to March 2027.²³

Our opinion

The appeal here is not only the surreal image of Tom Cruise touring an anime exhibition. It is the production question at the centre of the video. Anime schedules are often discussed through headlines about delays or crunch, but a simple explanation of the storyboard-to-animation timeline gives viewers a clearer sense of why even one episode can take months. MAPPA's footage makes the creative process tangible: the drawings, finished movement and Cruise's practical questions turn a promotional visit into useful industry context.